As Sherston Software makes its online digital world Planet Sherston, free for all primary schools, the company has decided not to take a stand at BETT for the first time in thirty years. Event Manager, Karen Pernyes breathes a sigh of relief on the one hand, whilst admitting she will miss the show. Here, she looks at what is so great about BETT, but takes you for a peek behind the scenes so you can see why Sherston is stepping away.

Just over a month ago, Sherston Software announced that Planet Sherston is now a freemium online service.  Freemium is a word of two halves: free and premium, and done properly involves giving away a product with no time restraints, hidden costs or half measures. The company then offers completely optional add-on premium services to customers, but which are not necessary to use the free service. Examples include LinkedIn, Dropbox and Skype.

For the thousands and thousands of you that flock to the BETT show every year to see the very latest technology, the most amazing hardware and the slickest of software designed solely for the education sector, you can only begin to imagine the work that goes on behind the scenes from one show to the next, to put on one of the greatest Ed Tech shows in the world. 

The most important part, you will be glad to hear, is the huge drive to bring you up to date activities, solutions and new ideas. Developers and content advisors work around the clock to make sure that you have the best of the best, and there is a great push to launch things at this annual festival of Ed Tech. It is exactly why BETT is a great place to go where you see what’s new and what it’s going to cost.

But whilst all this amazing developing and innovation is going on, there are also teams and teams of people who spend months and months creating the most eye-catching, the most informative of events. From people like me, an event manager working in the industry, to the technicians and electricians, caterers and forklift truck drivers, to the stand-building companies and their designers who work to make the show look amazing. There are name badges and matching shirts; cables and carpets; train fares and team dinners. I could go on.

"Take advantage of the show but don’t forget to look beyond it"

And what does all this actually mean? To you, the customer? It shouldn’t mean anything other than to remind you to see through the smoke and mirrors. Look beyond the show and past the stunning displays and seek out quality and solutions that solve your problems. Take advantage of the show but don’t forget to look beyond it. Sherston Software is not going to the show for the first time in thirty years because their flagship digital world, Planet Sherston is now free. We are keeping our heads down this year and instead will focus on what is key – to invest in the product. We’ll still be pushing hard to bring you new exciting content, and looking for ways technology can make your lives easier, further improving our new free service so that more of you hop on board.

The BETT show is a great show. But it isn’t the place for possibly the biggest free offering in the history of education technology.

About Karen Pernyes

Karen is responsible for the press activities and event management for both Planet Sherston and TAG Assessment. This includes coordinating attendance at conferences and exhibitions, as well as press releases, media liaison and advertising.  In her spare time, Karen is one of the principle organisers of the annual free Crystal Palace Overground Festival which attracts over 6000 visitors over four days.

This article was sponsored by Sherston.