When: 27/28 June 2019, London EARLY BIRD RATE UNTIL 31 MAY: GBP 899
Breaking out of the daily grind – food for thought – ideas for the future – tech & innovation - AI
Dive into London’s most exciting new neighbourhood and be inspired by a story of transformation and innovation: Born out of the industrial wastelands behind King’s Cross and St Pancras stations this massive urban regeneration project has turned a former “no go area” into a hub for tech giants and start-ups alike, mixing with old and new scientific, academic and cultural institutions in the area. King’s Cross mashes arts, culture, shopping, research and business, creating a place where humans can connect to work, develop and innovate. All that set against the backdrop of some wonderful Victorian industrial architecture.
It has become one of my favourite places in London – a place for the curious, a blueprint for urban development gone right and I’d like to share it with you on a tour built around discovery and learning.
The programme combines three elements:
Exploring N1C: Discover the new King’s Cross neighbourhood on an inside tour
Smartening up: Visit world-leading institutions that research and shape our future
Meeting the community: Get to know the start-ups and companies that have turned the King’s Cross area into London’s buzziest new tech ecosystem
(Programme details further below)
THE KING’S CROSS EXPLORER INCLUDES
1,5-day fully organised tour (start: 27 June, 9 am, end: 28 June, early afternoon), led by London insider guide with long-standing experience in putting together inspirational content on tech and innovation for curious people
Public transport in London
One meal (lunch or dinner) on 27 June, further F&B at own expense
Pre-tour notes and content on companies we’ll meet and topics we’ll explore
Post-tour coverage
Added London experience: Making the most of the long summer nights, we’ll fit in a stroll along the Southbank and enjoy a round of Pimm’s (it’s summer, it’s London, there needs to be Pimm’s!) on one of London’s most charming rooftop gardens. The Met Office has promised us a “flaming June” with temperatures above average and we obviously fully trust the expertise of the UK’s weather forecasters …
Your personalised mini London guide: Pick from different themes and get a collection of things to see and do from my very own favourites (be prepared to venture off the beaten track and see the real London!)
Not included are the usual formal sit-down dinners. Instead, there might be some street-fooding, a bit of “do it like the locals” with grabbing lunch from Pret et al and exploring something new that London has to offer at the time. Let’s just say, it’ll be good.
DETAILS ON TOUR COMPONENTS
Exploring N1C
Get to know the new King’s Cross neighbourhood with all its nooks and crannies on an introductory tour: See the homes and soon-to-be homes of Google and Facebook and the neighbourhood’s heart, Granary Square with the world-famous Central Saint Martins art, fashion and design school, as well as the fabulous new Coal Drops Yard shopping and dining development. The future of retail starts here, amidst Victorian-era industrial architecture that is now home to a mix of independent shops and signature brands, built on sustainability principles and the credo that shopping and meaningful customer experiences need to go hand in hand. (Any Tom Dixon fans out there? Studio/workshop and shop plus restaurant all in one here – and it’s pretty good.)
Smartening up
Francis Crick Institute: Largest biomedical research institute in Europe, connecting the public and research. Formed in 2015, the Crick moved into its state-of-the art King's Cross location in 2016, now housing over 1,500 scientists and staff. “Craft & Graft” exhibition provides an eye-opening glimpse of the people behind the science.
Wellcome Collection: “museum and library for the incurably curious”, run by a global charitable trust/research institute that was founded by the medical entrepreneur, collector and philanthropist Sir Henry Wellcome. The Collection’s exhibition and events connect science, medicine, life and art and it also happens to have one of London’s most beautiful reading rooms.
British Library: King’s Cross resident since 1998 and place for research, inspiration and innovation. Its excellent “Treasures” room tells the stories of over thousand years of human experience, from Magna Carta and Shakespeare to the world’s first computer programmer Ada Lovelace and the Beatles (not to forget the Gutenberg Bible). Current special display “An Unsuitable Game for Ladies: A Century of Women’s Football” coincides with this year’s FIFA Women’s World Cup.
Meeting the community
DeepMind: One of the world’s best-known AI companies, founded in 2010 and acquired by Google in 2014.
Pavegen: Founded in 2009, Pavegen converts footsteps into energy. The hope is that the company’s smart flooring will power street lighting in the future.
Automata: Makes robotic arms for production line automation. The company aims to democratise and accelerate automation by making robots more affordable
Brainpool: Connects industry with AI researchers to apply machine learning solutions in business.
Dazzle: Travel start-up that has developed a social messaging platform for rail, bus, metro and airlines enabling passengers to plan, book and manage digital tickets via voice and text channels.
BenevolentAI: Applies AI to medical research, such as drug discovery, and has developed a platform where scientists can access medical data and research in order to develop new ways to personalise medicine for patients.
StateZero Labs: Start-up incubator specifically for blockchain start-ups.
Toyota Connected: European start-up office for connected mobility services. Toyota Connected uses data science and predictive intelligence to improve mobility around Europe.
Local Globe: Father-and-son team Robin and Saul Klein have been investing together for more than 15 years and set up Local Globe in 2015, an early-stage investment firm favouring a collaborative and inclusive approach to investment decision-making.
Weengs: Smart logistics service that simplifies how to get online orders to customers.
MUSO: Anti-piracy company collecting data from over 196 countries, monitoring billions of piracy pages for downloads of music, film, TV and software and working with entertainment companies to catch pirates.
InMotion Ventures: Venture capital firm that invests in the transportation, mobility and travel sectors. Supported by Jaguar Land Rover, InMotion’s investments include car and ride sharing service services and autonomous vehicles.
Previse: Pioneer of algorithm-driven invoice payment decisions, helping suppliers to get paid instantly.
Please note: a minimum of five meetings is arranged from within this pool, with no claim to any specific company being part of the programme. This list might be updated.
FACTS & FIGURES
Cost: GBP 999
Early bird booking until 31 May: GBP 899
Terms of payment: £650 invoiced upon booking, remainder by tour start
To book and for further details, please email barbara@bconnects.net.
Places are limited to 15
Flights/travel to destination and accommodation are not included, hotel suggestions to be provided on request
Disclaimer: The organiser, B Connects. Barbara Geier Content Services (www.bconnects.net), reserves the right to cancel the tour in case of insufficient participant numbers or exceptional circumstances (force majeure). Full refund cannot be guaranteed.