BETT 2026: Nashville next as organisers take Bett Stateside and AI dominates opening morning

Bett UK 2026 opened with a clear sense of momentum, mixing policy announcements, global ambition, and audience participation as organisers confirmed Bett USA for 2027 and AI set the tone from the first session.

The opening morning at Bett UK 2026 began with a Taskmaster-style interactive segment that immediately pulled delegates into the room. The session cut through the formality, pulling the audience into quickfire challenges that got people laughing, moving, and engaging with one another.

The segment was delivered by the team behind Taskmaster Education, which adapts the format of the TV show for schools, teacher training, and professional learning. Rather than focusing on competition, the education version uses short, open-ended tasks to encourage problem-solving, creativity, collaboration, and low-stakes participation. At Bett, delegates were invited to take part in live tasks that required quick thinking and collective decision-making, mirroring the approach used in classrooms and CPD sessions to get learners actively involved from the outset.

Bett confirms US expansion as global ambitions come into focus

With the room warmed up, organisers then moved into the opening announcements. Taking to the stage, Duncan Verry, Bett Portfolio Director at Hyve Group, set out the show’s wider ambitions and confirmed Bett’s next phase of expansion. “Bett is not just about showcasing what’s new,” he told delegates. “It’s about igniting what’s next.”

Verry highlighted the scale of international engagement around the event, pointing to more than 220 ministers and civil servants from over 50 countries attending Bett’s first ministerial symposium ahead of the show, supported by UNESCO, UNICEF, and the OECD.

He then confirmed the headline announcement of the morning. “We are launching Bett USA in November 2027,” Verry announced, inviting delegates to Nashville for the inaugural US edition.

With 60,000 visitors expected over the three-day show and every session CPD accredited, the message was clear: Bett is positioning itself not just as a trade show, but as a year-round professional and policy touchpoint.

Government sets direction as AI takes centre stage

That energy carried into the keynote from UK Edcation Secretary, Bridget Phillipson, who used the opening morning to outline how the government plans to push AI further into education while tightening guardrails around safety and wellbeing.

Framing AI as a potential turning point, she described it as “the biggest leap forward for learning in centuries,” while repeatedly stressing that technology must support teachers, not sideline them.

“AI and EdTech can never, and will never, replace what teachers do,” she told delegates. “But it can help.”

Her remarks touched on updated safety standards, partnerships with major technology providers, further investment in EdTech trials, new qualifications in data science and AI, and expanded use of assistive technology to support students with SEND.

Industry backs standards and trusted supply

That emphasis on guardrails was reinforced by Caroline Wright, Director General at the British Educational Suppliers Association.

Wright welcomed the government’s updated digital safety standards, arguing that consistency across the sector is essential if schools are to adopt technology with confidence. “We strongly support the move to update digital safety standards,” she said, pointing to the role of trusted suppliers and industry codes of practice in protecting learners.

She also flagged the importance of protecting UK EdTech capacity at a time of geopolitical uncertainty, particularly as British suppliers support schools following the UK curriculum around the world.

Hannah Fry and Amol Rajan cut through the AI hype

AI remained front and centre in a sit-down discussion featuring Hannah Fry, Mathematician, Broadcaster, and Author, and Amol Rajan, Journalist and Presenter.

Rather than selling AI’s potential, the conversation focused on clarity and realism. Fry challenged loose definitions and overblown claims, warning that AI is often discussed as a catch-all solution when “there’s a lot of hype and a lot of big promises.”

At the same time, she acknowledged that recent advances represent a genuine shift, with AI systems now able to understand language and concepts in ways that allow them to spot patterns humans might miss.

Rajan pushed the discussion toward public trust and perception, probing how AI is framed beyond the tech bubble and how educators and policymakers can balance optimism with caution, highlighting the opportunity to build clearer, more confident public understanding as AI becomes more visible in classrooms.

ETIH Innovation Awards 2026

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