How The Academy by Forbes Travel Guide distributes its e-learning courses to clients' own LMSs
Hotel groups wanted Forbes Travel Guide courses next to their own content, in the learning management system (LMS) their teams already use. With Linqur's SCORM Proxy, Forbes Travel Guide (FTG) delivers each course to every client's LMS from one source and keeps control over licenses and registrations.
At a glance
Enterprise clients needed greater flexibility
The Academy by Forbes Travel Guide provides learning experiences to luxury hotels and hospitality groups worldwide. For many clients, accessing courses through Forbes Travel Guide's learning platform provides a straightforward and effective experience.
As FTG expanded its work with larger hotel groups, however, a different need emerged. Many enterprise clients already had established learning ecosystems, including their own LMS, assignment processes, automations and reporting. They wanted the ability to make FTG content available within those existing environments, alongside their own learning programs.
FTG therefore looked for a distribution model that could complement its existing learning platform while giving enterprise clients greater flexibility in how they deliver FTG content.
Integrating with clients' learning ecosystems
For enterprise clients, the opportunity was to make FTG courses available within the LMS their teams already use, while enabling FTG to maintain appropriate visibility and control over content access and registrations.
A more flexible access and cost model
FTG wanted an approach that aligned access with the needs of each client engagement. Linqur's activation-based model provides learners with extended access while giving FTG a more flexible way to manage distribution costs.
Finding the right distribution partner
FTG explored several approaches for delivering content into clients' existing learning environments. The priority was a solution that could begin with a small number of clients, demonstrate value, and scale as demand grew.
Four requirements
Courses run inside the client's LMS
With the client's own assignment and reporting around them.
FTG keeps a handle on the contract
Licenses, registrations and access stay visible and adjustable per client.
Pricing that fits a pilot
Start with one or two clients and grow if it works. See pricing for how Linqur charges.
A partner, not a vendor
A team that sees FTG as an individual client, reacts quickly and is proactive.
Flexible pricing got Linqur on the shortlist. The first call decided it.
Flexible pricing put Linqur in the final two or three: FTG could test with a first client and grow if it worked.
Linqur distributes e-learning content to other platforms. FTG uploads a course once and generates a SCORM Proxy package per client. The client imports that small package into its own LMS, while the course keeps running from Linqur. FTG updates content and manages access in one place.
See how SCORM Proxy worksMore than vendors, we're looking for partners. A company that sees us as an individual, not as a number, and is willing to work with us and be proactive.
What it changed, one year in
SCORM Proxy: FTG courses inside the client's LMS, with FTG in control
Clients assign and report on FTG courses through their usual flows. FTG still sees registrations per client and sets how many licenses each one gets. For a global enterprise client, the integration is now part of the enterprise agreement: properties opt in through their own LMS, and FTG only changes the license count. Result: of that client's roughly 200 properties worldwide, four or five use FTG content today. For next year, FTG expects 20 to 30.
Pay per activation: a full year of access instead of one month
In FTG's hosted LMS, a learner license runs for one month. Linqur charges per activation, so FTG can give each learner a full year of access without the cost rising the way it would in the LMS. Result: 12 months of access per learner, up from 1.
Platform independent: live on a tight deadline, and unaffected by an LMS switch
One client on Cornerstone needed the courses fast. Setting up an LTI connection with Cornerstone would have taken at least four weeks, so FTG and Linqur switched to SCORM Proxy packages. When that client recently moved to a different LMS, it imported the same packages into the new platform and carried on where it left off. Result: no courses rebuilt when the client changed platforms.
Sign-up URLs and Webhooks: a free course that brings in leads
This one wasn't part of the original plan. When an FTG trainer speaks at a hospitality school or conference, attendees get a Sign-up URLs to the free course Service Excellence in Action. The registration form includes a marketing opt-in, and Linqur Webhooks send new registrations to Salesforce, so FTG can follow up by email. In Juan's words: "It was a good way of lead acquisition. The flexibility of your platform allows us to use it in different ways."
More setup at the start, less maintenance after
With SCORM Proxy, clients set up each course in their own LMS and add the title, thumbnail and description. That took some learning on both sides. It is more work up front and less maintenance afterwards.
FTG now onboards every new client the same way. First an email explaining what will happen and what FTG needs. Then a short call about the SCORM version (usually SCORM 1.2). Then a spreadsheet with all course names, thumbnails and descriptions. Once the course shells exist, FTG sends the SCORM Proxy packages.
Linqur is building a client portal where clients log in, see their own reporting and download their SCORM Proxy packages.
How onboarding works at LinqurIt's a simple email to you and the support team, and you're on it. With some of these bigger companies, we don't feel like we're getting that personalized support.
A fine dining curriculum and more enterprise properties
Once the fine dining curriculum is finalized, it goes into Linqur next to the foundational curriculum. FTG expects more enterprise properties to activate in the coming year. Smaller clients that don’t need an integration stay on FTG’s hosted LMS, so both routes stay open.
Selling courses to organizations that run their own LMS is what SCORM Proxy was built for. If a client’s LMS supports LTI and you want results back in its gradebook, the LTI Tool Dispatch is the other route. For learners without an LMS account, Sign-up URLs gives access through a link.
Other organizations that distribute their content with Linqur
Selling courses to organizations that have their own LMS?
Start like Forbes did: test with one or two clients and grow if it works. In a 30-minute call we go through your situation and what a first test would look like. Linqur is ISO 27001 and ISO 9001 certified and hosted in the EU, on servers not owned by AWS, Google or Microsoft.