Session Proposals 2026 

Please note, these are the sessions currently proposed by our members. This is not the final list of sessions. 

If you are interested in being part of any of these sessions, please reach out event@big.uk.com, and we can link you with the proposers.
Slide Effects – Animating in Presentation Programs

Willow Marler

*CLICK* The next slide appears. *CLICK* A text box appears. *CLICK* An image appears.

Evaluation: presentation appears boring and sluggish.

Treatment: proper use of PowerPoint/Keynote’s animation tools.

Find out how the 12 Principles of Animation can be used to give your slides character; replace that laser pointer with dynamic triggers that let you interactivel explore your presentation; and push PowerPoint and Keynote to their absolut limits!

This hands-on training session has been known to result in presentations brimming with energy, among many other positive slide effects.
Unplugged Thinking: Igniting Computational Skills Through Play

Hannah Hagon

This session will immerse attendees in playful, sensory, screen-free activities that teach the principles of computational thinking through the power of embodied cognition. Participants will actively engage in challenges that demonstrate how children learn to decompose problems, spot patterns, and design simple algorithms—all through hands-on play. The session will also explore ways to embed these approaches into schools, family learning, and community programs, giving attendees tools to transform their own practice. Expect laughter, lightbulb moments, and tangible takeaways you can use the next day.

STEM - Science, Teenagers, Engineering and Maths
Gemma Longhurst

Teenagers can appear another species to those of us who don't interact with them regularly. Their social and educational worlds are very different from those of many of our core audiences.

For the last 12 years I've run a STEM enrichment project working with 11-16 year olds and I'm keen to share what we've learnt works well for this audience and lessons we've learnt from what doesn't! The session will cover the Future Brunels project I run at the SS Great Britain in Bristol including input from some of the students we work with.

I'll also include interactive elements for the participants potentially including skill sharing, group working, Q and A etc. The aim is to increase people's confidence in working with teens and for them to realise 'success' can look different when working with this dynamic audience.

Chemistry That Sticks: Turning Science Into Unforgettable Experiences
Kate Bilberdorf

Chemistry That Sticks is a high-energy, hands-on workshop that shows how to turn complex science into unforgettable experiences. I'll blend eye-catching chemistry demonstrations with storytelling, humor, and real-world examples from live events and media. Participants will be equipped with practical tools to engage any audience and they will learn how to design simple, high-impact demos, frame ideas so they actually stick, and communicate science with confidence, creativity, and enthusiasm. Participants leave inspired, empowered, and ready to make science exciting everywhere they share it!

Getting interactive with micro:bits
Peter Gallivan
The BBC Micro:bit is fantastic way to add interactivity and movement to your STEM creations, allowing for rapid prototyping, and making an endless range of imaginative creations. In this hands-on session, you’ll learn the basics of how to code a BBC Micro:bit, using inputs from a variety of sensors to move motors, positional servos and more. You’ll then put these skills to the test, working in teams to build and code a prototype machine to solve a mystery problem.
We hope that you’ll leave the session equipped with the skills to use BBC Micro:bits in your own work, whether that is building an interactive demo or designing a hands-on workshop.

An Introduction to OBS (Open Broadcasting Software)

Sam Langford

This hands-on session is designed to help you discover how OBS Studio can transform your laptop into a powerful broadcasting tool that is perfect for virtual talks, live experiments, interviews, and more.

Whether you’re new to streaming or curious about levelling up your digital presence, you’ll learn how to combine slides, screen captures, video, and audio into a polished, professional-looking production.

Story time

James Piercy

We will hear stories, not direct or critique technique but learn power by listening and telling in this lunchtime activity with James Piercy and others.

Make your own science comic

Lizah van der Aart

This will be a guided session where attendees will create their own science comic. No experience needed, only pen and paper. This workshop will walk you through the same steps we take when we create YouTube videos for a general audience and will share tricks that you can use for any project that tells a story.

The session will be led by Lizah van der Aart, illustrator for YouTube channels MinuteEarth and xkcd's What If?