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

First Visit to Toronto for skignz

My 1st ever visit to Toronto started with an early flight flying out of La Guardia, New York. An hour & a half later; 2 cans of Red Bull down I landed at Pearson International Airport in Toronto. 

Stepping off the plane, if felt like I had just landed back on Teesside… cold, wet and windy!! However, not even the grim weather could dampen my enthusiasm as I looked forward to a busy couple of days ahead.

After a 30 minute taxi drive I was checking in to the Delta hotel on Maple Leaf Square, a stones through away from the Air Canada Centre. No time to rest though, I was picked up from the hotel by an old teammate & good friend who now lives in Toronto, was able to show me around and act as my host throughout my short stay in the city.

1st port of call was to the official Toronto FC bar where we watched Portland Timbers v Toronto with all the local and very passionate fans. It was a real family friendly environment with everyone having a good time & supporting their team in the right way.

After watching Toronto FC narrowly lose 2-1 to the Timbers, we made our way to the Air Canada Centre as I was invited as a guest to watch the deciding play off game between Toronto Raptors v Indian Pacers. 

This was my 1st experience of an NBA Basketball game and everyone kept telling me that I couldn’t have chosen a better game to attend. The atmosphere was electric as the Raptors hadn’t been past this stage in 15 years!

It was a star-studded event, with big names such as Drake and Didier Drogba in attendance. Whilst at the game, I was introduced to some very influential people who loved the concept of skignz and the almost endless possibilities that it offers. Watch this space!

To top the evening off, the Raptors won the game 89-84, leaving a party atmosphere in and around the venue, but it was back to the hotel for me as I had a busy day ahead…

Day 2 in Toronto began with my standard hotel breakfast, Eggs Benedict! With a full stomach and a much needed caffeine fix (Red Bull), I was off to my 1st meeting of the day. 

After some very positive and productive discussions, my friend picked me up and I was fortunate enough to experience the famous Soho House Members club of Toronto for lunch. It’s very much an 'up market' establishment in which members are very selectively chosen.

After an interesting lunch meeting with some promising new business contacts, it was time for my final meeting before catching my flight back to New York.

All in all, I had a great time in the city of Toronto and made some exciting new contacts that will hopefully have a major part to play in taking skignz forward in Canada.

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