Schools & Academies Show and the EdTech Summit Take Place Online!

The Schools & Academies Show and EdTech Summit took place last week (17th -20th November), for the first time ever as fully interactive virtual experiences.

The new event format allowed attendees to peruse an online exhibition, visit the virtual Government Education Village; hosted by the Department for Education, tune-in to live panels discussions, take part in live roundtables, workshops and networking sessions, whilst also having access to over 50 hours of CPD-certified best-practice case studies and presentations.

Visitor numbers soared to over 4,500 across the four days of the show, with viewing figures of content doubling the usual maximum capacities at the physical version of the show.

There were an amazing 30,000 messages exchanged throughout the show between visitors, speakers, exhibitors and sponsors. With thousands of connections made, both the Schools & Academies Show and the EdTech Summit has become the UK’s largest online gathering in the education sector!

Plus, due to demand, the event platform will remain open for another three weeks with all the content available on demand. Therefore, you can register via the website to gain access before it is too late!

Throughout the shows, there were keynotes and interviews with the UK’s most influential education decision makers, including:

  • Rt Hon Gavin Williamson MP, Secretary of State for Education, Department for Education
  • Amanda Spielman, HMCI, Ofsted
  • Wes Streeting MP, Shadow Minister for Schools, Labour Party
  • Dr Daniel Susskind, Fellow in Economics – Balliol College, University of Oxford
  • Rt Hon Gillian Keegan MP, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Apprenticeships & Skills, Department for Education

Chris Callaghan, Event Director, Schools & Academies Show and EdTech Summit stated;

“Due to the ongoing pandemic we have struggled to host our usual shows this year, and with the mammoth task that schools have faced in the past 8 months, it felt like we were well overdue a chance for schools to connect, share experiences and find solutions.

The general engagement, interaction and sheer number of people visiting online has been overwhelming and we are absolutely delighted to be able to offer the platform for so much information sharing, learning and collaboration within the sector.

Thanks has to go to the exhibitors, sponsors and speakers who continued to support the event and without which, the show could not have happened. Collectively we think it is important to continue to provide schools with a chance to meet, reflect and look to the future, especially given the hectic schedules of any school year, let alone in 2020!”

Stephen Morales, Chair, GovNet Education Advisory Board & CEO, ISBL stated:

Organising, presenting, and participating in virtual events of this magnitude is new to us all. However, the levels of engagement and delegate participation were quite extraordinary. Practitioners were clearly ready to listen, discuss and share.

The challenge for the future will be combining the face to face experience with the interactive functionality of a virtual platform.” 

To find out more about the Schools & Academies Show and the EdTech Summit please visit the website here – https://schoolsandacademiesshow.co.uk/.