Will Guidara Will Deliver Keynote at ATD 2026

The hospitality expert and bestselling author will speak at the world's largest gathering of talent development professionals.

ALEXANDRIA, Va., Dec. 16, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Will Guidara, author and restaurateur, will deliver the Monday morning keynote for the Association for Talent Development's 2026 International Conference & Exposition, May 17–20, at the Los Angeles Convention Center in Los Angeles, California.

Guidara is the author of The NY Times Bestseller Unreasonable Hospitality, which chronicles the lessons in service and leadership he has learned over the course of his career in restaurants. He is the former co-owner of Eleven Madison Park and the host of the Welcome Conference, an annual hospitality symposium that brings together like-minded people to share ideas, inspire one another, and connect to form a community. 

A graduate of the Cornell University School of Hospitality, he has co-authored four cookbooks and was named one of Crain's New York Business's 40 Under 40. He is also the recipient of WSJ Magazine's Innovator Award.

Guidara took Eleven Madison Park from a middling Brasserie to the best restaurant in the world when he realized something revolutionary—in a restaurant, the food, the service, and the design are simply ingredients in the recipe of human connection. In this talk, Will shares how he took EMP to no. 1 and how an unreasonable approach to the pursuit of human connection can help you win – and give people an experience they'll remember forever.

ATD 2026 will welcome thousands of attendees from more than 80 countries around the world. It will be the world's largest gathering of talent development professionals and the industry's largest EXPO featuring the top companies serving the learning and development field.

Learn more about ATD 2026 and explore registration options on the conference's website.

About ATD

The Association for Talent Development (ATD) is the world's largest professional membership organization supporting those who develop the knowledge and skills of employees, improve performance, and help to achieve results for the organizations they serve. Established in 1943, the association was previously known as the American Society for Training & Development (ASTD).

ATD's members come from more than 100 countries and work in public and private organizations in every industry sector. ATD supports talent development professionals who gather locally in volunteer-led US chapters and international member networks, and with international strategic partners.

For more information, visit td.org.

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SOURCE Association for Talent Development (ATD)