What we thought of this years EdTech event
BETT 2024, the renowned education technology show, took place in London at the ExCel Exhibition Centre from 24th to the 26th January. As expected, it turned out to be an exciting gathering of educators, innovators and solution providers. With so many opportunities to hear inspiring content, renew networking opportunities and see innovative product demonstrations, BETT 2024 turned out to be one of AspiraCloud’s busiest events so far.
Bett 2024 highlights
In this article, Adrian Edgar, CEO here at AspiraCloud, shares his thoughts of Bett 2024:
This year, I thought I would highlight some of the interesting features of the show from a strategy and leadership point of view – rather than the flashy tech that we all take as a given at exhibitions like this.
The agenda for the event included a diverse range of sessions, ranging from leadership and innovation to well-being diversity, inclusivity and sustainability – and of course the ever-growing talk of Artificial Intelligence (AI), and in particular, Microsoft Copilot.
A strategic focus
There also seemed to be a much stronger emphasis on education leadership this year, and we certainly found that more of our customers were interested to discover how a strong strategic message could help support the long-term interests of their Trust.
For us, this manifested itself in several ways: Of course, some people came to talk to us about how we could help with their digital transformation, but we also had deeper discussions with both clients and prospective leads around the wider strategic aims of their Trust or school, and how technology could help support these aims. From security concerns and ideas to become more cost effective through to ways to reduce the reliance on servers and adopt a Cloud First approach, there was lots for us all to talk about.
Getting to grips with Microsoft licensing
The most frequent question I received during the show was around the complexities of Microsoft licensing and how best to navigate the changing landscape of OVS v M365. This was a real opportunity for me to get my “licensing geek” hat on as there are so many options now. Perhaps it’s time for a webinar with my good friends from Pugh?!
The invaluable moment
For AspiraCloud, Bett is as much about strengthening our relationships with existing customers as it is meeting new, prospective clients.
It is always a wonderful moment to receive a visit from a current customer to our stand, especially if they can be on hand to share their own experiences and help in the discussion with potential clients. We were very lucky to have a comfortable meeting area built into our exhibition space this year, so we could facilitate this type of meeting, where everyone could talk about their digital transformation and share best practises with others. There is nothing as useful, I think, when trying to navigate the complexities of a difficult project, than hearing the experiences from others who have already been there. Our ability to facilitate this at BETT for both prospective clients or indeed those in the early stages of a project was invaluable.
What next?
It was fantastic to see so many new and old faces at this year’s BETT. If you didn’t get time to stop by, we have a few more live events in the diary or you can simply get in touch and book a 1-2-1 with Adrian and the team.