EDexpo 2015 Begins Feb. 22

February 18, 2015 1571 Views Cook County Health & Hospital System, Eastern U.S., Hospital for Special Care, Morgens Hall, River Hospital, Spence and Becky Wilson Baptist Children’s Hospital

ATLANTA — EDexpo 2015 will kick off on Saturday, Feb. 22 and run through Tuesday, Feb. 24. The annual event serves as a showcase for the latest innovations covering every facet of learning, from instructional materials, teaching aids and technology products to educational games, toys and supplies. The event will take place in Atlanta’s Georgia World Congress Center.

Hosted by the Education Market Association (EDmarket), which provides events, opportunities, resources and leadership to improve student outcomes by advancing the educational products marketplace, EDexpo primarily aims to connect buyers and sellers. It also provides education and training to help dealers increase sales through exposure to best practices and thought leaders.

EDexpo will include more than 150 companies exhibiting the newest educational products, including Boss Office Products, Classroom Innovations LLC and Jonti-Craft Inc. An additional 750 companies will exhibit in the adjacent Campus Market Expo (CAMEX) area, such as Wesco North America Inc. and Flash Furniture. More than 50 top education bloggers will be on hand throughout EDexpo reviewing these new products and learning tools, while also live tweeting and blogging the event.

A variety of sessions such as Hot Trends, Top Picks and New Product Showcase will help expose attendees to emerging products and learning advancements. Additional networking events will include a dealer roundtable and “speed dining,” as well as a welcome reception and daily breakfast gatherings. The Education Market Association annual meeting will also take place during the conference.

With a nod to the growing maker trend, the EDexpo exhibit floor will include a designated Makerspace area stocked with a 3D printer, laser cutter, woodworking equipment and more, allowing attendees to explore this hands-on approach to learning. Sylvia Martinez M.A. will also lead a session titled “Invent to Learn: Making, Tinkering, and Engineering in the Classroom” to help both producers and school administrators work maker-inspired tools into school curriculum.

Additional sessions will highlight diverse educational topics. Management, retail and consumer specialist Michael Sansolo will speak on using social media to predict future buying trends, while Russell Fair, lead developer for the University of Missouri, will speak about how STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) education is changing the focus of the elementary classroom. Other sessions are aimed specifically at producers and include improving marketing plans and common core learning material sales.