WhichMIS? to have a presence at Bett UK 2023 in London. But why have so few MIS providers decided to exhibit there?
The annual EdTech fest, Bett, is almost upon us once more – and, as we speak, hundreds of technology companies focussed on the education market will be putting the finishing touches to their glitzy stands and practising their presentations.
For the second year running, Bett UK (at London ExCeL) will take place in March (as opposed to the customary January) – from Wednesday 29th to Friday 31st.
WhichMIS? is delighted to be teaming up with SalamanderSoft and Cloud Design Box at the event and will have a presence in between their stands, SF17 and SF16, very close to the MIS companies showing at the event.
Jon Atkinson, Managing Director at SalamanderSoft, said of WhichMIS?
“As a provider working with lots of schools in the UK, we pride ourselves in being able to support as many customers as possible, using all MIS systems. In such busy times, we feel it’s important for schools to have the best information available to them in one place when considering a provider. WhichMIS? will help schools to make important decisions armed with trustworthy information.”
This was echoed by Tony Phillips, CEO and Founder of Cloud Design Box:
“At Cloud Design Box, we save teachers time by extending Teams, SharePoint and Microsoft 365. Our passion is digital transformation in schools and picking the right MIS an important part of the journey. That’s why we’ve partnered with WhichMIS? to help schools with impartial advice so they can make the best decision for their schools.”
Bett is certainly a fantastic way of meeting with many schools in one place. In fact, for many edtech companies, Bett is the fulcrum of their annual promotional programme. However not all the MIS providers have a presence there this year; of the seventeen MIS providers we have listed, only four of them will exhibit at the event:
- Arbor – Stand: SF30
- Bromcom – Stand: SD21
- Compass Education – Stand SB52
- Iris Ed:gen – Stand SC51
So why would so many companies decide not to ‘show’ at the world’s leading #EdTech event? Why would the market leader SIMS, which claims to have been conducting such an extensive customer listening exercise, not feel that this would be the perfect opportunity to meet with so many existing customers in one venue?
Having worked for EdTech companies for decades, and attended more Bett events than we care to remember, the decision whether or not to attend Bett is an extremely difficult one.
First of all, it’s very expensive. The cost of the floor space alone can run into the tens of thousands of pounds – and exhibitors normally have to spend the same again for the actual design and build of a sparkly exhibition stand, and everything else that goes with it. How many new customers would a company have to sell to in order just to break even? Probably too many. And existing customers can be reached using much more cost-effective communications channels.
Just because a company doesn’t have an exhibition stand, doesn’t mean they still won’t have a presence at the event. They may simply be hiring a meeting room at ExCel, or meeting room in one of the many nearby hotels. Or they may simply be participating in Connect @ Bett and still be available to meet. So if you are keen to meet with a supplier, reach out to them and request some time at Bett because they will invariably have representation there in one form or another.
For the team at WhichMIS? Bett is a fantastic opportunity to meet with the many friends and colleagues we have made in the industry over the years. Please drop by our stand to say hello!
