Every year, BIG members get together for a three-day bash to exchange ideas, compare disasters, find their next employer and have a grand time with the work and the colleagues they love. STEM engagement professionals from all over the UK (and some more besides) take this opportunity to step out of their offices, museums and science centres, vans and sheds, universities and research institutions, to plan their next career steps, pick the brains of like-minded people or just have a bit of a professional think.

The content for the BIG Event is created by the members. And the people who say they get the most out of it are the people who contribute the content.

Now is your chance to fling your session ideas into the ring. Once we have a ring-full we flirt the programme together, put people together who might like to work together, and ask a few people to do something a bit different. Your session ideas can be put forward now until 19 February on the BIG Event session proposals site www.bigevent.info

Bring a show, a workshop, something needing tweaking, something you think is fab; bring your skills in evaluating, managing, developing, presenting, fettling; bring your planetarium, your STEM tap-routine, your busks, your IPad session. But whatever you do, make it hands-on, make it collaborative, make it a truly sharing contribution. BIG members really don’t like to be spouted at – we like to have a go at a thing so bring the thing, not a picture of the thing or a talk about the thing.

The Centre for Life is a wonderful venue – lots of space and lots of spaces. Indoors, outdoors and fantastically placed for access to the airport, rail station and city centre. You might even give some serious thought to using the BIG Event to take your summer holidays in beautiful Northumberland

As ever this time of year, we are very much looking forward to seeing your session ideas gush on to the proposal site www.bigevent.info

If you’re not sure what the BIG Event is or if it’s for you, go to big.uk.com/bigevent17