A little bit more geeky every day

I have just listened to the Ed Teach Round-Up podcast on the way to work this morning.  Now, before anyone jumps in and corrects me, I know it is podcast 53, and to set the scene, it was snowy – and a week before BETT!

The thing I thought I would write about is that listening back, it is absolutely fascinating to hear what people thought BETT was going to be like!  What it is like from the visitor perspective (something I found myself when I visited the Focus on Imaging show); what visitors expect from stands; the perception of motivation etc.  Now, I am sure that next Monday I will hear the de-brief, and it may well match the blogs I have read, but for those 23 who were in the ETRU that snowy Sunday evening, this is (part of) what you heard:

Saturday: is it a good day to visit? And stands start packing up at noon.

If they do (and bear in mind I am stuck on one stand so they may!), I really don’t understand the motivation!  After three days on the stand, there will be tired feet, a niggle in the back of your mind that you have said this somewhere before, but to pack up when there is a day left of the show is sheer madness!  BETT costs a fortune to run. Actually ‘fortune’ doesn’t cover even half of it, so to cast aside a day is crazy!  If you thought like that, you would say that the Wednesday is pretty quiet, so not to bother with that, so a four day show is now down to two! I don’t understand the companies that go out drinking until the small hours to be back on the stand the next day. I have been there, done that, got the hangover; and you don’t do anyone any justice the next day.  From my perspective, I like the Saturday at BETT, it is slightly quieter than the manic Friday, and you get a chance to talk more to people.

BETT isn’t for teachers/practitioners

Oh I wish it was!  I really enjoyed BETT this year, and I think that is mainly down to more teachers, more engagement in things that will aid teaching (rather than soak up budget).  This year’s BETT for me was a realignment of what that show is for – products and ideas that will actively aid teaching and teachers. Not just gizmos and tech that will be an aid to the few that know how to use them effectively. If we can carry that on to future shows, then BETT will be back in the hands of teachers!

The motivation of the people who are manning/running the stands

There are plenty of different people at BETT trying to show their wares.  Some have amazing product, some not so. Most are trying to make a living!  Free is an incredibly important part of education, and free is part of a lot of the stands’ offering, but there are times when free has to turn to premium.  Ian Yorston asked me at BETT how I saw the world of paid-for resources in a world of free. My answer was that there are times when the high value, technically difficult can’t be offered up as free. Times when the demands of today can’t wait until tomorrow, and that is when premium has to exist.  So the motivation of the people on the stands is in the main to do what they are there for, to show the amazing product that is on their stand to as many people who are interested in hearing about it. If you can match an interest to an interesting product, then lovely things can happen!

It will be really fascinating to listen to the next podcast, my feeling from reading the post-BETT blogs is that BETT was slightly different this year, and some of the preconceptions did not come true. I hope so!