Bett is the largest education community in the world. From humble beginnings in the car park of the Barbican in 1985 to the ExCel centre, the London Bett Show (incorporating the Education Show) event attracts over 40,000 attendees from over 100 countries each January. Visitors range from Minister of Education to MAT CEO to School Business Manager to NQT. They come to learn at our 11 stages of world class content, to meet colleagues, to test out the latest technology from global suppliers and to discover new ideas to take back to the classroom.
So what happens when a live events business can no longer run live events? How does Bett, rooted in EdTech for 35 years, stay connected to its visitors and support them as they move overnight to remote teaching and learning?
Our first step was to create a community hub where we could share free resources offered by the EdTech community and where teachers could write articles outlining their experiences and offering best practice. Over the past nine months this has developed into an invaluable resource built by those who would normally connect in person. We’ve produced a regular Bettcast with contributions from schools and universities from around the world and continued our Podcast series with the EdTech Podcast.
For the first time ever we’ve also added videos from the January show so you can get inspiration from our stellar list of speakers ranging from EdTech Demonstrator schools sharing best practice to institutions outlining their journey to a full digital strategy.
Our community hub also has a strong wellbeing focus specifically designed to address the immediate challenges of students studying remotely and ways to support both students and teachers during this extended period of hybrid teaching and learning.
The past year has helped us move beyond live events to connect with more schools and colleges around the world. But we’re Bett and we exist to bring people together. So we’ve created. It’s with this in mind that we’ve created BettFest, something different to celebrate and support the education community. The three days will offer product discovery, practical CPD and best practice for educating students during a pandemic.
The completely new, dynamic content will focus on three dedicated BettFest themes:
Leadership: Leading successful remote and blended learning; collaborating to design innovative solutions; designing an adaptable, scalable digital strategy
Digital inclusion: Solutions to overcome the digital divide; improving access and skills for students at all levels: ensuring impactful teaching for SEND students
Resilient futures: Building a strong workplace culture and avoiding burnout; enabling a culture of resilience; Fourth Education Revolution reimagined
BettFest is free to attend and will comprise a Main Stage, Solutions Showcase, Bett Academy and After School Club fringe events:
Main Stage:
2pm – 4pm each day. Tune in to hear keynote speakers and see best practice from the front line. Each day will focus on one of the BettFest themes with an outstanding speaker lineup from the UK as well as inspiring leaders from around the world. The full agenda can be found here.
Solutions Showcase:
Stream new product showcases daily and discover what’s new and exciting in tech including a preview of the Bett Awards shortlist
Bett Academy:
Sign up for the Bett Academy and update your CPD, either during the show or visit on-demand whenever you have the time. Sessions will be provided by Microsoft, Apple, Connected Learning Centre and Animate2Educate. The CPD is accredited by CPDUK and participants will be able to download a certificate of attendance.
After School Club:
Bett wouldn’t be Bett without some of the famous fringe events. We’re bringing you some of the best: you can attend the UK or International Teachmeet, the Global EdTech Startup Awards, a Microsoft Flipgrid event and a ceremony to announce the Bett Awards Covid-19 Champions.
Registration is now open and we would love to welcome you and your colleagues to join us online to share, celebrate and be inspired.
https://www.bettshow.com/bettfest-registration
BettFest takes place on 20-22 January 2021.
The full Bett Awards will take place in-person on 16 June 2021.
The next in-person Bett show will take place on 19-21 January 2022 at ExCeL London.
Sarah Marshall is Global Head of Content for Bett and is interested in all things education, learning and tech. Sarah has been volunteering as a mentor in secondary school since 2009 and has been a Governor at a primary school since 2014 where she is now Chair. Prior to joining the Bett team Sarah was Head of Events for Optimus Education where she was responsible for the programme of training and conferences for teachers.
