back from BETT my thoughts

[KK20]

Connect at BETT was a mixed bag. I had four meetings. First off, they are one to one. I had myself and my boss, the grumpy lady told us off for taking a chair from a neighbouring table that wasnt in use - we ignored her and carried on. Second meeting, once those 15 mins are off, the staff get quite shirty, even though there was noone on the table after us (nor the one I nicked a chair off). We decamped and carried on chatting at the side, on a set of tables with noone on them - we got moved on (there was no meeting in progress). I would estimate 10% of the tables in use between 11/12 and 15/16 (I had 4 meetings in total). My boss had arranged a meeting with someone, he phoned them and we met in costa instead as we needed a bit more time for that one - we guessed that the grumpy connect staff would move us on.

 

I didnt visit AMNE as I had little time im afraid (sorry! only down for one day as I needed to plan before the train strikes were off) but managed to visit all the other stands I wanted. All the tech I needed to look at had demos, so overall it was worth it for me.

 

ASUS was a waste of time, they had a stand with a slushy machine, I wanted to see a specific ASUS model to compare with surface pro - they directed me to three resellers, one didnt know what I meant (their ASUS guy was out on a meeting), one was too busy so we gave up on the third and will stick with surface pro. If you are going to pay for a stand, why arrive with no tech?

 

WIFI was sketchy as was data connection. To be expected at such a trade conference of course but still surprising given that it IS a tech conference. Even the Microsoft stand was having issues demonstrating something we wanted to look at. Quite funny really.

 

F1 sim was fun.

 

Some schools took their classes to BETT, I thought that was a bit cruel. It meant that the esports section was swarmed though, not that I needed it.

 

Avanti trains were on time and quick. No tube issues.#

 

 

edit: one more I forgot. If you printed a badge at BETT then the entry barcode and your details QR code are on the same side. If you printed on yourself then they are on separate sides. Not much of a gripe but you need to flip backwards and forwards when swapping hall sides etc. On that note, some were entry left, some were entry right. If you got it wrong then staff got annoyed at you. Why not just keep it to "if you want to in or out then keep left"

Edited March 31, 2023 by KK20

[DrCheese]

The Connect@BETT thing looked utterly pointless - Just row after row of empty tables. I guess the billion emails they sent out about it didn't work.

 

Not having the badge printers at the front of it like in previous years was annoying, instead having to walk all the way to the carpark end that was poorly sign posted.

[KK20]

luckily the tube announcer was telling people to get off at Prince Regent for BETT else I would have got off at Custom House.

[simonw]

luckily the tube announcer was telling people to get off at Prince Regent for BETT else I would have got off at Custom House.

 

Yesterday a DLR person at Canning Town was telling people to alight at Custom House. Once on the train word quickly got round to use Prince Regent.

[elsiegee40]

Yesterday a DLR person at Canning Town was telling people to alight at Custom House. Once on the train word quickly got round to use Prince Regent.

 

On Wednesday the DLR was pushing Prince Regent hard

[Michael_Ox]

WIFI was sketchy as was data connection. To be expected at such a trade conference of course but still surprising given that it IS a tech conference. Even the Microsoft stand was having issues demonstrating something we wanted to look at. Quite funny really.

Experienced this! Trying to follow the EdTech Trail and the website would struggle to load.

[Brimstone]

Ive been told this...

 

Exhibitors who were there were being asked about signing up for next year (they always do this) but were told that had to increase their stand size by 1m and had to commit to all meetings [email protected] a waste of time.

 

I got off at Custom House and walked for 15 minutes.....

[Olliekai]

Connect at BETT was a mixed bag. I had four meetings. First off, they are one to one. I had myself and my boss, the grumpy lady told us off for taking a chair from a neighbouring table that wasnt in use - we ignored her and carried on. Second meeting, once those 15 mins are off, the staff get quite shirty, even though there was noone on the table after us (nor the one I nicked a chair off). We decamped and carried on chatting at the side, on a set of tables with noone on them - we got moved on (there was no meeting in progress). I would estimate 10% of the tables in use between 11/12 and 15/16 (I had 4 meetings in total). My boss had arranged a meeting with someone, he phoned them and we met in costa instead as we needed a bit more time for that one - we guessed that the grumpy connect staff would move us on.

 

I didnt visit AMNE as I had little time im afraid (sorry! only down for one day as I needed to plan before the train strikes were off) but managed to visit all the other stands I wanted. All the tech I needed to look at had demos, so overall it was worth it for me.

 

ASUS was a waste of time, they had a stand with a slushy machine, I wanted to see a specific ASUS model to compare with surface pro - they directed me to three resellers, one didnt know what I meant (their ASUS guy was out on a meeting), one was too busy so we gave up on the third and will stick with surface pro. If you are going to pay for a stand, why arrive with no tech?

 

WIFI was sketchy as was data connection. To be expected at such a trade conference of course but still surprising given that it IS a tech conference. Even the Microsoft stand was having issues demonstrating something we wanted to look at. Quite funny really.

 

F1 sim was fun.

 

Some schools took their classes to BETT, I thought that was a bit cruel. It meant that the esports section was swarmed though, not that I needed it.

 

Avanti trains were on time and quick. No tube issues.#

 

 

edit: one more I forgot. If you printed a badge at BETT then the entry barcode and your details QR code are on the same side. If you printed on yourself then they are on separate sides. Not much of a gripe but you need to flip backwards and forwards when swapping hall sides etc. On that note, some were entry left, some were entry right. If you got it wrong then staff got annoyed at you. Why not just keep it to "if you want to in or out then keep left"

 

The staff told me off quite aggressively for trying to exit through the “entrance”

[DeGrimmy]

It has been a couple of years since I've been to BETT, and I was overwhelmed by the sheer size of it this year. I didn't bother trying the wifi as my phone data was good enough.

 

I used the DLR on the way in on Wednesday, and got off at Prince Regent as I'd seen @elsiegee40's post about it on here. However, it was incredibly uncomfortable! The train was wobbling around and it felt like it was going to derail at one point. On the way back, I walked down to Custom House and used the Elizabeth line to get back to Central London instead, even though there were severe delays on another part of the line. It was busy, but so much faster and more comfortable than my usual route. It's definitely going to be my new route if I'm heading to BETT.

[psydii]

It has been a couple of years since I've been to BETT, and I was overwhelmed by the sheer size of it this year. I didn't bother trying the wifi as my phone data was good enough.

 

I used the DLR on the way in on Wednesday, and got off at Prince Regent as I'd seen @elsiegee40's post about it on here. However, it was incredibly uncomfortable! The train was wobbling around and it felt like it was going to derail at one point. On the way back, I walked down to Custom House and used the Elizabeth line to get back to Central London instead, even though there were severe delays on another part of the line. It was busy, but so much faster and more comfortable than my usual route. It's definitely going to be my new route if I'm heading to BETT.

 

Last time I went it dawned on me that it’s about 1/3 the size of CES, which is about as big as it gets. Yet BETT is Education tech only…

 

And while sense checking my thought before I posted, I find it on this list, which sort of confirms it place as one of the largest trade shows in the world.

 

https://www.techradar.com/news/top-tech-conferences-the-ultimate-tech-events-and-show-guide

[DrCheese]

Ive been told this...

 

Exhibitors who were there were being asked about signing up for next year (they always do this) but were told that had to increase their stand size by 1m and had to commit to all meetings [email protected] a waste of time.

 

I got off at Custom House and walked for 15 minutes.....

 

If they seriously go down this route then the event is dead - Like 100% dead. Greedy organisers just want to be able to charge exhibitors a percentage of any business made via this route.

[Net-Ctrl]

It seems that Connect@BETT is not going away. We were told if we wanted to re-book we had to take it and it's not a cheap add-on.

 

I gave feedback from our experience, and those from EduGeek users and asked to be included in dialogue with the people behind Connect. Hopefully, this opportunity is given.

 

One thing that was apparent to me was the very very broad tech areas - I struggled to find where we even fit in their breakdown. Given that this is a tech show it was just silly. If this was much more granular, into specific areas (MIS, Switching, Wi-Fi, CCTV etc) it should allow companies to better position themselves, and for attendees to search specific companies that can meet a specific need, and vice-versa. This would hopefully reduce the amount of emails going out as well. This year their advice to exhibitors was to send 100s of invites. Something we didn't and never intended to do.

 

I can see the potential in Connect being a good option for those down for a few hours/single day with a long list of companies to meet/research to carry out. It would allow a more streamlined approach - however the meetings are more formal, and we personally, much prefer meeting people at our stand for more informal conversations.

[Dos_Box]

I'm going to post my experiences and views of the show tomorrow (drove back home on Saturday and still pooped, plus it's my birthday today) based on my chats with lots of vendors and my experience of doing BETT since 2007.

One thing I will say though is that it did seem to be lacking 'atmosphere', a sense of fun if you will, that it usually does.

Maybe this is becase it's the first 'real' BETT in three years (let's not count last years when everyone on the EduGeek stand who hadn't had covid, went down with it immediately post-show) and vendors are still getting back into the swing of things, but it still felt a little, well, 'off'.

[FragglePete]

I can echo the comments regarding the Bett Connect tables. Me and my assistant were talking to a vendor and got told off for having more than two of us at a table. However, go watch the BETT Highlight videos of YouTube and they show quite clearly multiple people huddled around a table!

 

For me it was useful, primarily because I have a lot of projects on the go which required talking to a lot of vendors. Free lunch on behalf of Arbor at the Tappa Tappa restaurant was most welcomed and again, really helpful and useful.

 

Impero should hang their head in shame, as while we were looking at another stand and looking at some literature they forced a leaflet in front on us and said we should check this out. While on somebody else's stand. Poor show. Not the first time they've been aggressive at BETT.

 

Each year, we try to work out the overall theme, be it VLE's, MIS's, etc. This year, obviously a lot of e-Sports with some very flash PCs and Chairs, which obviously very expensive, but, still trying to work out how that would be relevant for Education overall.

 

Pete

[dhicks]

One thing I will say though is that it did seem to be lacking 'atmosphere', a sense of fun if you will, that it usually does.

 

I can see what BETT were aiming for - a conference / market where people purchasing stand space get good return-on-investement. If I'm a business spending (very rough guess) £10,000 minimum on a stand, plus transport, accomodation and the cost of staff for a week, I'd want to have some way of making sure I could get to speak to the people making actual purchasing decisions for schools / districts / groups. The connect@bett idea is a good first try, but probably needs some tweaks for next year - larger group tables maybe, and a better search / matching facility on their booking system. I tried to use their system to book some meetings with door entry / visitor management vendors, a pretty specific requirement, but just got a list of every exhibitor at BETT to choose from, which wasn't practical.

[Net-Ctrl]

@dhicks - we can help you out with door entry / visitor management if you didn't have much luck finding any at BETT

[stebo730]

The ChatGPT session on the Thursday had around 300 people trying to get into a space that sat around 50 people all while the Main Arena was empty. Didn't manage to get in!

 

This was my only negative and enjoyed the experience as always. Didn't bother with the BettConnect thing but could see that others didn't either - should have opened it up for somewhere to sit at lunch. Also I liked how the Cloakroom was now free (2019 since my last Bett Event!)

[VeryPC_Jack]

I personally only had 2 meetings at Connect @ Bett and one ended up being on the stand due to the trains. For me as an exhibitor, it was good on our experience as the client was allowed to pick what specifically was needed from each person (I think they had 5 booked back to back) However, the kit they wanted to see was on our stands and due to timescales etc they ran out of time to come and see the kit! Overall it was a fun experience as always with lots of socks given out! Thanks to everyone who did come and see us at the show. (If you didn't make it and want some socks etc, shoot me a message. We saved some )

[Dos_Box]

It certainly was a strange BETT this year, not just because of the Connect@BETT faff many, including exhibitors, had to go through, but because, IMO it lacked the usual BETT ‘atmosphere’.

It did seem to be missing the sense of fun that usual BETT’s have, but this is understandable given it was the first ‘real’ show in three years (we shan’t count last years), and with new companies and staff there, as well as old hands having to re-learn/remember how to do large shows. Hopefully the next show should be a lot more, well, fun.

 

Numbers, by all accounts, were down on a normal BETT, but once more this is understandable, with the rail strikes causing many to drop out and not helped by it being the last week of term, which means that many techies stayed away to ensure their networks were all shut down properly. Whilst we did have a nice amount of visitors to our stand, we did miss some regular faces coming for a chat.

A big shout out also goes to Smoothwall for sponsoring our lunchtime pizza

 

Freebies! With fewer members at the show, we didn’t get to find out about the very nice range of freebies that could be had this year (and a shoutout goes to @Net-Ctrl here for coming over on the Friday to drop off some very nice mugs and USB battery packs!) and @VeryPC for the socks and sweets, but as @BKGarry proved, they were out there if you looked for them!

 

The location of the show also felt weird. With the show being at the eastern end of ExCel as well as the halls reversed (what used to be on the south side was now in the north and vice-versa) it cause everyone to stop and have to get their bearings every time you left the exhibition halls!

 

I also thought that taking the BETT arena and into the dedicated theatre at ExCel took many out of the main show environment meaning exhibitors lose out on footfall from visitors who would usually filter through the exhibition on their way to and from the arena when it was held inside the main event.

A quick note about Connect@BETT, I had spoken to so many exhibitors and got a decent overview of their opinions about it. Some I talked to loved it, but many saw it as a pain, taking staff off the stands and most meetings being not very productive at all. Not to mention that they want to show off their products, not talk about them in a different hall. Whilst I can see the point of it, and it worked for some, I think most (exhibitors and visitors) would be glad to see the back of it.

 

As regards to London travel, I must admit that with the Lizzy line now open, it took a lot of pressure off the DLR each morning, and I got to ride on it briefly (very comfy and fast!), and on my way down and my return in holiday traffic (I had to drive down due to rail closures on the WCML) the smart motorways do indeed seem to keep the traffic flowing, even when very busy, but was so glad to get out of London and its ‘dodgy drivers’

 

Still, it was nice to get back into things, meeting you all and our sponsors and I can now get on with planning our conf for October. We’d usually hold it in May, but with a March BETT, we really don’t have time to organise ours in such a short space of time. I’m just putting some feelers out now for a venue, but it could well involve trains or weapons depending on what venue works best for facilities!

[CTIDTech]

We had a good time at BETT and some suppliers invited us to various dinners too which we took advantage of! It's always nice to meet them off stand!

Transport - no major issues, straight in and out with no questions on either door although my colleague lost her car in the car park! It all looked the same underneath! FOUND IN THE END!

Atmosphere, better than last year and much busier and pretty much saw everything we wanted to see.

 

Would I go again - Yes

Would I use Bett Connect again - I fear I will have to although not great this year

Verdict - 6/10

[MartinT]

I did find the Elizabeth Line made my travel from Basingstoke very much easier, and with just two trains. Surreal having started at Reading going through the centre of London and out the other end. Definitely the way I shall go in the future.

 

The exhibition was a little flat and the crowds were down, which suited me fine. I had very good technical talks with Ruckus, Smoothwall and Lenovo. I didn't book any Connect meetings as I wanted to choose who I spoke to. I hope stand vendors take this in: I want to speak with people who know the products, not with time wasters who look vacant the moment I mention a product by name. There is no point having such people on your stand, they do you a disservice. Sorry I didn't pop in at the ANME stand, I didn't even see it!

 

I was irritated at the number of e-mails about booking meetings and not missing deadlines. Spam has reached a new high with BETT and I shall use a disposable e-mail address in future as they appear to sell our details to just anyone.

 

There is still not enough seating in the central area at peak times, just when I wanted to grab a coffee and a break.

 

I was there for over 4 hours and that was plenty enough. It was a long way home.

Edited April 5, 2023 by MartinT

[BKGarry]

Did someone say freebies????

[TechMonkey]

That is a haul and a half!!!!

[NorrthDown2]

Big thank you to Edugeek for giving me somewhere to sit and gather myself .. and for the free pizza!

 

I found plenty of kits for Raspberry Pi, Microbits etc which was my takeaway but it did seem oddly laid out - most kits were close to Edugeek near Prince Regent end, but I found some were in the South Hall close to Connect@Bett. It's easy to miss things. Really hope next year they can get a floor plan out a few days before the event. Thank you to those who sent the pdf - it saved me a lot of time as I could preplan a lot of vendors I wanted to see.

 

I still think the lack of Saturday means late Friday afternoon becomes vendor packing up time and it has a bit of the feel of a Saturday but I know I'm in a minority on wanting Saturday - it was good for me to dip my toe in BETT in 2017 on a Saturday and I've come each year since, some years for a weekday, others a Saturday - I probably wouldn't have ever come without being able to come by paying myself to go on that first Saturday.

 

Elizabeth Line a game changer for me - I was able to fly in on Friday morning to Stansted and get to Excel before the exhibition started. I arrived at the platform in Liverpool Street just as an Elizabeth Line train to Abbey Wood pulled in. 10 minutes later, at Custom House. The platforms on the Elizabeth line are so vast and cavernous - there just seems to be no noise in them when people are moving about.

 

I enjoy face to face with vendors, I had some good, and as ever, some unexpected conversations. Thank you Edu Geek for helping with floorplan and a place to rest!

[GrumbleDook]

@NorrthDown2 You are not the only one missing Saturday. That would often be the best day for meeting up with people and would take a lot of pressure of catching up with others. If you could see them on Saturday, then brilliant, if not then look at an alternate day.

As it was, I was down on Thursday and a bit of Friday morning, was lucky enough to not be on the main stand this year, but in meetings with others instead. A chance to wander around and see what was going on was also helpful, but despite many attempts, as I was not down as a school/buyer, I could not book a meeting with other exhibitors, which is a drawback as it is a perfectly reasonable expectation. I did use the Connect@BETT area for a few meetings though and only got moved on once.

I did feel the atmosphere was better than last year, and the moving of the arena was an interesting one, and I think could be workable. Whilst the footfall might drop away, having better arena experiences is a plus point for those attending based on CPD. Feedback I have had about panels and lectures was very positive, and there seems to have been some better curation this year. I would still love to see more of the sessions recorded and available later.