IATEFL BESIG runs a number of events each year, our biggest being our Annual Conference, which takes place every November.
We also play a very active role in IATEFL’s Annual Conference, which takes place in the UK every March or April. There we organize a Pre-Conference Event, as well as a full business English programme day, comprising talks and workshops on a wide range of business English topics and an Open Forum for members to get to know each other.
Further opportunities to benefit from the work of practitioners in all aspects of business English and English for Specific Purposes (ESP) are provided by the Summer conferences (or Symposia) that the SIG regularly organizes, as well as by our frequent online events.
Scroll down to see our upcoming face-to-face events.
Click here to see our past events.
32nd IATEFL BESIG Annual Conference
Date: 11-13 October 2019
We are very excited to announce that the 32nd IATEFL BESIG Annual Conference will take place at Wista conventions Adlershof, Berlin, Germany from 9.00am on Friday, 11 October to 2.00pm Sunday, 13 October 2019.
Last year in Iasi, we explored the frontiers of business English, with over 80 talks and workshops on coaching, technology, management, soft skills, intercultural communication and innovative teaching methods. This year we’re going back to basics and investigate which tried and tested methods have stood the test of time and which innovative practices have become fundamental concepts in business English in recent years.
The conference will also include a GISIG strand on tackling global challenges such as sustainability, climate change and inclusion in the business English classroom.
Our venue is Wista conventions in Berlin Adlershof. With seven elegant and fully-equipped conference rooms, a state-of-the-art plenary room and a generous exhibition area, Wista conventions can welcome maximum 450 participants.
It only takes half an hour by S-Bahn to get from Alexanderplatz in central Berlin to Adlershof. The main road here is Rudower Chaussee, and the tram running along it connects the university campus, the Technology Park and even a new residential area, further linking the areas to either side of the railway. There are over 20 eateries and restaurants in the area, as well as 3 hotels.
Visit our new Official Information Channel to keep up-to-date.
IATEFL BESIG Pre-Conference Event: Stepping outside our comfort zone
Date: 17 April 2020
Business English is often described as an “umbrella term” that covers a wide range of communication skills, teaching contexts and disciplines. Learners’ needs often differ widely, as do the approaches used by teachers and trainers, who may come from very diverse backgrounds and have different levels of experience. This means that as business English trainers we are often confronted with the requirement to step outside our own comfort zones and develop new training activities in order to meet our learners’ or our clients’ specific needs. These activities will typically range from task-based approaches, which focus on simulating real world business communication, to more language-based approaches which focus on areas like context-specific lexis or pronunciation.
This pre-conference event aims at bringing together business English professionals who are interested in exploring a wide range of business English training activities.
The day will begin with three sessions led by experienced practitioners who will explore advantages and disadvantages of various approaches and different types of business English training activities. After a lunch break, attendees will take part in a swap shop where they will have the opportunity to share ideas which they have developed themselves. The swap shop will be split across different tables, with each table focussing on a specific theme – needs analysis activities, vocabulary and lexis building, intercultural perspectives, business English as a lingua franca (BELF), replicating the “real-world” of business English, soft skills, online resources and promoting learner autonomy.
If you are looking to network with other business English practitioners, share ideas about training activities, and find inspiration, this PCE is for you.
To book your place, click here.
