For the first time since the beginning of 2020, Bett (British Educational Training and Technology Show) returned to the ExCeL Arena in London to reunite the global education community in person. The show ran from the 23rd -25th March and I was lucky to be one of the 30,000 plus people to walk through the doors and experience again the great buzz that you always associate with this annual tech event. Over 500 exhibitors and 225 speakers meant that there was something for everyone.
To make it easier for visitors to find solution providers that match their educational needs, there were five product trails at the show this year. These were the Higher Education Trail, Home Learning Trail, Low Cost/High Impact Trail, SEND and Inclusion Trail, and Wellbeing Trail. Each of these product trails were well mapped which made it very easy to navigate this massive arena and maximise your time there.
As education around the world is now targeting beyond crisis response, Bett 2022’s overarching theme was ‘Creating the Future.’ Content at Bett 2022 was structured to help the global education community respond to challenges and priorities post pandemic.
Guest speakers included Ted speaker and Growth Mindset Expert Eduardo Briceño, comedian and actress Sally Phillips, and Gogglebox participant Baasit Siddiqui. The talks and seminars focused on the whole education ecosystem covering topics relevant to government decision makers, teachers and students.
The main Bett Arena, as well as hosting all the exhibitors, also housed nine theatres in total offering more than 90 hours of CPD-accredited content. Theatres included Teaching & Learning, Leaders@Bett, Tech in Action, and Bett Futures (small and start-up companies).
New features on the exhibition floor this year included an E-sports Hub focused on the use of
e-sports in education, while Bett After Hours saw opening hours extended on the second day to 8pm to cater for visitors who couldn’t attend Bett during the day.
The student-led Kids Judge Bett was also back for its seventh year, where pupils and parents from primary and secondary schools, including SEND and post-16 students, were invited to get involved in exploring stands, exhibitors and their products to choose their favourites across 10 categories for judging.
It was great to attend this massive EdTech event once again. Next years show runs from the 29th to the 31st March. If you haven’t ever been then its well worth the trip!
