History of BETT

BETT was first launched as the “Hi Technology and Computers in Education Exhibition” in January 1985. It changed its name to BETT (British Education and Training Technology) a couple of years after that. In recent years the individual words that make up the BETT acronym have been dropped, and the event is now simply known as BETT.

The event originally featured 112 stands and took place in two halls at the Barbican Exhibition Centre, London EC2. It moved from the Barbican to the National Hall, Olympia in 1993 and was held in the Grand Hall for the first time in 1999.

2009 marks BETT's 25th year - the event now spans both the National and the Grand Halls at Olympia, featuring almost 700 stands and almost 29,000 visitors.

Below are the two Welcome messages from the Show Guide from the very first event in 1985.

There has long been a need for an annual focus for the educational IT industry to present itself to the education service. We are pleased to be providing it for the first time with the Hi Technology and Computers in Education Exhibition and the seminar programme alongside. We are also delighted that Robert Dunn M.P., Undersecretary of State at the Department of Education and Science, is opening the event and continues his personal commitment to microtechnology in education and that of his Department which is also responsible for the Microelectronics Education Programme (M.E.P.).

From the faltering steps of those who first took a microcomputer into a British classroom there has grown a discipline that pervades all levels of education and is effective across the curriculum. The exhibition and seminars will bring you firmly up to date and will demonstrate Britain's place in the forefront of microtechnology in education. That major manufacturers are launching new products at the exhibition both indicates the status of the event and is evidence that the industry continues its excellent reputation for innovation. We have also been encouraged in our preparations by the tremendous number of ticket requests from those in education in Britain and are delighted by the response from overseas.

The British Educational Equipment Association is a trade association representing all facets of the educational supply industry. We are active in the IT field and you may have heard of The Great British Micro Show presentations which we first took to Singapore in 1983 and then to Switzerland last year. In these activities we have worked closely with the M.E.P. and are pleased to be associated with them again in the preparation of the seminar programme. It is also fitting to be linked as co-organisers of the exhibition with Computer Marketplace whose long experience with computer events is a guarantee of the success of the venture for exhibitors and visitors alike. We are indebted to the British Council and British Posts overseas for their active promotion of the Show.

I wish you an enjoyable and valuable visit - and look forward to you joining us again next year.

Dominic Savage, Secretary, BEEA

By early in 1985 every school in the UK which wanted to buy a microcomputer with 50% funding from the government should have taken delivery of its chosen model. Some secondary schools will have had machines for four years or more while many primary schools will still be complete beginners at using microcomputers as an educational resource.

For all of us the development of thinking about the uses of microtechnology in education and the speed of technological change means that we have to work hard at keeping up-to-date with what's going on.

The Microelectronics Education Programme exists to help you in that task. Charged by the Education Departments of England, Wales and Northern Ireland to encourage the use of microtechnology as an aid across the traditional curriculum, as well as establishing it as a subject in its own right, we have worked for four years trying to ensure that teachers have access to relevant training and adequate teaching resources.

We do this by working closely with LEA advisers; by running courses for initial training lecturers and in-service trainers; by funding the development of software and devices which are made available to you at a subsidised price through educational suppliers; and by running a network of regional information centres from which you can seek informed advice.

Sometimes, however, it's appropriate for us to work more directly with classroom practitioners. And that's just one of the reasons why we in MEP are very pleased to have the opportunity of "The hi-technology and computers in education exhibition" to present a series of seminars and workshops.

The exhibition itself also promises to be a show worth attending, with many of the companies who have done so much innovative work in the educational microtechnology field present. I trust that you will find your attendance worthwhile.

Richard Fothergill, Director, Microelectronics Education Programme