The week-long festival welcomed founders, global leaders, senior investors and rising stars to collaborate and discuss the role of technology in society. As well as looking at technology, London Tech Week addresses the opportunities and challenges that are forming around the digitisation of society, bridging the digital divide. It is London Tech Week’s mission is to build a better, more inclusive, digital world, with the support of partners such as Samsung.

As part of the festival, the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, visited Samsung KX to hear more about Samsung’s growing CSR initiatives that focus on upskilling the next generation, such as Solve for Tomorrow, delivering a welcome speech as part of the Future of Work summit.

With Knowledge and Skills one of the key themes for this years’ LTW festival, and education a key area of focus for Samsung, the brand produced a panel discussion that explored the feelings and experiences of the next generation, called “The Great Skills Revolution Re-boot,” which took place on Wednesday 22^nd September.

The panel was comprised of Solve for Tomorrow finalists and the programme community manager who shared their views on the biggest challenges and opportunities for young people when it comes to rebooting their skills, and the role of technology over the last 18-months. Sina Sadrzadeh, CEO and founder of the technology social enterprise platform, Peppercorn, and host of The Millennial Entrepreneur podcast, was invited to moderate the panel.

The session united a group of young people who have battled through a year of constant change, yet despite that, were able to fuse their ideas and talents to imagine alternative solutions that tackle some of society’s biggest problems.

The panel tackled questions around how the pandemic has influenced people’s approach to rebooting and developing skills, in addition to asking how businesses can help the young people of today gain access to the right knowledge and skills.

Alec Conway, winner of the first Solve for Tomorrow competition in the UK, said “It was a pleasure to be part of this programme from Samsung, it was a really great challenge and I think more businesses should be providing opportunities like this. The task inspired me to build my confidence and to want to make a difference to society, delivering the tools and giving me the platform I needed to make it happen. If we can allow young individuals the opportunity to come together and share their ideas and their knowledge, I feel we’ll be able to address these problems in our world and society much quicker”

Guests can discover a range of awe-inspiring experiences, events and skill-sharing workshops curated in partnership with several local community groups including Central St Martin’s and University College London. From film nights and gaming tournaments on the world’s first 10metre-wide Samsung curved screen to cocktail masterclasses in the connected kitchen – there is something for everyone.

Free interactive experiences include:

• Digital Cockpit: The first to be seen in Europe – a seamlessly connected driving experience that brings to life the future of automotive. Guests can explore revolutionary in-car features including; intelligence assistant Bixby that allows the driver to control the radio simply by saying phrases such as ‘play next song’, a memory system that alerts the driver when they are distracted or drowsy and smart home connectivity controls that enable the user to check inside their fridge or answer the doorbell directly from the front seat
• Galaxy Graffiti: Embracing the capital’s passion for street art, guests can virtually make their mark on the 10metre-wide screen across a range of digital London backdrops and share their creations on social media as a memento of their visit
• DJ Galaxy: For the aspiring musicians, this unique experience teaches guests to create, perform and record bespoke beats with the tap of a Samsung smartphone
• AR Message Tree: Guests can leave AR notes under the ‘kissing point’ of the space for others to unfold
• 3D ME & Collage Me: Those wanting to push the boundaries of self-expression can create and take away their very own free mini 3D figure or even turn a selfie into a unique, personalised collage to share on social media

Additional offerings:

• In-house Café: Locals can escape from the office and hot-desk, or get together with friends over a specialty Origin coffee
• Support Lounge: For those in need of product service, the expert KX support staff can provide live product tutorials, free device health checks and product repairs

Y H Lee, Global CMO, Samsung Electronics said: “With Samsung KX, we are creating a brand new space for the local community, but we’re going about it in a unique way. This destination will be an incredible blend of local culture, face to face learning and innovation. We have redesigned our brand experience spaces to give consumers what they want – more dynamic, flexible locations where exploration is endless, and Samsung KX is a place where infinite possibilities are made real.”

To learn more about the diverse range of events and experiences on offer, visit Samsung KX at London’s Coal Drops Yard, or online at www.samsung.com/uk/kx

The Digital Cockpit has been designed with the future at its heart; representing the next stage in vehicle comfort, including a more personalised experience, expanded connectivity and safety. Powered by Samsung SmartThings, the driving experience is fully connected, bringing home and automotive together seamlessly to make lives easier. Guests can broaden their horizons by exploring how to complete simple domestic tasks while on the road; from turning on the lights, checking inside the fridge, or answering the door all from the driving seat. Similarly, guests can control the vehicle with ease, such as checking the fuel level or setting the temperature before leaving home. There are also voice commands to explore with Samsung’s intelligence assistant, Bixby.

Other game-changing features include:

• Six Immersive display screens: Digital Cockpit 2019 is powered by Samsung Exynos, which enable the six displays in the vehicle. Delivering tailored infotainment options for passengers; with two rear seat displays, passengers can enjoy a range of entertainment and even share content between screens
• The Driver Monitoring System (DMS) and Occupant Monitoring System (OMS): A built-in monitoring system which logs behavioural patterns to create a truly bespoke driving experience; from setting the seat to the optimal position to alerting the driver if they are distracted or drowsy
• Mirror Replacement Vision System & Surround View Monitoring: The built-in cameras have blind spot detection for a wider viewing angle, helping drivers park effortlessly and feel more in control of their surroundings
• Rear Seat Entertainment: Guests in the back seat can experience customised content such as playing music, streaming videos, browsing the Internet or controlling the vehicle temperature controls all through the rear seat display screens
• In-vehicle Samsung DeX: Work or play from both the front and back seat – connect a Galaxy smartphone to the DeX adapter to finish off documents or watch films when on the move
• Contextual Knob: Guests can pre-set their favourite functions to create a wholly personalised experience. The knobs, inspired by the round display of the Samsung Galaxy Watch wearable device, can be used to customise preferences, including setting the time, temperature, airflow, Bixby settings, volume and driving modes

Tanya Weller, Director of Samsung Showcase, KX said: “We are thrilled that guests of Samsung KX are the first in Europe to experience our Digital Cockpit new generation Connected Driving Experience. The purpose of the installation is to give a glimpse into the future of automotive, and demonstrate how Samsung technology can help support automotive manufacturer innovation and enhance the driving experience. The Digital Cockpit seamlessly brings the connected home and automotive together to make lives easier, embodying exactly what Samsung KX is all about– discovery and innovation, inspiring people to do what they can’t.” 

To experience the future of automotive first-hand, visit Samsung KX at Coal Drops Yard, King’s Cross or visit www.samsung.com/uk/kx

To view the Digital Cockpit in action, visit the Samsung YouTube channel.