B E T T S H O W R E V I E W


WITH 29,000VISITORSAND 700 SUPPLIERS, BETT 2011 DEFIES THE GLOOM


This January at Olympia, BETT proved once again it is the world’s largest technical education show and the show, whose acronym stands for British Educational Technical Training Show, is themost important.


Despite the coalition cuts and


the lack of ring-fenced technology funding by government, the annual four days proved amazingly upbeat. Over 29,000 visitors came to the


seminars, lectures and the exhibition of 700 suppliers, 70 of which were


making their BETT debut. Figures released by EMAP, who


organise the event on behalf of BESA(British Education Suppliers’Association), BETT 2011 attracted 14% more headteachers than last year and the number of ITmanagers visiting grew. EMAP’S latest research has


shown the success of BETT is that suppliers offer demonstrations, advice, and in some cases on-the-spot training, not the hard sell. This is an integral part of the offering of the BETT brand. The world is increasingly


beating a path to BETT. The number of visitors from mainland Europe was up by 5% and overall number of international visitors increased by 17%. Delegates to the Education


World Forum visited the show on several days. These were educational ministers and leading educationalists from across the globe. BESAdirector Ray Barker told


Technology in Education: “These figures add weight to the argument that even in a year of economic uncertainty, the leaders and practitioners running state and private education systems remain focused on the benefits of smart investments in the technologies that will benefit the learners in their care.” Debbie French, BETT event


director, commented: “Our figures for 2011, combined with


Technology in Education No.180 January/February 2011 36


overwhelmingly positive feedback from both exhibitors and visitors, demonstrate that the show has further enhanced its richly deserved reputation as the global ‘must attend’ event for everyone interested in the crucial role of ICT in education.” Testament to the global appeal


of BETT was the number of companies and organisations from outside the UK showing their products and expertise. Among the largest was theMedia DevelopmentAuthority of Singapore (MDA) who were heading nine companies from the tiny city state to showcase their latest digital media technology used in education, learning and training, in the Grand Hall. The French had a large presence with Cap Digital Paris Region and Chambre de Commerce et d’Industrie de Paris sporting stands and, in addition, there were companies from Canada , China, Germany, Hungary, Kazakstan, Korea, Norway, Romania and, of course, the USA, to name but a few. The global players such as


Dell, HP, Intel,Microsoft and Panasonic were very much in evidence, showing how they could deliver lower operating IT costs in terms of money, energy and product life by means of virtualisation and cloud computing. Value was the name of the game.


Continued on page 38 Check out our website: www.technology-in-education.co.uk


Circle No.A30


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