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Big Bang Fair 2015

The largest of its kind, the annual Big Bang Fair is a celebration of science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) for young people in the UK. Taking place 11-14 March at the NEC in Birmingham, the aim of the event is to inspire our future scientists and engineers through exciting activities and interactive stands.

This year’s fair was a great success and attracted over 70,000 visitors across the four days, the largest turnout to date. Almost 200 organisations came together to highlight careers young people can pursue with STEM subjects.

The Thales Big Bang Committee was made up of 10 first year business and engineering graduates from various Thales UK sites. They were assigned the task of creating a stand that represented Thales and gave young people an insight into exciting STEM careers through fun and engaging activities.

Planning for our presence at Big Bang started all the way back in November 2014, with an initial face-to-face team meeting. Committee roles were assigned and discussions were held around possible stand activities. Ideas were then presented to Miranda Davies, Director Emerging Talent and Mike Seabrook, Thales UK Company Secretary - both key leaders in Thales UK outreach programmes.

Once the stand concept was finalised, the committee started planning operations, and assessing risks and logistics for the fair. Three engaging new activities were devised: Eye in the Sky, Pi-bot Robot Maze and Satellite Communications. Two paper-based activities were also created for visitors.

For the duration of the Big Bang Fair, a number of extra apprentice and graduate volunteers were drafted in to help out. The Thales stand received great feedback from visitors of all ages and too thank them for their hard work, the whole Thales team was invited to attend a formal dinner with Victor Chavez, CEO Thales UK, and other VPs and senior members of management. The dinner was a great networking opportunity for our emerging talent and a fantastic way to celebrate seven years at the Big Bang Fair.

The Big Bang is an annual fair and Thales needs YOUR help to make the stand a success in 2016! If you would like to get involved, keep an eye out for more information coming soon.