The British Educational Technology show, held annually at Olympia in London, was its usual busy success this year. The big players were all there - RM, IBM, Compaq, ICL/Fujitsu, Intel and last, but of course not least, Microsoft.
What did I think of it all? Well, in between manning our tiny Millennium Mathematics Project stall I did get a little chance to look round. There was definitely a different emphasis from last year. Things have moved on from selling internet connections to selling content. I felt a glow of righteousness to be one of the few purveyors of free content there!
It's actually quite good fun to watch the strategies people adopt in browsing a show like BETT. There are those who were representing their school, keen not to miss out on any promotional material being dished out. If you are one of these next year bring a trolley - you'll need it! At the other end of the scale there were the cherry pickers - the organised folk who knew which stands to visit and had little or no time for the rest.
All in all, there is a great deal on offer for everyone. An enormous amount goes into the construction and organisation of stands, small and large. It's just amazing that it all comes together so well ten minutes before the show opens!
For more information visit the BETT web site.
See you in Birmingham!
We've not yet done with shows this year. The Millennium Mathematics Project will also be at the Birmingham Education Show from March 23rd - 25th. The Education Show is now in its 10th year and promises to be bigger than ever.
