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

skignz: The High Life with British Airways

So, what does David Beckham, James Corden, Sir Bradley Wiggins, Kevin Spacey, Simon LeBon plus many, many other talented and successful people have in common? 

'The High Life' of course. British Airways High Life to be exact. You can add our very own Co-Founder & CMO Si Brown to that esteemed list, as he's featured in March 2016's edition of the long running inflight magazine's Business Edition.

The publications have been running even longer than Si has been alive and can be found in Business & First class on of all British Airways flights throughout March 2016.

Si was approached following his presentation at last years WIRED Magazine Retail conference, where he spoke about Augmented Reality technology and it's future in retail. 

Editor Tim Hulse realised that skignz can offer so much more and isn't exclusive to Retail, so he wanted to know abit more about what skignz can do and where, along with Si's own journey so far.

In addition to the interview Si was asked to attend a photo shoot in central London, which was a very fresh and very early morning!

To add to the drama of the photoshoot, it took place on London Bridge right in the middle of 'rush hour'!!

It was actually a great experience for Si, and rather amusing for Jamie Clarke, skignz Head of DV Partnerships as he stood, nithered in the sub zero temperatures and counted over 200+ people turning their heads to find out if Si was someone famous... 

When they realised he wasn't and they didn't recognise him, they just carried on with their journey, none the wiser. 

We wondered if any of those thousands of commuters happen to read the article whilst flying on British Airways in March, Si may not be famous but they will certainly now know why he was being photographed that fresh London morning. They may be one of those 'blurred' people surrounding him in the picture.

If you would like to read the feature and if you don't happen to be a BA passenger this month, you can still read the 'Talent' article on skignz and Si, plus all the other interesting content each month in the British Airways 'Business Life' magazine either by checking the article out online or by downloading their App on ITunes (IOS) or Google Play (Android):


BA Business Life (Website): http://businesslife.ba.com/People/Interviews/Si-Browns-signposts-in-the-sky.html

BA Business Life (IOS): https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/british-airways-business-life/id554105749?mt=8

BA Business Life (Android): https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.pagesuite.droid.britishairwaysbusinesslife

If anyone happens to be flying Business/First Class with BA or manage to get their hands on a copy, please do take a pic and share it on Social Media tagging in skignz and telling us where you are off too. We look forward to seeing how creative you can be with your posts!

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

Wired Retail Conference in London

skignz Co-Founder and CMO will be speaking at the upcoming WIRED Retail Conference in London.

Si was invited to speak after a number of the 'WIRED' events team saw him present and pitch at various events and the articles written about skignz in 'WIRED Magazine' throughout 2015 

Si will be focussing on the future of retail and how this will evolve, change and progress using Augmented Reality. 

skignz already has a few innovative and unique ways in which AR can be incorporated into retail, but instead of looking in store as many other brands have done with AR or activating content through brands publications. 

"What about GeoLocation?" 

"What about lead generation?" 

"How about relating hyperlocal information to drive and increase purchases?"

Some of the areas in which Si feels further exploration are:
 - AR driving sales 
 - AR helping with emotive purchases
 - AR increasing speed of purchases

http://www.wiredevent.co.uk/wired-retail-2015-speakers

'WIRED' Retail together with Valtech is on November 23rd at the St Pancras Renaissance Hotel, London, with a view to presenting the future of retail - with those who are building it.

For further information on 'WIRED' Retail 2015 please visit:

http://www.wiredevent.co.uk/wired-retail-2015-2

We will be updating you through our various social media channels as the event progresses and sharing others comments on Si's talk. If you would like to speak to Si about this event then please email us at info@skignz.com 

Help Si & Richard talk about skignz... Please vote for skignz in Pitch to Rich...

skignz is 'Born in the USA'

skignz are delighted to announce that we have now opened an office in the US, not just anywhere in the US but Las Vegas! As part of skignz ambitious growth plans we have been looking at key places across the globe to establish the skignz brand yet provide an unrivalled and enhanced customer experience.

Las Vegas is perfect for skignz; a destination for millions of people year on year and one so huge it's hard to find your way around. skignz is here to help you never get lost in Las Vegas again!

skignz: Welcome to Las Vegas, Nevada, US

Whether you are looking for somewhere nice to eat, a different environment to gamble or somewhere nice to shop? All of these places are a plenty in Las Vegas, so by using skignz, you will be able to find your way around, access special offers, interesting & interactive content and even use the App to find each other if you get lost?

Getting lost in a crowd is a problem all over the world, but in Las Vegas it's magnified a thousandfold due to the amount of people, the scale of the place you are in and all those bright lights and attractions to divert your attention!

skignz helps you find somewhere or someone in such a way that it can only be compared to, 'If all the electricity went off in Las Vegas and all the lights went out ... then a spotlight appeared above the place or person you are looking for, surely that will help you find that needle in a haystack!'

Si Brown, Co-Founder & CMO, skignz says: 
"Nick's background in providing leading edge technologies to increase event and customer experience and engagement, so he is the perfect fit for skignz, as skignz aims to take this whole concept completely off the scale!

We have been establishing a relationship with Nick for nearly a year now, but it struck us very early on that Nick could really get the skignz message across and explore the possibilities across a range of sectors in the US, such as Leisure & Tourism, Live Events, Education and Corporate Hospitality. All of these sectors Nick has already got experience in and we look forward to supporting him and his team in showcasing skignz incredible capabilities to them." 

Las Vegas:  It's easy to 'get lost in a crowd' here or find that 'needle in a haystack'

So now you know why Las Vegas? The 'Who' is just as important! We are very proud to announce that leading our US team will be a guy with over 20 years experience of living and working in Las Vegas and across the US, please take a bow; Mr Nick Vilardell, EVP, US Business Operations & Sales.

Nick Vilardell EVP, US Operations & Sales says:

"When I first came across skignz it was through their blog online, quite by accident when I was researching some new technology. Their video blog was funny but got me thinking I wanted to know more about these guys! The more I looked at them and read about them the more I was conviced that this was a company with a great future and undoubtedly some incredible ground breaking technology, that maybe others had touched on but nothing that had been put together and packaged in this way. 

From my inital conversation with Simon I was sold on their vision and since then I've been working closely with Simon and the rest of the skignz team to define the offering not only for Las Vegas, and its obvious potential, but also for a number of other markets and sectors I have contacts and experience but whilst still focussing in the US.

I actually feel quite lucky to be working with skignz at such an exciting time in their growth. I look forward to helping Si and Gary move forward, especially at the rate they are growing and attracting other prominent people into the business, the brands and companies coming onboard, this business will prove to be a phenomenal part of the future digital landscape. 

I could not be more excited at what lies ahead for skignz and the opening of the office in Las Vegas is the next logical step and a clear indication of skignz's ambition"

skignz at Rhodes Ranch Golf Club

Nick already has a number of companies and organisations keen to take up the skignz offering, a number of the key brands on the 'famous Las Vegas strip' are already in the process of looking at how they can pilot it across their facilities. One skignz environment is already in place, at the Rhodes Ranch Golf Club where Nick is a member. 

Nick is currently working to utilize the skignz platform across many different aspects of their business, providing a simply awesome showcase for others to come along and experience.

Rhodes Ranch Golf Club, Las Vegas

Although it's early days for skignz in the US, the future looks to be an exciting and interesting one as Nick and his team showcase the power of what skignz can do across Las Vegas, Nevada and in time the wider US. 

So if you would like to talk to Nick and his team about how skignz can work for you in Las Vegas or elsewhere in the US, then please contact them on us@skignz.com or call on +1 (702) 433 3889

Navigation / Orientation / Induction: Scary 1st day!

For anyone the 1st day of a new job or starting a University course can be daunting. What if you are doing this in a new town or city, this goes from daunting to scary. How about coming from a different country? Speak a different language?

A whole new culture and experience awaits you! Your senses are 'through the roof', your usual creature comforts and habits don't apply here! This for all intents and purposes, may as well be the Moon or Mars that you have landed on?

Atmosphere, landscape, colours, smells everything is different and it's that way until you settle in! Big question is, how long will that take? What parts of your life, health and peace of mind will be effected in the meantime?

Today (7th February 2014) was induction day at Teesside University Business School for some of their courses. Most of the students who started University today instead of the usual September/October intake is because they are 'top-up' students who are continuing their education from their previous course, from wherever on the planet they previously studied and 'top-up' to gain a degree or to a masters degree at Teesside University.

Kamran Tanveer, is one of those students embarking on the final year of the BA (hons) Applied Accounting & Finance Degree at TUBS (Teesside University Business School). Kamran is from Pakistan and has not previously been to the North East of England let alone Teesside. During a brief discussion with him it's apparent he's keen to learn and get on with his course, but he has not much knowledge about how to find his way around the campus or how to find his way around the surrounding local area. Something he and his new colleagues are clearly daunted by!

Kamran Tanveer:
Induction Day using skignz!

As part of their orientation and induction for new students TUBS engaged with skignz to produce a 'treasure/scavenger hunt' using the skignz technology to take the students on a hunt around the campus and surrounding town centre to help them familiarise themselves with their brand new surroundings.

Each student download skignz onto their smart phone or mobile device, then they were asked to go out onto the campus and use skignz to find the first clue, which when they found it, not only gave them some important information on that specific location, but also gave them the clue to the next location.

To prove they had visited each location the students had to take a 'selfie photo' in front of the venue and pick up something (something physical, menu, what's on leaflet, etc..) from each specific location. Only by accessing each skignz at each location would they know what they had to get from each venue.

Kamran said: "skignz was really easy to use, helpful with information and that you can zoom in and out of clues, even swipe away content to see other skignz behind them. The whole experience really helped me not only find places that I will need to go to such as supermarkets and clothes shops; but also places I would like to go to such as the Cinema, Art Gallery and the Main Library.

skignz is informative, helpful and I will certainly be telling all of my friends about it! Even when I return home to Pakistan, it will be really useful in many ways back there."

Kiersten Avery, Assistant Dean, TUBS said: "We wanted to not only help the students settle in, find their way around campus, but also provide them with a whole new interactive experience. skignz provides us with something that no other University has and we are working with them to utilise the skignz technology in many different ways for the benefit of our students. 

Kiersten Avery: 
Assistant Dean, TUBS

The feedback so far has been incredible and gives us a whole different way in which to interact and communicate with our students. Due to this successful pilot of using the technology in this way, we aim to roll this out for all students for this years September induction and orientation events".

In 2014 many of the largest brands in the world are focusing on how they can improve user/consumer/customer experience rather than just try to advertise at them and push their products on to them.

Teesside University are leading the way by using skignz technology to improve the whole student experience on campus in a way that is helpful, insightful, interesting and provides the students with something they can take out into the real world and use, alongside their studies and learning.

skignz was co-founded by two local Middlesbrough guys Gary Baker and Si Brown, the latter an Alumni of Teesside, who gained both his undergraduate and postgraduate Master Degree at Teesside University. 

As part of the induction, Teesside are showing real life examples of how students have completed their course and apply that experiences and knowledge in the real world, this demonstrates to students about how important employability and gaining work experience is, alongside their studies and gaining a formal qualification at the University.

If you would like to learn about the courses on offer at TUBS please follow this link: Teesside University Business School

If you would like to learn a little more about how skignz can work on your University Campus(es) please take a look at this short film. 

This film was actually developed and produced by varying members of the skignz team, ALL of which are ex-graduates of Teesside University, having completed an internship or placement with the company. They are now in graduate positions working on projects for some of the worlds most popular brands.

If you are interested in how skignz can help your University please either email us on info@skignz.com or call us on +44 (0) 845 058 0519.

The Teams Work - Si Brown

Hi I'm Si and I'm one of the Co-Founder’s of skignz but as well as helping come up with the wonderful creation that is skignz, my day to day role is Chief Marketing Officer.

Fat Boy Slim

I'm responsible for the brand positioning and marketing strategy for skignz. Once we established the positioning of skignz (where it fits in the world) and established a marketing strategy and delivery plan, I'm now busy delivering that strategy through a well-structured plan.

Rock in Rio 2014, Preparation

Many of the skignz team feel I have the ‘rockstar role’ at skignz as I seem to be out and about all the time! Meeting with potential clients, giving presentations, travelling across the globe and talking to some of the world’s most famous and well-known brands.

So True...

On the surface it sounds like a dream job and in the most part it is my dream job, I get to visit some awesome places, meet some fantastic and very interesting people whilst showcasing skignz to them.

Most Contagious 2013

However below the surface are the parts that people don’t see, which are the long hours spent, in the car, on a train or plane, waiting in departure lounges or on freezing cold train stations.

Copacabana Beach, Rio de Janeiro

Chasing across London on the Tube like my life depended on it to make appointments. Getting to a location after 3-4 hours of travelling to find that 6 out of 8 scheduled appointments have cancelled and you end up spending most of the time, trying to get to see other people and sitting in Costa or Starbucks for the free Wifi.

However the good does far outweigh the bad and because of this, no day is the same! Even in the office I have a multitude of things to do from my client correspondence to briefing in the audio visual and creative teams for the latest promotional video production or working with our marketing team to develop the content for our blog, website and social media channels.

skignz in action

On top of my ‘day-job’ I work closely with skignz’s other co-founder and CTO Gary Baker on setting the business goals, administrating the company and delivering the dream that is skignz.

Outside of skignz I spend most of my time with my family and friends.

Future M'Bro FC stars

Being a taxi to my 5yr and 7yr old daughters, taking them to dancing, swimming, ice skating, gymnastics, football etc... and enjoying nights out (very occasionally) and nights in (gorging on box set series) with my wife.

Along with a number of my friends and family, I’m a huge football fan and a lifelong follower of Middlesbrough FC. I also enjoy mountain biking, golf, reading and architecture. The latter two I always try to indulge myself with, by taking in as much as possible during my work travels.

Even the most famous have hear about skignz...

UKTi - Great Britain Campaign in Rio

Get your copy of skignz now: 

www.skignz.com/download