I don’t know if there are many edtech devotees within Irish education who are unaware of the yearly pilgrimage to the London Docklands for the annual BETT 2025 Conference and Trade Show, which took place from January 22–24, 2025, at ExCeL London. It is pitched as a hotbed of innovation in education technology, bringing together over 46,000 attendees from 129 countries. With over 616 exhibitors, the event showcased cutting-edge solutions aimed at improving teaching and learning across various educational institutions. However, it is much more than just a trade show.
The conference featured hundreds of speakers, including Sir Stephen Fry, who, according to some attendees I chatted with, was both entertaining and thought-provoking. BETT has several stages covering sessions on AI, cybersecurity, leadership, diversity, and sustainability, which makes it a bit difficult to attend every session that piques your interest. A feature introduced in the past few years has been Table Talks, where attendees sign up for discussions with like-minded individuals from diverse backgrounds. It’s a great way to gain unique perspectives on common issues in education.
The three main topics on my agenda were professional development (PD) tools, cybersecurity, and esports—especially with a Further Education (FE) focus. Since I have recently changed roles from TEL (Technology-Enhanced Learning) to PL&D (Professional Learning and Development), I’m keen to discover offerings that make PD easier, cheaper, more effective, fun, faster, smarter, effortless, convenient, engaging, and sustainable… quite a Sisyphean task! Unfortunately, I didn’t find the holy grail of PD solutions in the halls of ExCeL. However there are some platforms out there with BlueSky catching my eye.
I was also curious to explore resources available for the FE sector, particularly in apprenticeships. I’ve gathered a pile of marketing materials, which, due to recent power cuts, are still sitting in my reading pile—something I might share later.
Cybersecurity has become the specter at the feast in edtech over the past half-decade. Schools are increasingly seen as soft targets. While they may not be as lucrative to ransom as tech companies or banks, schools hold “black gold” in the form of student data. I attended several cybersecurity talks, including a Table Talk, and came away convinced that everyone in education—including students—needs to take digital security more seriously.
Esports continues to expand at BETT. As an industry, esports is growing rapidly and being treated as a legitimate entertainment business. I was intrigued to learn how the UK has developed T-levels in esports. (T-levels are an alternative to A-levels, focusing on vocational skills with strong industry ties.) This initiative is akin to an apprenticeship in esports and can lead to well-paying careers. Esports isn’t going away, and Irish schools will soon start treating it as a mainstream student activity.
AI was the big thing of BETT last year and it was again this year. My AI focus was on Microsoft AI events on their stand as my ETB runs Microsoft365. Mike Tholfsen, Microsoft Product Manager and YouTube star gathered the larger audiences at the stand as he introduced new features to MS Teams. His channel will share his presentations from BETT over the next few weeks if not covered already. Dan Fitzpatrick presented a number of times on different times and as usual worth listening to. With AI, we are in a cycle of rapid change and it is hard to keep up but we must!
This year, I compared BETT to another edtech behemoth, ISTE, which I attended in Denver last June. ISTE focuses more on teachers and practical classroom presentations, while BETT targets the corporate sector. Although the ISTE trade floor is smaller, it has a more grassroots vibe compared to BETT, which is dominated by large companies. The arrival of edtech giants like PowerSchool and Common Sense Media at BETT signals that the world is becoming smaller and more interconnected. BETT is increasingly becoming a event for school leaders and decision-makers responsible for infrastructure, rather than teachers seeking classroom tools. Social media has also eroded BETT’s traditional role as the launchpad for new products. That said, the demos and webinars from Microsoft, Google, and Adobe still make the event worth attending. However, the dominance of larger stands often overshadows the smaller, innovative companies that once made BETT so exciting in its Earl’s Court days. In contrast, ISTE retains some of that earlier BETT spirit.
One striking feature of BETT is its growing international presence. While Middle Eastern countries continue to dominate one end of the hall, other European nations—from Bulgaria to Spain—are now well-represented. These country stands, acting as umbrellas for edtech startups, often feature hidden gems with novel ideas for teaching and learning. For example, I noticed two Irish exhibitors: Engage from Waterford on the Meta stand, and ArcKit, a small company making architectural building blocks, which also exhibited at ISTE in Denver.
Actually, my BETT kicked off at an Learnovate/ Enterprise Ireland networking event on the Thursday. It was a pleasant event, and I got to chat with some guys from Examrevision. It has always struck me as curious that there is not really an Irish ed tech ecosystem and I might explore that in a future blog post.
The TeachMeet remains the highlight of BETT. It was fantastic to reconnect with familiar faces, and I appreciate the efforts of Danny, Dawn, and Bart in keeping it going. Next year marks 20 years of TeachMeets!
I attended with several first-time staff members, and seeing BETT through their eyes was a joy. Despite sore feet and copious amounts of coffee consumed, I’m already looking forward to BETT 2026.