What to expect from British Esports at Bett UK 2023

Following on from the success of the Esports Village at the Bett Show in 2022, British Esports are back at the event, even bigger than ever.

From the 29th – 31st March, at the ExCeL in London, we will be hosting an assortment of activities, panels, and show matches in the new and improved zone – the Esports @ Bett feature.

But, what does the agenda look like for the event?

In this piece, we outline the different activities we will be hosting across the entire event, and how you can get tickets to come and experience it all in person.

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Wednesday 29th March:

On this first day of the Bett, the team will be kicking off with an assortment of panel discussions featuring notable figures in the UK esports scene.

At 11:00am, our very own Head of Education, Kalam Neale, will be hosting the first talk – ‘Esports 101: Powering up your esports journey’. This talk features Max Copley (Esports Lead at DLD College London, and Nathan O’Grady (VR/AR and Esports Lead at Kings InterHigh) who will join Kalam to discuss the best ways to start your esports journey in the world of education. 

At 12:55pm, Kylie Kendrick (Technical Specialist, Esports at Durham University), Professor Philip Wilson (Chair and Founder of the College of Esports), and Emma Rose (Esports Programme Lead and CEC Gold Medalist) will take the stage to discuss career opportunities and development in esports. 

Later in the day, there will be the first of many Student Champs show matches on the stage – featuring schools and colleges from around the country.

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Thursday 30th March:

Day two of the Bett focuses on success stories of educators who have brought esports to their school or college.

On the first panel of the day, Kalam Neale is back on the mic, this time joined by Mark Ryan (Head of Department at Barnsley College), Shoubna Naika-Taylor (Curriculum Manager at Coventry College), Kiran Jones (Lecturer in Computing and Esports at Gower College), and James Fraser-Murison (Director of Learning for Esports at Queen Mary’s College Basingstoke). Here, they will discuss their pathways into esports, and how other educators can take their involvement in esports education to the next level.

Following this, Shoubna Naika-Taylor will be back on the Bett stage with Jen Dawson (Education Esports Specialist at CDW) to explore the benefits of networking and communities within the esports scene – especially in developing esports facilities. 

Similarly to the first day, there will be more show matches between schools and colleges currently competing in the British Esports Student Champs. 

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Friday 31st March:

The final day of the event features even more panels, as well as a focus on inclusivity and diversity within esports.

Kicking off the day, Alex Davies (Head of Performance at Resolve, and British Esports Performance Advisor) sits down with Callum Abbott (Head of Performance at IFoEC and Endpoint Esports) to talk through the challenges with player wellbeing in esports. This session is designed to educate attendees about the struggles players and teams may face, but also how to resolve any issues. 

Next, Tom Dore (Global Head, International Relations at British Esports) will be joining Sara Cornish (Mojang Marketing Lead in Minecraft Education), and Ian Russell (Teacher at Wycliffe College) to discuss the wonders of Minecraft Education – and how it can be used to kickstart your esports in education program. 

Later in the day, Simon Barnett (SEN Multimedia Teacher at National Star College) will be taking the stage with some of his students to showcase accessible technology for esports players with additional needs. 

Finally, to end the event, Alice Leaman (Head of Operations at British Esports) will be joined by Aaron Gillen (Esports Coach at Esports Northern Ireland) and Amy Coates (Co-Founder and Admin at The Esports Coven) to explore how esports has formed an inclusive community. This discussion will look into the different areas of the industry, and how it is gradually becoming more accessible and diverse.

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Wider Networking:

Whilst we will be doing these panels and demonstrations, there will also be plenty of opportunities for you to come and speak to the British Esports team in the Esports Zone. 

We will be floating around the entire event across the three days, but staff will also be stationed in the main esports area to answer any questions or queries. 

British Esports Federation representatives will also be supporting activities at Bett with Dell and Intel. British Esports will be hosting a Meet and Greet with Global Head of International Relations, Tom Dore on Wednesday the 29th on the Dell Stand. Dell will also be showcasing additional esports activations with MidKent College and St. Vincent College on the 30th and 31st of March.

Tom Dore, and British Esports’ Head of Education Kalam Neale will also be taking to the stage at the Intel Booth at 14:30 on Thursday the 30th of March to deliver a presentation titled ‘Levelling Up With Esports – What you (as teachers) need to know that your students do already!’.

On top of this, we will also be there creating content – so if you are interested in taking part in this, look out for Bryony-Hope Green (Content Manager at British Esports) or Saul Parsons (Video Content Executive) in British Esports uniform throughout the event!

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Want to know more about Bett? Check out the British Esports Twitter this week for more information.

Tickets are still available for the event, and are available for free from this link.