The Big Bang Fair Review

Company News23 July 2018

In June 2018, Ideal was an Award Sponsor and Deluxe Exhibitor at the Big Bang Event at Doncaster Racecourse. The Big Bang event is a fantastic collaboration between business, industry, academia and the wider community which is all about getting young people engaged in developing STEM fields. Over 5,000 visitors were registered to attend from around Yorkshire and the Humber with Industry exhibition stands and projects created by young people on display.

Ideal were keen to make a positive impact through the Big Bang event as it is a platform to:

Provide an exciting learning environment
Address the STEM gender imbalance
Improve perceptions of STEM careers
Recognise Students Talents & Achievements through the Awards

Not only did we distribute branded items to visitors, we also had an 8m squared area where we ran our ‘Quickest Time to Strip a Boiler’ activity, as well as having an interactive system filter pipe activity and a 3D printer demonstration. We gave visitors the opportunity to experience hands-on activities and aimed to inform and inspire them regarding the range of opportunities opened by STEM subjects.

For the main activity, individuals went against the timer to see who could strip down the vogue boiler the fastest. The activity was a hit with the visitors, with Emily from Hayfield High School achieving the fastest recorded time for an event of this kind at under 30 seconds!

ACE Communicator Award

We had the privilege to sponsor and award the ‘ACE Communicator’ Award. This award is given to a group who may not have the best project but can communicate their thoughts and aims etc. to the judges. It celebrates the achievements of those students who may not be as academically gifted as others but have the enthusiasm and drive to succeed. The award went to Outwood Primary Academy Lofthouse Gate, from Wakefield and for the first time, a primary school, won this award - recognising their impressive communication talents at a young age. The school took away £150 of Love2Shop vouchers along with another £150 for winning the best primary school award.