There is always a danger that no matter how good an event is, it will turn out to have very little impact in the longer term, as you forget what you saw and more pressing concerns vie for your attention. Here are 5 suggestions for preventing that from happening. There are more suggestions in the free guide, Getting the Best out of Bett.

Children working hard at the Bett show

Plan ahead

Draw up an action plan for following up. That may take the form of arranging visits to other schools, or demonstrations from suppliers, or introducing some new ideas into your lesson plans.

Meet the leaders

Arrange a meeting with the Headteacher or other senior leader as soon as possible after your team meeting. The aim is to discuss with them what you learnt at the show that may impact what you are doing, or the school’s plans. If you discover that you are ahead of the game and don’t need to change anything at all for the time being, that is in itself an outcome that needs to be conveyed to your boss.

Make sure that you are well-prepared for the meeting, especially if you will be suggesting changes in what the school does, or you wish to ask for extra funding.

Also take into consideration whether your boss is a shoot-the-messenger type, if you need to report back on a new – and unwelcome – Government direction.

Be patient

Allow at least a week after the show to hear from any suppliers to whom you gave your business card.

Find out what I’ve seen and thought

Check the ICT in Education website for news and reviews about the show. I have already highlighted some things I saw, in Quick looks at Bett 2014. I wrote that in the middle of Bett week.

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