RISE Manchester - Barclays/MMU AR Day

skignz were invited to speak at a recently held event in the Rise building on Deansgate in Manchester.  

The event was organised by Barclays and MMU (Manchester Metropolitan University) to showcase the progress being made in Augmented Reality Technology, what sectors its being applied in and how?

The speakers ranged from University Professors & Doctors about their research, through to a few commercial applications and the leaders of those projects. 

skignz was one of the few totally 'commercial application' however it seemed skignz could cover just about ALL the areas the other speakers had, as well as proving and solving a few problems/issues that were raised prior to Si presenting.

skignz had been invited to speak, and Co-Founder & CMO Si Brown was excited about the opportunity. 

The presentation went really well, with gasps of approval from the audience as Si went through the possibilities of AR technology and more specifically our own skignz technology.

Throughout the day, the opportunities to showcase skignz on a one to one level were fulsome, and Si explained 
“It’s really important for skignz to be represented at these types of events.  Although smaller in their size than some of the others, they are just as important and worthwhile to the team here at skignz.

Especially as it gives those involved in Augmented Reality from Commercial, Educational and Research areas, the opportunity to meet up discuss progress, current issues and future potential all for the mutual benefit."

Later Si was invited to take part in a 'panel discussion' accompanied by a representative from the tech team from Barclays and two Academics from MMU. 

It proved to be a lively debate with many questions being posed by the audience, bringing conflicting opinions in part mainly around the difference between the commercial sector and the world of academia. 

However there was quite a unified opinion on the immediate and long term futures of AR. All agreed it would be more beneficial working together, but the mechanics of how that would work would need to be overcome.

The real issue, being around whether the Universities and Academics could respond and work at the pace that the commercial/private companies required in order to maintain momentum and stay at the forefront of AR technology marketplace.

For further information on RISE Manchester please visit: https://thinkrise.com/manchester.html

For further information on MMU (Manchester Metropolitan University) please visit: http://www2.mmu.ac.uk

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

TECHSTARS North Final

The long trip from London to Manchester seemed to be longer than usual, with the weather affecting train services.  

Being greeted by the rain in Manchester is becoming commonplace, but skignz were there to attend the TECHSTARS Northern Finals Awards evening.

 

Si Brown (Co-Founder & CMO of skignz) was ‘pitching’ at the event.  

A 3 minute slot in which to deliver a presentation to a panel of judges isn’t a long time, but enough to showcase our technology.

As we have come to expect, Si was relaxed and articulate throughout his 3 minutes, giving a great account of the skignz technology and answering questions at the end from the panel of 4 Judges.

The evening was a great event, with time for networking and making some really positive contacts.  

In the end though, skignz were not chosen as one of the winners. 

“You can’t win them all, and the standard of participants this year was extremely high, so congratulations to each and every one of them” said an upbeat Si as the evening drew to a close.

The awards evening was held at the awesome and funky offices of UK Fast. Fantastic location hosted by a great group of people. Big thanks to them for hosting us.

For Further information on TechNorth, please visit: 

http://technorthhq.com

For Further information on UK Fast, please visit: 

http://www.ukfast.co.uk

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 - What's the future of AR in Retail?

skignz were in London this week to start a busy week of events and speak at the prestigious WIRED Retail Conference 2015.

Co-Founder & CMO of skignz, Si Brown was asked to speak about 'What's the future of Augmented Reality in Retail" at the event and gladly accepted.

 

The Event was attended by all sorts of retail brands, from supermarket chains and Global Tech Agencies to E-Commerce Platforms and Global Retailers, and was held at the beautiful St. Pancras Hotel.

Steeped in History and standing aside the famous Train Station, the hotel was an excellent place for skignz to showcase our technology.

 

Si gave a rousing speech, talking to attendees about the different uses of skignz, and how it could be integrated into the future of retail.

Attendees furiously made notes as Si went through the capabilities of AR technology, beyond using it as a gimmick or marketing tool with a range of interesting yet practical/useful ways in which AR can have a huge impact on retail, then ending his presentation with a 'Live Demo' to wow the crowd!

“It’s always nice to be asked to speak at events, but the organisation and professionalism of the WIRED Events is well known, so I couldn’t refuse” Said Si.

Si actually got to sit on the stairs made famous probably for many famous people walking up and down them over the years but more recently the 1990's Girls Group, the Spice Girls filmed their debut Music Video for Wannabe on these very stairs... Ziga Ziga Ziga Zig Ahhh

He went on to say: “The Interest in skignz throughout the day was superb, we couldn’t of asked for a better response really.  Also, it’s always really powerful to show people the skignz technology in action, so to get through the live demo without a hitch was great news!” 

Head of DV Partnerships, Jamie Clarke, was also in attendance and supporting the preparation for the speech.
 

He said “The attendees were encapsulated by Si’s speech, and spent an awful lot of time afterwards, at our event stand, understanding our tech and talking through some ideas.  It was a really productive day for skignz”

For Further information on WIRED, please visit: 

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

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

IGNITE - Nimbus Ninety @Vinopolis, London

A £5 note pulled from a puddle would serve as a good omen that the trip to the IGNITE Event in London would be both enjoyable and super successful. 

I was travelling with skignz Co-Founder & CMO, Si Brown to our second event within a fortnight.  

Another week another Capital City.... After returning from WebSummit in Dublin the week before, we were recharged and ready to take part in an event which has good memories for skignz.  

Only in March had we won 'UK's Most Disruptive Tech Start-up' at the Nimbus Ninety Awards.  

Good Omens all round! 

Excited and ready for the trip, we travelled to London with no delays or issues, checked into our Hotel and placed skignz at the event venue ready for the next day's showcase.

An early start meant that we could get set up at the very stylish and intriguing Vinopolis Event venue, and ensure that skignz were in a prominent position to be seen by the delegates. 

A multitude of professionals from various sectors were in attendance, meaning that no conversation was the same, and the value of skignz was showcased across retail, event production, telecommunications, engineering and safety. 

The niche to skignz is the ability to cut across an awful lot of niches! Providing data as and when the user needs it, looking through their mobile device as opposed to at it.

It never ceases to amaze me, as Head of DV Partnerships, that look on people's faces when we demonstrate skignz in real time, in front of them, and showing them content that is situated around them..... 

It's where the magic happens! 

A number of the delegates at the impressive Nimbus Ninety IGNITE event have already made contact with us as we head north back to HQ, showing the level of interest that is starting to be a recurring theme for us.

So as the omens said at the beginning.... A successful trip to a well organised, enjoyable event, was more than worth it.

A note should be made that the organising team made life extremely easy for us, making sure that we had everything we needed to showcase skignz in the its best light, in beautiful surroundings to a very engaging and interesting audience.

For Further information on Nimbus Ninety and their IGNITE events, then please visit: 

http://www.nimbusninety.com/ignite-november-2015

For Further information on Vinopolis Event Space in London, then please visit: http://vinopolis.co.uk

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