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.

This will be a hybrid BIG Event. As many sessions as possible will be delivered as hybrid events, so if you can't get to London in-person, you can still join us online.

Your registration to the BIG Event entitles you to a free 12-month membership to BIG, with all its benefits. 

This year we are including both Individual and Organisational rates for our event tickets. If you are paying for your ticket by yourself, please use the Individual ticket rate. If your organisation is paying for your ticket, we encourage you to please use the Organisational rate. 

We are also including a £25 Pay-it-forward option, which is a voluntary additional ticket you can buy that will allow us to provide a small number of single day tickets for those who might otherwise be unable to attend the event.

General event registration

Full conference (all 3 days including Thursday's evening activities and conference dinner)

2-days only (Thursday evening's activities and dinner are not included, but can be added to your basket for £50)

1-day only (Thursday evening's activities and dinner are not included, but can be added to your basket for £50)

• £160 Individual - these tickets become available after 31st March 2026
• £175 Organisation - these tickets become available after 31st March 2026

Speakers registration

Full conference (all 3 days including Thursday's evening activities and conference dinner)

2-days only (Thursday evening's activities and dinner are not included, but can be added to your basket for £50)

1-day only (Thursday evening's activities and dinner are not included, but can be added to your basket for £50)

• £55 Individual - these tickets become available after 31st March 2026

Tips to save money

BIG being the frugal organisation it is, has some tips on ways you can attend the BIG Event at the RI for less.

1. Book the BIG Event Early! Booking opens 29 January 2026 and the Early Bird gets the discount, so plan ahead and book early.

2. Save this date in your diary - 22 April 2026. This is 12 weeks before the BIG Event and is about the time that Advance train fares are available. These are generally cheaper than waiting closer to the time to book your train travel. Have a look at this excellent article from Money Saving Expert on ways to save on your train travel: https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/travel/cheap-train-tickets/ The article has lots of great tips, even if you are reading this after April 22, so still check it out. Your pocketbook will thank you.

3. Book accommodation early. Like train travel, the sooner you can book your accommodation, the cheaper it will be. See below for more details!

4. Get your employer to pay for your ticket. 

6. Apply for a Bursary. The BIG Event Bursary will cover your ticket, BIG Membership, accommodation, travel and any other reasonable expenses. 

Accommodation

We have agreed a limited number of rooms will be available on site accommodation at the National STEM Learning Centre, however these are to booked directly by you. 

You can book by heading to this website and stating in your booking that you are part of the The BIG Event 2026.

https://www.stem.org.uk/about-us/venue-hire/franklin-house

Bursaries 

BIG bursaries provide financial assistance to enable members to attend one of our events.

BIG offers a handful of bursary places which will:

• pay registration fees for the BIG Event
• one year's BIG membership
• give reasonable expenses to support your attendance at the BIG Event

For full details and to apply, see our Bursaries page

Cancellation and Refund Policy

Payment for all events must be received by the day of the event. If payment is not received by the day of the event, your attendance cannot be honoured at the event.

We can, by prior arrangement only, honour your attendance at the event if an official purchase order number has been generated and is being processed by your organisation’s finance department.

If you wish to cancel your registration:

•  a full refund will be issued for cancellations at least 30 days prior to the event.

• 50% refund will be issued for for cancellations at least 15 days prior to the event. 

• 25% refund will be issued for cancellations made at least 5 days prior to the event. 

• cancellations made less than 5 days prior to the event will not be refunded.

• if your registration was paid by Stripe, any refunds or part-refunds will be minus the small fee that BIG pays to Stripe.

• you may transfer your registration (and membership) to a colleague for no charge with up to 24-hours’ notice of the event.

In the event of non-attendance at the event, refunds will not be given.

BIG Event Speaker Blog

Read 2024 speaker and bursary recipient Thaddeus Papke's blog about his experience here.