NorrthDown2

I found something useful - so there are maps out there - on X (formerly Twitter) search BETT2024 and lightspeed and they have a map of the south hall. A bit pixellated but not bad. Anyone found anything useful for the north Hall plan wise? The app used to show a map about a week before pre - Covid. Last year was a real struggle to locate anything on the web so could pre plan places I wanted to see before I arrived. I still needed a printed map last year to find some of the small stalls.

I'm going to ask my annual question here... Is there anywhere to see a floorplan, with the stand numbers, of BETT 2024, so I can plan my route through to see who I would like to see? The app lists exhibitors, their stall numbers, but I haven't found a floorplan in it.

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!

Could someone take a photo(s) of the floorplan when they get there tomorrow and post it here- I'm coming on Friday and would find it helpful to know where certain firms are before I get there. Tx

Is there an app this year with floorplan or has anyone seen a floorplan? Useful to check before I go, so I know where certain stands are.

I had a Sinclair Spectrum 16k to thank for getting into programming. My earliest memory of gaming on it- Horace Goes Skiing and getting the titular character across the road. I was always envious of friends who had the 48k Spectrum and could run The Hobbit.

I see the Prodigy exams are taking place again this year, but only in person exams, not remote: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/bett-29th-31st-march-2023-microsoft-certifications-testing-lab-in-person-tickets-514271017457

I take it that as I have registered, that's all I need for a ticket. I can't seem to print a ticket with a QR code on it like previous years.

What time is BETT opening this year - I thought it was 10 which the official time shown. However, when I look at the agenda, there are talks at The Arena at 9am every morning. I'll probably be in London round 9 anyway on the Friday, but would be useful to know.

Friday afternoon turned into the old Saturday afternoon. Some stalls were starting to clear at around 2pm. I've never seen halls so cleared by vendors before closure - and I've still been wandering round at 3.15 on a Saturday afternoon and not seen as many stalls packed up and gone. The weather may have played a part - who wants to be in a hall when there's a beautiful day out there but I wonder how happy vendors were at footfall on the Friday. I got the impression folks were happy with the numbers they saw Wednesday and Thursday, but Friday definitely did not have the numbers a usual Friday would have (though these are not usual times I suppose). Vendors will probably want to swing (a punch) for me, but is there merit in staying open slightly later on the Friday and keeping people & vendors there. If the aim of taking Saturday off the table was because attendance was so low (and cost of hire of the hall for another day presumably high), where does it stop with vendors packing early presumably to avoid traffic. Don't get me wrong, I spent the day there on Friday and I enjoyed it but BETT organisers need to decide if they're happy taking a hit on Friday afternoons with footfall because vendors have packed up and gone - I always thought attendance used to peak on a Friday?

I might seem a dinosaur, but I need one - are there any free mouse mats to be found? I'll be down tomorrow (Friday).

I found a rather vague map by searching Google Images - 'plan BETT 2022' and used the product trail maps. Printed north hall on one side of A4 and south and the other. I had to then resort to using the interactive map on my phone to find stalls I'm interested in (zooming in greatly to read names of companies who have a small footprint) and write them in on the printed map. Usually someone leaks a decent floorpan before the event to help plan a route - I've always found a page with stalls marked beforehand is more efficient than attempting to use the app. Can anyone tell me how a company can be an exhibitor according to the app but doesn't have a stall - how does that work?

8pm doesn't help me coming from Northern Ireland - and I am in charge of the purse strings in my institution (obviously in the minority on a Saturday). 8pm may help educators in the Home Counties get to it after school/college but not me unfortunately. Even if I try to come for the day, I don't benefit from late night opening as I have to catch a flight home. Oh well, will have to savour this year...see you Friday. Thanks for the info elsiegee40.

If I hadn’t come the first year I came on a Saturday to see what it was like, I might not be coming now on weekdays. I understand where the businesses are coming from in pushing for 3 days, but sad that I may not make 2021. Friday teatime in the exhibition hall could become strange as folks pack up.

I'd spotted this before, but is this the last year of BETT being on on a Saturday? I know there aren't many there on Saturday but it is a chance to see the event without costing the school money. I've alternated a year about - Saturday only and include a weekday on the other years. Next year would be a Saturday only year but it seems that it won't be on. I have to say that no Saturday may mean the loss of grassroots people coming on their own bat, like myself. It's great going round stalls on the Saturday - plenty of opportunity to talk to vendors and see the products without fighting the crowds. The only thing about Saturdays was there weren't many seminars organised by firms. Has there been another year for some time where there was no Saturday? A shorter, but equally action-packed show – Bett 2021 will run Wednesday 20 – Friday 22 January giving you all the value of a 4-day event whilst helping you reduce your T&E costs

Anyone able to tell me if these folks are exhibiting - can't find them: TES Global CLEAPSS Raspberry Pi Foundation (I know they're underneath the fox but it's outside the arena) Thanks

If I’m honest I’ll be using the print outs kindly provided here on page 1, and using the app to figure out the names of small stalls where the writing is too small to read on the print outs.

There seems to be finally a floor plan in the weekend update - go to ‘More’ bottom right and floorplan is 3 down on the sub menu that appears. Doesn’t give long to plan routes though....

Flying across so definitely Friday and Saturday.

I received the current copy (issue 7) of Hello World in the post (see helloworld.cc). On page 59 of the magazine they show some DIY sensors - temperature light sensors, traffic light LEDs etc that could be used with the Micro:bit. Can anyone suggest any suppliers who sell these items. I think I need specific terms for each item as the usual sites I try don't come up with anything. The weblink in the article does not link to it either.

Can I just thank you again for the welcome I got at the stand on Saturday morning. I appreciated somewhere that was friendly not just because they wanted to sell me a product. The pizza was much appreciated and kept me going into the afternoon. Good to put faces to names as well. I felt I got more out of sessions held by firms large and small where I was able to connect with people who I knew from previous BETTs or other ICT events, however, one of the larger firms I found rather unhelpful when I was looking for an employee who I know was going to be there on Saturday. I seem to enjoy small gatherings at seminars where there's only a few of us at it (again these are run by large corps as well as smaller firms) rather than the larger gatherings where you are lost in the crowd. My only appeal to a couple of firms is, please remember that you will get the dedicated teacher on Saturday whose employer cannot afford to send them during the week - so please have some CPD sessions on as well as letting the children take over - one firm who has small numbers at their sessions upstairs during the week last year that I thoroughly enjoyed offered no training on Saturday. Overall a positive experience, was there a lot of space that needed 'filled' with things as there weren't the usual number of exhibitors or do I look back on the past with rose tinted spectacles.

Stansted Express does not live up to its name on the Saturday - all trains suspended, bus replacement - instead of 50 minute train journey, being told to allow 90 minutes as the Stansted junction on the motorway is undergoing major works. However, the cost the flight, train and travelodge for Friday night booked so far in advance means that I'm probably travelling a greater distance than many but probably spending less than many have to on their trains.

Drones permitting, I should be there on the Saturday. I take it there may be goodies still to be had at the Edugeek stall on Saturday?

As to the App - the thing I don't like is that you cannot click the letters of the alphabet for exhibitors - if the one you want to look up begins with W there's a lot of scrolling.

I see with the new app there appears to be a few companies who have taken reasonable sized plots in the past not committed / agreed yet (though I'll happily stand corrected): Raspberry Pi Foundation ParentPay TES (Thought they might have gone to the Ed Show across the mall but no sign there) Lexia RM Edugeek not listed!!!! Back on the floor: Academia (they seemed to go to a local hotel last year) BBC The floorspace is slightly less too - there's no N10 entrance in use. I was talking with someone today who Capita flew over last year and put up in a hotel (which they priced at not a cheap price). I really must be slumming it coming on my own steam by Ryanair and the cheapest Travelodge on the DLR I could find. Though probably the time taken for me to get from here to London seems much less than some of those who come by train, even allowing for security etc!