2018: A year in the life of skignz

As we reflect back on this past year, here are just some of the skignz highlights of 2018:

Starting the Year at CES (Las Vegas, US) onto delivering a skignz experience at the GREAT Showcase at the Consulate General's Residence (Los Angeles, US), followed by a visit to Apples HQ (Cupertino, US) to talk about skignz's 'Precise Location Augmented Reality'.

Heading on to SXSW, (Austin, US) where we launched the first 'Live AR Feature Film', J1S with our partners First Word Tree Productions, on the Uk DiT's GREAT main stage. 

Further Trade Shows and Exhibitions included ICE (London), NE Satellite Conference, (Durham, UK), Georgia SMARTCity Expo (Atlanta, US), SMARTCity Expo World Congress (Spain) and SIGMA'18 (Malta).

In early summer skignz delivered a demo in time for Apples WWDC'18, showcasing the new skignz IOS functionality, captured through an in-app video on an iPhoneX. Press Here for a sneak preview.

As the summer was drawing to a close we had our first skignz 'wedding'. Our UK VP walked down the aisle with his blushing bride, as a direct result of meeting through 'location based technology' and skignz.

skignz Founder & CEO was then onto India as Part of Immerse_UK's 'VR/AR/MR Experts' tour, taking in three major cities, presenting, discussing and understanding how technology can have an impact across their continent.

The Atlanta Braves increased their exposure of the skignz Precise Location AR Technology to their fans at their Pre Season Alumni Parade, where former players were highlighted during the street parade with skignz above their heads.

skignz winning a SMART City Expo World Congress Award, coming 2nd in the European Satellite Navigation Competition and Runners Up in the UK EXPORT '18 and Dynamo 2018 Awards, is a testament to the progress we are making as a company and as a brand.

Add to the above with members of the skignz team providing notable Keynote speeches and participation on various panels, at events such as SXSW (Austin TX), NE Satellite Conference (Durham, UK), RetailLoco (Atlanta,US), AdMonsters Pub Forum (Austin, TX), participating in numerous AR & location community events, all capped by ending the year securing one of our biggest client contracts to date, for delivery in January 2019.

All in all 2018 has certainly provided its ups and downs for skignz. Yet we have emerged stronger, our own proprietary technology platform is improving and expanding its capabilities almost day by day. 

Increased investment in skignz as various VC's and Angel Investors supported skignz continued growth. Our new and existing clients are now taking advantage of what skignz's 'Precise Location AR' has to offer? And how it can help them deliver on their own targets, aspirations and in many cases 'cost savings'. 

We look forward to what 2019 has in store, especially with The NFL's Super Bowl being hosted at the magnificent MB Stadium in Atlanta, GA which is actually less than a mile from our skignz US HQ, watch this space for something quite special in January 2019.

If you want to find out more about skignz, then please visit our website (www.skignz.com) as well as the usual social media channels.

Where Al meets film and then meets real-time AR ...

We are delighted to say that the Department for International Trade (DIT) is promoting the collaboration between skignz, a British Augmented Reality (AR) company and the J1S Film.

Written and directed by Jay Cunningham, produced by Firstword Tree Productions at 2pm on the 12^th March 2018, on the UK@SXSW stand, in the main hall, at Austin Convention Centre.

When skignz CEO and founder, Si Brown, saw the film trailer for J1S, he contacted Jay Cunningham immediately. 

He outlined how he felt there was a way that skignz could utilise the AR tech to enable them to give the film a futuristic look, enhance the flow and drastically reduce the amount of ‘post-production’ required by embedding the AR live into the movie as it is being filmed. 
Once Jay sat down and understood what skignz could do, it was a no-brainer for him and the FwT team and the look is exactly what they wanted from all aspects of the filmmaking process.

Jay says, "skignz has allowed me as a writer, and a director, to push the boundaries of what I thought I could achieve in Independent filmmaking, with such ease of use, but also with such slickness that you would believe would come from a much higher production value."

The film is based on the obsession with technology and advancement.  IA industries release a project, J1S, who is an AI military experiment before it’s ready and the consequences are terrible.

It breaks loose in the 'City of Liverpool', and they must get him back before the public realise what happened and IA’s stock collapses.

AI industries utilise skignz tech to hunt J1S and his accomplices down, in the underbelly of the Liverpool nighttime.  Will they be able to find him in time?  And who are the actual bad guys here?  We will leave you to decide that! 

Jay says, "It's amazing to be part of such a forward-thinking company like skignz, who add such a cool dimension and element to our film, that it was just the perfect fit. 
Working with Si Brown and his team has allowed the team at J1S to change how the film developed, and that's what's really exciting.

Working with British innovators and talent that share your vision, but also add another creative element to our fantastic team. We're really lucky to have them onboard, and super proud that they too are British."

You can see the trailer here

And listen to Jay here talk about the importance of the film

Stay tuned on Twitter and Facebook to keep updated about J1S and his whereabouts.

More about Firstword Tree Productions:

Launched by Jay Cunningham a Liverpool (UK) based Film Director and Producer. Firstword Tree Productions recently announced its trailer for the ‘J1S’ film around AI. 

For enquiries please contact: jaycunningham@firstwordtree.com

Social: @firstwordtree

So please keep an eye out for the updates and changes either through this blog, our regular skignz Newsletters or any of our Social Media channels. 

Featured in Skift Article on how AR will Impact Meetings & Events

It was great to be featured in this great article on skift - we have been showing the world how AR can have a huge impact on meetings and events for a few years now.

We were extremely pleased to be acknowledged in this insightful article.

skignz has been involved in some major events across the UK and various other locations across the globe, where the use of the skignz technology has had a magnificent effect bringing a huge amount of excitement to many events.


You can find more details on the below events we have helped to enhance below through using the skignz AR Platform:

• Goodwood Festival of Speed (Goodwood, UK)
• The STA Awards (London, UK)
• 2016 Olympic Games (Rio de Janeiro Brazil)
• SXSW (Austin, US)
• Choose:ATL (Texas, US)
• Pride (London, UK)
• 2014 Commonwealth Games (Glasgow, UK)
• Pride (Atlanta, US)

If you want to find out more about skignz, then please visit our new recently launched website (www.skignz.com) as well as the usual social media channels

skignz in the USA...

SKIGNZ IN NYC

skignz visited the USA earlier in the month. Co-Founder Si Brown, Jamie Clarke and David Murphy caught the flight out of Manchester into NYC.  

Upon our arrival we were greeted with the now customary US Security checks, which seemed to take an age!

Travel was smooth, and the flight was made quickly by the team meeting which took place on the flight, ensuring that they were prepared and ready for what the US held in store for skignz.

Upon arrival into the Big Apple, it was straight into meetings..  No time for sightseeing just yet.

The guys met with our partners at the British Consulate to discuss raising the profile of skignz in the states.  The meeting went extremely well, with lots of positives and further actions coming out of it.

Then it was back to the Hotel for some well earned rest. The dreaded Jet Lag had decided to raise its head and the guys were feeling it!

Si Brown said "The thing about the USA is this (and especially NYC); the way in which new things are received is with a refreshing dose of excitement and energy and focusses on the possibilities, rather than looking to find ways it can fail. 

The energy the states has for tech of this kind is so exciting, it makes you realise just why it's a world leader in this area".

The guys had another 3 days of meetings booked in across NYC, catching up with friends of skignz, making sure people knew they were around and generally enjoying the energy of the people they met. 

The weather was kinda nice, the City was awesome and the links made will benefit skignz long term. 

One close call was the terrible fire right next to team skignz's hotel, very sad to see a beautiful old cathedral burn through the night, nobody was hurt we are glad to say, just such a shame to see the old building smoldering and smoking as we left.

Overall, a successful trip to NYC… But there's more… The guys then flew from NYC into Atlanta. 

SKIGNZ IN ATLANTA

Arriving in Atlanta the guys were greeted by blazing sunshine and the friendly faces of Team, Choose:ATL, Atlanta's Chamber of Commerce.

The guys from Choose:ATL had met Si and Jamie at SxSW back in April, and had struck up a great relationship. 

There have been many occasions where our friends across the pond have been a strong advocates for skignz in the US, and in particular Atlanta.  

They had set up several meetings in Atlanta for skignz to build further relationships.  With a packed agenda, we even scheduled in some time for the Guys to help out at a junior football (Soccer) club by delivering a coaching session.  

The highlight of the trip to Atlanta was the 'Hard Hat Tour' of the new $1.5B stadium.  

The skignz team met with the General manager, who became increasingly impressed by the possibilities of using the skignz technology as an enhancement to their 'Fan Experience' on match/game days. 

The stadium will be shared by the City NFL Franchise the Atlanta Falcons, and the brand new MLS Franchise Atlanta United.

The links made here will prove extremely useful to the skignz brand and allow the stadium to embrace technology to give visiting and home fans a truly complete Match Day Experience.

The hospitality shown by everyone in Atlanta was second to none, with the guys being invited to a Southern style BBQ. 

David Murphy summed up the experience by saying “The effort and goodwill shown by everyone in the team in Atlanta was nothing short of perfect.  

They welcomed us into their Network, City and even their homes with open arms.

This City has had a lasting effect on me and I know the guys feel the same way”.

Negotiations are now taking place for a return visit to firm up some of the ideas and meetings which took place. Watch this space for further updates!!

And as always for further information on skignz then please visit us on the usual Social Media channels or drop us a line info@skignz.com

Business Rocks Partners with skignz

skignz are excited to announce that we have been named as a partner for the upcoming Business Rocks 2016 in Manchester, UK.

Mixing the dynamism of the organisers with the easy use of skignz technology, attendees now no longer need to get lost in Manchester in April when they attend Business Rocks 2016.

What's more, the opportunity to listen to keynote speaker Steve Wozniak is obviously something no one wants to miss out on, or be late...

As well as speaking our own Co-Founder & CMO Si Brown be on the same bill as the Apple Co-Founder, skignz will place digital content in all of the areas of Manchester which will be useful to attendees, including transport links, hotels, where to find those who are exhibiting, and of course, the main stage to see the keynote and other speeches.  

This will be a great opportunity for the skignz team to demonstrate the effectiveness of the skignz technology platform, following our very successful trips to SXSW(Austin, Texas, US) & Web Summit (Dublin, Ireland) in March '16 and November '15 respectively.

Si Brown will deliver a speech aimed at opening discussions about the possibilities of AR for everyone, and update on the progress of skignz, and of course a 'live interactive demo'.

Si said, “I’m extremely excited about speaking at the event.  

It’s always good to get up on stage and spread the skignz Gospel, but to do it in the same event, as someone of the calibre of ‘The Woz’ will be a huge highlight for me, and for skignz".

We will also be exhibiting in the main area alongside some of Britain’s Best Tech companies, so what better way to showcase what we are about and how we can impact on people's lives with skignz than by providing a live demonstration on the stage.”

Business Rocks takes place on 21st & 22nd April 2016 in Manchester UK, and is expected to be the first in a long line of global events for the BR team. As a partner moving forward, skignz will be on show at events on a global basis as the BR brand gathers momentum as one of THE events for Tech Entrepreneurs, Music and Investors to attend.

Nothing has been left to chance; the event includes a competition for start-ups and a chance to win a massive £50,000!!  As well as established companies in attendance, the event will also feature an opportunity for Start Up’s to come and showcase their products, Bands to perform and people to enjoy, after all, attending an event like this should be fun as well as informative!!

If you would like to attend, skignz can help you with a reduced price ticket special offer, limited for the first 9 people. This offer ends on Friday 15th at Midnight, so click here to secure your ticket now.

Don't miss out, it's not very often you get chance to hear the likes of Steve Wozniak speak. Hopefully he will reveal some stories about his early days at Apple and his close relationship with the late, great Steve Jobs.

And as always for further information on skignz then please visit us on the usual Social Media channels or drop us a line info@skignz.com

SXSW - AR/VR Track...

...we were underwhelmed to say the least!

Before I go any further, it's not SXSW that left us underwhelmed, SXSW was a fantastic experience not only personally but also from a skignz point of view. 

We met with many important and exciting people, providing skignz with some quite exciting opportunities going forward.

That said where the underwhelming feelings come from is that related to the AR/VR track at SXSW, the panels, the presentations and the demo area. 

As most of them were focussed for the Wednesday (Most Interactive related parties closing parties happened on the Monday) it seemed wedged between the Interactive, the Film & Music. 

Sort of an afterthought fitted in to 'pay lip service' to the these 'two areas of tech' despite them being two of the 'the' biggest areas of advance in tech.

Let's consider this in a little more detail. AR/VR may be 'the NKOTB' to the majority, yet both have been around for decades... Then you could argue, if they have been around this long, why give them any consideration at all and if so why now?

Writing this article I realise that my thoughts and questions only bring up more thoughts and questions as I seek to answer each of them. That I now believe is because of the conflicting stories across the media, hype in areas that is unsustainable, the majorities actual understanding of VR and AR and been the difference between the two, not to mention all of the 'fringe' technologies that are reported to be one or the other but are actually neither.

'Breaking down my feelings of being underwhelmed into a few key areas may help you understand where I'm coming from?'

Panel Discussions:

I attended quite a few of these focussed on AR/VR and one or two other panels where it was discussed. I seemed to get the feeling that VR 'was here now' but more focussed on Gaming, Simulation and Sex (Porn). Also most of the panels didn't really reveal anything new, discuss any real 'gritty issues' more a soapbox for individuals to wax lyrical about their own careers and companies they worked for.

Nobody really engaged the other panel members in real debate or even the audience, who's questions seemed 'very pithy' and more about how the person asking the question could get to work with the guys on the panel.

Experiences & Presentations:

Across Austin there were a number of 'VR experiences and demo lounges' all of the ones we saw and engaged with were VR focussed with, if their were any AR ones, we either didn't see them or couldn't find them amongst all the noise and activity of SXSW itself.

Demo Area:

One of the most underwhelming experiences, of SXSW. Imagine walking into a large conference room, with a 15-20 'areas/stalls/stands' (can't describe them exactly as their wasn't an exact offering) littered (best word I can use to describe the layout) around the perimeter.

Each of these 'areas' were populated with a range of people from 1-2 up to 5-10 all wearing VR headsets, small queues of people waiting for their 1-5min experience. 

I have experienced VR and all the progression/regression this has shown over the last 20 years and taking my time to engage with a few different offerings.

It's clear that the tech has improved significantly over the last 2-3 years more so in the previous 17-20 years. The content was engaging and interesting in part and the feelings of motion sickness, latency reduced and rendering/lighting being the biggest improvements that I noticed.

I think the scene before me was extremely odd because you had so many people engaging with a very 'personal/individual' experience, all in the same space, when in reality these people would be using this tech in their own home or place of work on their own. 

It's like watching a 'silent disco', where each person is listening to totally different tracks whilst dancing to them.

So If you picture the room full of people with large headsets on, walking and moving around like it's the first time they had ever wore varifocal lenses listening to a 'silent disco' then you may come close to the surreal view laid out before me.

If you couple this with the queues of people waiting for their turn on each VR Headset, the layout of each brand's demo area and lack of engagement with each other, I hope you could forgive me for being underwhelmed.

Because the VR experience is very personal and singular, the experience around that experience is for me the underwhelming part. Growing up I enjoyed going in those giant hemisphere tents that projected 'a virtual ride on a roller coaster', the small simulators at fairs and theme parks with a small number of people who sit inside an immersive experience.

Even through to my early days in VR in the late 1990's, early Noughties, using the Universities Hemi-Spherion, nothing though prepared me for the SXSW16 VR experience.

Overall approach to VR/AR:

The total lack of an AR presence! This for me was one of the biggest shocks in as much as not only was there no AR presence (other than skignz all around you - you need the skignz app to access the content) but very little was discussed around AR.

Yes, we all understand VR is the buzzword and popular theme at the moment that said 2016 seems to be developing into the year where AR is more widely discussed as VR roles out.

You will see from our other blog posts.... What skignz brought to SXSW and demoed in UK@SXSW Great Britain House, so I won't go over that ground, or try to draw comparisons.

Suffice to say, even skignz could have done more to improve the visitors of SXSW experience, but we cannot do that alone...

And as always for further information on skignz then please visit us on the usual Social Media channels or drop us a line info@skignz.com

SXSW16: The Greatest Show on Earth?

Passport - Check, Flight Details - Check, skignz QR Codes and Marketing Collateral - Check…. Ready to go..!

A 5:30am start on the long road to Heathrow for Co-Founder & CMO Si Brown and Head of DV Partnerships Jamie Clarke didn’t seem too bad. 

Although the constant rain all the way down one of the UK's busiest roads (M1 motorway) made the journey a longer one than expected… 

skignz was on its way to its first ever SXSW (South by South West) in Austin, Texas.  Widely regarded as THE Tech show to attend, SXSW is held annually in the One Star state in the USA and is attended by well over 100,000 people from all over the world.

Little did the two intrepid explorers realise, that upon arrival in Texas, the airline unfortunately decided to misplace Jamie’s suitcase. Then, upon arrival at the Hotel, there was a mix up with the booking and there was no room at the Inn!  

Somewhere to stay was quickly found in the form of a Motel (please imagine a motel, in the loosest sense of the word and your worst nightmare... you are not even close!) 

We then spent most of the early hours trying to book into another hotel for the remainder of our stay and assuming all was good in the USA. 

But these things happen in three’s don’t they? 

Well, they didn’t have to wait long, as at the end of the second day, Jamie left his phone in a 'hailed' Yellow Taxi and that was the set!

Jamie said, “At first, it seemed like fate had conspired against us.
 
But once we had gotten the three things out of the way, we were really pleased with how the trip went overall"

Things got decidedly better for the pair from there on in. Many thanks to colleagues at UKTi, Tech North and Tech City UK, who had supported skignz to be able to attend. 

We were also able to make some appointments in advance, so as to better utilise the time spent at the event.  

The whole environment was digitally enhanced by the presence of skignz to help attendees find their way around the huge city of Austin, finding Hotel Venues, the Party Venues, Registration and of course the excellent UKTi Great Britain House (which skignz made their base, throughout the week). 

“We placed skignz at all of the major areas of the event, guiding people to the Registration area, the Convention centre and helped the 'Lounges' to be found by people in an unfamiliar surroundings and generally showing people how useful visual way finding could be” said Co-Founder & CMO, Si Brown.

                      

Our meetings with some of the 'largest brands on the planet' went well, with several meetings leading on to follow up meetings upon our return.  

Si and Jamie held the majority of meetings in the GREAT Britain House, which was a superb venue designed to showcase the best of British businesses to our American counterparts.

Some great comments were received by the team throughout the trip, with people using twitter to say that skignz had ‘made their trip to SXSW’ with one amazing lady (you know who you are!) even saying on twitter “Fan girling the skignz tech was the highlight of the trip”, so, good impressions made by the guys in Texas.

Overall, this was a productive, and tiring trip for the guys.  With skignz placed all over the grand old city of Austin, the greatest tech show on earth, became the skignz show in the sky...

Could different types of AR have been used to introduce the varying VR experiences, could the whole room be set up in such a way that everything was AR or VR rather than a collection of areas with companies trying to out do each other?

Imagine a 'curated space' with complimentary AR/VR experiences leading users through a journey, opening their minds to new possibilities, provoking thoughts and questions on how each step could be applied to their own lives, both personally and professionally?

It needs a coordinated approach and some serious engagement in order for AR/VR to go from a nice to have, pithy, transition piece in the middle of SXSW to a major focal point in 2017. Very surprising especially with all with the current levels of investment and interest in the two.

SXSW AR/VR track made me seriously 'beg the question', How long can these technologies be classed as 'The Future' rather than the 'Here and Now'?

Read Si’s Blog Post on his thoughts of the VR/AR track at SXSW here…

With the airline again messing up but this time with leg room on our return journey, we certainly have had a mixed type of trip but as always we like to focus on the positive and it's those positives we hope skignz will benefit from going forward.

And as always for further information on skignz then please visit us on the usual Social Media channels or drop us a line info@skignz.com