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The BETT and Learning Technologies fairs – What are they and which one should you go to?

1 March 2017 Posted in: Articles Tagged: , By: Technology Enhanced Learning Team

BETT and the Learning Technologies conferences host a number of companies and cover a wide range of topics. With there being hundreds of stalls to visit and a myriad of technologies to investigate it can be somewhat daunting knowing where to start, or knowing which fair is the most suitable for you if time restricts you to visit just one. We attended them both this year & have given our opinion on them both to assist you in deciding and so that you can use your time efficiently once there.

The conferences are usually held in late January or early February each year, with BETT in the ExCel Exhibition Centre and Learning Technologies in Olympia – both handily in London. So, there’s plenty of time to register & schedule work around the dates.6703182935_87d2ea2c8f_z

The fairs often cluster technologies together and cover the following: nomenclature

As can be seen from above, the nomenclature means it can be somewhat tricky to distinguish where a technology/service lies and with many of the companies attending having indeterminate names, it is important to investigate the fairs’ websites before attending and to identify areas which you would like to focus on. The seminars can be thought provoking and both fairs cover a variety of topics, however sometimes they are cannily described and one can find themself being sold a product or service.

bett vs LT

The fairs provide a useful opportunity to speak to representatives from vendors which you are either interested in investing in, piloting or to answer technical questions. This year I hunted out Turning Technologies, to discuss a solution to an audience response system query for Nanchang, plus Ombea, another audience response company, whom we are currently piloting a license with, allowing us to capture responses from up to 150 students at a time.

Both fairs are great for researching hardware, such as: audience response systems, projection equipment, screens and a number of classroom technologies. However, the Learning Technologies event is somewhat more H.E. focused, meaning that vendors targeting universities or colleges more often attend this one. Vendors often choose between the two fairs, so it is important to look into which conference ticks the most boxes for you. For example, when looking into assessment software’s which were H.E. focused we found that the best place to look was also Learning Technologies, although there wasn’t a great range but still a bigger focus in certain areas.

The events are great for identifying emerging technologies and being able to compare them all in one place. It is also a great opportunity to see the products and services demonstrated, showing all that they can do. Shortly after the event you will most likely receive follow up correspondence from the vendors you have visited, asking if you’d like to receive further information from them. Should you find anything which interests you, don’t hesitate to get in contact with us at elearning@qmul.ac.uk and we can assist with providing information to help support you with any decision making or piloting.

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