Record Breaking Numbers at TechFest In September
A record-breaking number of visitors attended this year's TechFest In September festival, with 23,615 people attending 170 events, shows and presentations.
Numbers were up more than 4,000 compared to last year, and many events were completely sold out.
Sponsored by joint principal funders Shell and BP, the Aberdeen-based festival celebrated its 16th year of engaging young people in the four main subjects of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) and encouraging them to go on to follow a career which utilises these skills.
Participants included around 11,000 primary and secondary school pupils from across Aberdeen City and 'Shire, Angus, Moray, Clackmannanshire and the Highlands, who attended a host of educational events based around STEM activities.
Nearly 3,000 people attended the Family Activity Weekend at the Beach Ballroom and Beach Leisure Centre over September 19 and 20 – another record!
Among the other most popular events at this year's TechFest In September was the launch event featuring entrepreneur Richard Noble, who gave an exciting talk about the Bloodhound project to build the world's fastest car, capable of reaching more than 1,000mph!
Another sell-out was a lecture by Saba Douglas-Hamilton, presenter of the BBC's Big Cat Diaries and The Secret Life of Elephants, who shared her own experiences from filming creatures in some of the most remote corners of the planet.
Liz Hodge, Managing Director of TechFest-Setpoint, which runs TechFest In September, said the festival had been a huge success.
She said: "We are absolutely delighted that this year's TechFest In September has been such a major success, with record numbers attending the primary schools, secondary schools and public programmes.
"The high numbers mean we have been able to engage with a considerable number of people and hopefully get them interested in and excited about Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths.
"The team have worked very hard to put together a fantastic programme and I'd also like to thank all the sponsors, particularly our joint principal funders, BP and Shell, as we would not be able to continue without their support.
"Thank you also to everyone who attended the events over the last two weeks – we look forward to seeing you all again at next year's event, which is scheduled to begin on September 10, 2010."
John Gallagher Vice-President, Technical, Shell Upstream Europe said: "The news that TechFest has broken its attendance record is excellent both for TechFest and the oil and gas industry.
"Promoting an interest in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) is at the heart of our company's social investment programme as the TechFest events inspire and educate the engineers, scientists and teachers of tomorrow."
Tim Smith, External Affairs Director for BP in Scotland said: "I am delighted by the success of this year's Techfest, which is an excellent example of how the public, private and voluntary sector can work together to inspire the next generation of scientists who will be so vital for our future success."
TechFest In September ran from September 11 to 28.
12th Oct 2009
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