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
So we all know how much of an impact technology has in everyone’s lives now, and each day it is getting more advanced, more creative and more technological. That is why it is one of the biggest advancements in today world. Plus we all know just how big sports are in everyone’s life. Especially live sports. Each person, no matter who they are, will have that sport that is key in their lives and has a big impact on one of their main interests. Do you ever think just how much technology has had an impact on live sports. They are two of the largest growing interests in the world, and them both working together provides us with a greater interest in them together.
Let us have a look and see just how technology has had an impact on various kinds of sports.
Let’s start with Football.
Now football is huge, huge, huge, and technology became a massive part of football – Goal Line Technology. Goal line technology is a method used to determine when the ball has completely crossed the goal line with the assistance of electronic devices.
Two systems were implemented into the certain competitions in the professional game from nine originally tested in 2012 and have remained since. This technology was brought in to assist the referee in the decision making as to whether the ball has fully crossed the line or not. Now look at this great advancement that technology brought to football. It provided a more accurate scoring to the games and is one of the biggest evolutions of the modern game, similar to allowing substitutes and the wage cap football. Technology has and now plays a massive part in not only football but in the lives of the supporters as they now also rely on it.
Secondly let’s take a look at Cricket.
Cricket has a massive following the world over. The technology that got brought into cricket was the Hot Spot. Now cricket you have to be able to determine where the ball hit perfectly before making a decision.
That’s where the Hot Spot came around. It is an infrared imaging system used to determine whether the ball has stuck the batsman, bat or pad. It requires two infrared cameras on opposite sides of the playing ground above the field of play that are each constantly recording an image. Any suspicions from the game can be verified by examining the infrared image which usually shows a bright spot where contact friction from the ball has elevated the local temperature.
This technology is used to provide accuracy within the game. This just shows how great the technology created for this game is and just how much of an impact it can have within cricket matches.
Thirdly let’s take a look at Tennis. In Tennis they use a system called Hawk-Eye. Now what this technology system does is it ensures that high pressure points do not fall prey to umpiring mistakes, it brings the fans closer to the action. It shows whether a ball was in or out on stadium big screens and televisions at home.
Hawk-Eye allows the audience and viewers to feel like they are actually there and a part of the game, bringing a whole new dimension to television coverage and fascinating tennis fans worldwide. This technology, Hawk-Eye was the first and only ball-tracking technology to have passed stringent ITF testing measures and is now an integral part of the ATP, WTA and ITF tennis tours. The technology for Tennis is one of the best and became straight away part of the rules.
Fourthly Golf.
Golf has had a lot of technology around its sporting attribute. For Golf, technology has provided a way for Golf to be able to let its fans and supporters to be able to play a game of Golf through simulation and let it seem like players are in a real time video flying through the course they are playing hole by hole.
This technology that got invented for Golf has become so popular with a lot of people that it is easily to be found in a lot of places now. The simulation technology allows Golf supporters to make it feel like when they want to play a game of Golf or learn how to do it they can play through a simulation game indoors, providing them with a great, satisfying experience.
All of the above sports are now using technology to improve their games and help apply the rules fairly to each game so that no conflict arises and it is a fair game. Each different kind of sports is now also using apps so that people can bet at events with their chosen bookmaker.
This allows people to interact with the game and sport on a more personal level allowing them to be involved when and where they wish to be. To make it easier for people to use the apps to be able to make bets and interact with the games more, Wi-Fi is now assisted in stadiums, gaming areas and at other outdoor live events to save people using their own connection and rely on the technology that is provided on the day of the event and by that certain brand/company.
Technology plays a massive parts in live sports as it not only assists everyone such as the game, players, supporters, fans, it enables people to make more accurate decisions on how the game went. In addition and probably more importantly it allow supports, viewers and fans to feel like they are a part of the game on a more personal level and finally it encourages people to keep on supporting that sport and provide a lifetime commitment which was started through technology providing everyone’s with the ability to do all of the above.
Looking at which technology was used within different kinds of sports, we wonder just how it has that impact on different areas within sport.
Let us start with the competition that is within sport. For each competitor playing a game the technology allows them to know that the game can only be played fairly and that no cheating can be done.
For them this is a relief as somewhere along the way maybe many years ago cheating within games will have gone on and not a fair win will have been provided as there was no evidence until new technology advancements came around.
For the live audience, the technology advancements have allowed them to get a greater view and judgement of the game themselves and feel like they have become a part of the game. It allows them to feel like they are more involved if they can clearly see and understand what has happened more and let them make judgements for themselves.
Technology provides the same assistance for the 'integrity of the game' to equal fair play throughout the game. It allows the players and referees to know that the game can only be judged as fairly as no mistakes and cheating can be made with the new technology that has been provided to different live sports.
It allows the performance of the players to be judged carefully and let the audience see also just how well they play and how fairly they play throughout the game.
Technology provided within sports now had allowed the empowerment and enforcing of the rules to be more legit and accurate. The technology that was provided for Tennis 'Hawk-Eye' became a legit part of the rules instantly, changing the empowerment of the rules for the game and the aspect of it. The different types of technology provide statistics and data more easily for people to be able to find as it can now collect it all and store it as a result of the game and what happened within each game within each sport.
Hawk-Eye also enables the showing replays of action on the cameras and televisions within the stadium which provides more assistance for the audience and players again and makes the audience feel like they are more involved within the game and for those who may have a restricted view get a better sense of what happens throughout the match.
This technology has provided great opportunities within each sport and provided a whole new aspect and outlook on what happens now within each live sporting game.
So what is coming next for live sports and technology? Well with technology being more advanced each day there are a lot of opportunities that could become available such as camera drones, stadiums increasing their connectivity with super Wi-Fi so people can access content across their phones faster? Who knows?, but there is still a lot to come with technology for live sports that will look at improving even more on the events than how they are how.
However one type of technology that is advanced and can be used at live sport events is skignz. skignz is been 'mooted' as the next way for live sports to be viewed at the events with the same information available to those watching it on TV – such as Sky Sports multi-channel display with fanzone, commentary, statistics, replay etc...
All of these can be built into separate channels with skignz so that it can be seen whilst watching the game live at the venue or location of where the sport is taking place! skignz can make that infrastructure visible and visually appealing to the live audience.
Sound good?
skignz is fast becoming one of the best new technologies at live sport events and most likely will be in the future, just keep watching that space.
So thinking about how much technology has already made an impact and what is to come, skignz can assist all of that and more with the technology created and what could be provided at future events.
If you would like to read more to find out just exactly what we do, have done and to see just how great it is, then please follow the links below to our social media sites, website and YouTube channel to see some of the great work that we have already done and plan to do for the future.
Summer is virtually here, the bad weather is going and the sun is
shining, good times are getting planned and we are now officially into ‘British
Summer Time’ 2014.
You will have your
favourite hobbies, days out and events planned that you wish to do. Years from
now you will have that great memory, maybe a song, and certainly pictures to
remind you and take you back to a specific time and place during the summer of
2014.
Many of you will
get these memories from attending Live Events, Motor Sports etc...
Let us set the
scene...
You along with friends/family will set off for a live
motorsport event this summer and you will arrive after (in most cases) a long
journey in a car, van or coach. Skipping forward
past finding a place to park in the middle of a field and getting yourself through the entrance into the event before grabbing a drink and go for a look around, find out what's going on and where?
You finally get your drinks and you then settle in, relax, in order to soak up the
atmosphere and enjoy the entertainment of the day.
Sound's perfect?
This to most is the usual journey each of the millions of people will make this
summer to attend the thrilling exciting live motor sport events on offer.
Now you have sat
and enjoyed this show for a while and you fancy another drink or how about
something to eat?
Where are the
refreshment stands? In fact where are the toilets as you don't fancy making two
trips! As with the majority of people, finding the refreshments and toilets is
one thing! But finding your way back to where you originally were! Now that’s a
whole new level of stress and hassle!
Going through your
mind is no doubt a few or all of the following:
- How will you get
back to where you where?
- How do you find
your friend(s)? The proverbial 'needle in a haystack'!
Unless your
friends are 9ft tall and everybody else is under 5ft tall, you are going to
struggle! Add in the feeling you get after a couple of drinks and your
orienteering skills are not the sharpest they have ever been! You feel a bit
disorientated.
Is there a solution?
Other than carrying around a massive sign or a flag saying 'I am here!'
What happens if
everybody does the same thing, you are all right back to where you started,
looking for a 'Needle in a Haystack' springs to mind.
The solution has
arrived and does not require you to carry anything more than what you walk
around with in your pocket every day - a smartphone or for events like this you may take a tablet with you.
Lets go back to
the point where you're stood looking for the refreshments stand and toilets.
Now open up your smartphone/tablet and click on the skignz App!
Now 'Pan' your
phone around as if you were videoing the crowd!
As you do this and
as if by magic, little 'virtual signs' will appear above the toilets and the
refreshment stand. Pan further to see what is on next and to allow you to keep
track of who you are watching, which car you are keeping an eye on? Use the
pinch on your phone to zoom in and out on each skign, press the skign on your
screen, a short press activates some relevant content, a longer press reveals
how far away that actual skign is located!
How about getting
yourself some vouchers or offers to the next live motor sports event, just
click the image on the left hand side and you will be taken straight to the
site where you can access these from and download them right to your phone.
So back to your
little mission to get a drink and something to eat, visit the toilet while you
are there.
You have used
skignz to find each of these locations.
This type of
skignz can been provided by the live motorsport event producers or their sponsors to help you find your way around the event and make your life easier,
while enhancing the whole experience.
Now you have been
to the toilet, bought your food and drink and you want to find your friends?
This is where
skignz really becomes your best buddy!
Hold up the phone
again and pan across the crowd and you will see 'skignz' above each of your
friends heads! You will only see there’s because like with other social media
channels you are only linked to people you know or want linked to you!
Now if they have a
great big skignz above their head - is that not the easiest way to find them
EVER? Theirs and your personal skignz will have a picture of you, your name and
a little comment - like a 'tweet' or 'Facebook status update' on their skignz!
Not only can you find your friends, but also
each one is personalised to them!
We at skignz
though want to make finding ANYTHING! Easier...!
So we have
included in the free to download App, the ability to 'drop a skignz or arrow'
over your car or coach you travelled on (remember the thing you arrived in and
parked in a sea of cars and coaches earlier - you will need that to get home!).
So now, not only
do you know where you parked (ready for quick exit to beat the traffic), where
the toilets, food, drinks and who's on next and at what time... download their vouchers/offers
at a good price, right to your handset, even where the charging points are so
your phone does not go dead!
How much of an
improved live motorsport event experience is that?
Motor sport
events, live events and even places such as festivals are the easiest place in
the world to get lost & lose your friends!
You dont have to
worry about getting lost, finding anywhere specific, losing your friends?
skignz is not only helpful, insightful and interactive, is also great as a
safety device.
Getting lost is a
horrible feeling, losing your friends and wandering around aimlessly for hours
is no fun, after all you came with your mates to have a good time - mostly
together, because an experience shared, is so much more than one you experience
on your own!
So why not
download the skignz app if you are going to a motorsport event, festival event or any other live event? Even if the venue has not heard about skignz or got
their event environment skignzed up!
You can do it
yourselves between you and your friends! Even if you only use it to find each
other when you get lost, find your original seat or car!
Surely thats gotta
be worth 10 seconds of your time download a simple little app that could be the
coolest thing on your phone this summer! It certainly will be for those people
when they get lost and they will!
Enjoy this summer,
enjoy the motorsports and other live events, but enjoy it more, knowing you
have a little app on your phone that can help you navigate around a strange
place, find your friends and find your transport home, because if you don't
find that, you won't get to go to anymore events this summer!
Bring on the summer
of 2014 - When you hear the new Calvin Harris song 'Summer' and you and your
friends have all downloaded skignz to see what its like?
We are sure from
now on you will remember the summer of 2014 as the 1st year that you used
skignz!
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.
