Threat Monitoring
Vulnerability Scanning
Web Application Firewall
Escrow
Edition 3, October 2016
HOW TECH STRUCK
GOLD AT RIO 2016
LEED
S A
N
D
N
EW
C
A
ST
LE R
O
U
N
D
TA
B
LES / T
EC
H
IN
T
H
E N
O
RT
H
ER
N
PO
W
ER
H
O
U
SE / V
O
O
X
N
ET-A
-PO
RT
ER
/ A
I / C
R
EAT
IN
G
A
U
N
IC
O
R
N
/ B
IG
D
ATA
C
O
N
FER
EN
C
E / T
EC
H
IN
T
R
AV
EL
FINDFACE
RISE OF FACIAL
RECOGNITION
p5
STEVE
BARTLETT
REACTION TO
SOCIAL CHAIN
p14
BREXIT
WHAT NOW FOR
UK TECH?
p39
SU
E B
LA
C
K
/ IA
IN
H
EN
N
ESSEY
/ TO
M
G
ILLIS / T
EC
H
D
ISR
U
PT
ERS / R
IC
H
A
R
D
G
R
EG
O
RY
/ LA
N
C
A
SH
IR
E R
EG
IO
N
A
L R
EV
IEW
/ T
EC
H
IN
LEG
A
L SEC
TO
R
/ R
ETA
IL R
O
U
N
D
TA
B
LE / B
IG
D
ATA
CONTENT BUSINESSCLOUD OCTOBER 2016
BUSINESSCLOUD.CO.UK
03 Editor’s comment
Chris Maguire on losing his Uber virginity
05 Inside tech
Do you know how facial recognition technology is being used?
What is its potential in the future?
08 Tech at the Olympics
How Team GB used technology to produce its best performance
at a Games since 1908
14 Big interview
Meet Steve Bartlett, the man behind flying influencer marketing agency
the Social Chain
18 Restaurants
How the nation’s eateries are innovating to give customers unique experiences
22 Women in tech
Sue Black MBE on her humble beginnings and empowering businesswomen
through technology
24 Comment
Tech Doctor Lawrence Jones on going into business with your other half
26 Health tech
Alder Hey surgeon and innovation director Iain Hennessey reveals
how he is creating a digital hospital
14
22 26
50
CONTACT US
Editor Chris Maguire: 0161 215 7144; chris.maguire@businesscloud.co.uk; @editor_maguire | Deputy editor Jonathan Symcox: 0161 215 7143;
jonathan.symcox@businesscloud.co.uk; @jonathansymcox | Events: 0161 215 7142; andrea@businesscloud.co.uk |
Advertise in BusinessCloud: 0161 215 3877; sponsor@businesscloud.co.uk | Subscriptions: subscriptions@businesscloud.co.uk |
Contributors: Jenny Brookfield, Ged Henderson, Katherine Lofthouse, Lowri Williams | Designer: Erica Cheung
Website: www.businesscloud.co.uk Twitter: @BCloudUK Address: BusinessCloud, UKFast Campus, Birley Fields, Manchester M15 5QJ
30 Property
See the high-tech living quarters of the
modern-day graduate
32 Comment
Gavin Wheeldon – alias Gadget Gavin – on Oculus Rift,
PlayStation VR and the virtual reality revolution
34 Silicon Valley
Bracket CEO Tom Gillis takes us inside the world’s premier
tech hub in California
39 Politics
What does Britain’s decision to leave the European Union
mean for the tech sector – and which countries
are tempting firms away?
44 Meet the disrupters
The next generation of companies seeking to drive
a coach and horses through their sectors
48 Tech North
Meet Richard Gregory, the new man at the helm of the
cheerleader for Northern tech
50 Hotels
From robot concierges to smart walls, these are the
world’s techiest hotels
54 Start-ups
Roundwaves founder Amman Ahmed on why he decided
to wind down his previous music business Rormix
56 Regional review
Can Lancashire overcome its geographical challenges to
rival its neighbours in the tech community?
60 Comment
GP Bullhound director Nick Horrocks looks at the growing
role of tech in cars
63 Legal roundtable
BusinessCloud and Converge Technology Specialists
brought together legal experts to find out how they are
using tech
66 Retail roundtable
BusinessCloud joined forces with digital agency Space 48
to discover how people’s buying habits have changed
71 Big Data roundtable
BusinessCloud and law firm Weightmans hosted a
discussion on the future importance of data to business
75 Social media
What does the story of Boaty McBoatface tell us about
the potential impact social media can have on a business?
The story goes on….
...help us write the next pag
e
EDITOR’S INTRODUCTION
It’s official. Since the last edition of BusinessCloud, I’ve lost
my Uber virginity and I don’t know how I lived without the
taxi firm for so long.
More about that later but in the last few months I’ve used Just
Eat for the first time to deliver takeaway food straight to my
home and today someone has recommended Waze, which is the
world’s largest community-based traffic and navigation app.
If a 44-year-old technophobe like me is embracing technology
then something amazing is happening - and that’s the point.
Uber, Just Eat and Waze are great examples of how technology
has come up with easy and quick solutions to long-standing
problems that we’ve all moaned about. What’s not to like? As a
consequence, using these types of technology becomes second
nature.
Take the example of Uber. BusinessCloud is based on the very
edge of Manchester city centre. A lot my meetings are in and
around Spinningfields. To walk there takes 25 minutes and to
drive involves dodging roadworks and paying a fortune in parking
charges. Calling a private hire company is a faff. Travis Kalanick
and Garrett Camp recognised this problem was being replicated
all over the world and founded Uber in 2009. Today it has a
valuation of $66bn.
I downloaded the Uber app, set up an account and gave it a go.
I typed in my pick-up and destination details then requested an
Uber. Six minutes later (Editor’s note: That’s six minutes!) the
vehicle pulled up. I knew the name of my driver, what he looked
like and the registration plate before it arrived. The fare was
£3.20 and was debited from my account so no money changed
hands. I was then sent a feedback form about the driver. It was so
simple and quick even I got it. Now I can’t get enough of Uber.
The third edition of BusinessCloud is full of examples of how
technology makes our lives easier and more efficient. Our cover
story is a special report on the difference tech made to the
victorious Team GB team at the Rio Olympics (p8).
One of my favourite stories in the magazine is also one of the
scariest. Jenny Brookfield spoke to Artem Kuharenko, founder
and chief executive of an app called FindFace (p5). I have a
problem remembering the names of everyone I meet and this
might be the solution. FindFace works by scanning users on
Russian social network Vkontakte and comparing it with a
photo the user uploads. The app is currently about 70 per cent
accurate but the implications are enormous and it can’t be
long before it’s available here.
Social media is a massive part of our lives and it’s only
going to get bigger. Entrepreneur Steve Bartlett recognised
that a few years ago and made a living out of it by launching
marketing agency the Social Chain (p14). Bartlett is an
interesting character. Image is important to him both
personally and for his business.
However, great technology will only get you so far. Your
business can have all the bells and whistles going but the
foundation has to be great customer service and products.
Rarely have I met anyone more inspirational than Iain
Hennessey (p26). He’s a paediatric surgeon and director
of innovation at Alder Hey children’s hospital in Liverpool.
He wants to provide the best service to his patients and
recognises that technology can make this happen.
Hennessey is one of those people that the Government
needs to listen to. It’s crazy that the software he has to
manage his music collection is better than the software
available to manage his patients. Why do we spend billions of
pounds on patient care but send them appointments in the
post? It has to change.
It’s one of the reasons why BusinessCloud is holding
a conference on technology in the healthcare sector on
November 23. Check out our website or Eventbrite for details.
It’s one of a number of events we’re organising.
These are exciting times.
Chris Maguire, editor
BusinessCloud
0161 2157144 editor_maguire chris.maguire@businesscloud.co.uk
3
LOSING MY VIRGINITY
@BCloudUK
/businesscloudmedia
businesscloud.co.uk
BusinessCloud Media
BusinessCloud
DISCUSSION CONTACTS
BUSINESSCLOUD EDITION 3, OCTOBER 2016
5
@BCLOUDUK
INSIDE TECH
Facing facts
Facial recognition technology is used all around us – we perhaps just don’t realise it.
Jenny Brookfield talks to the makers of an app which is proving a huge success in Russia
and looks at uses of the technology closer to home.
It’s the app that’s
taken Russia by
storm – and prompted
concerns over privacy.
Upload a photograph
of someone’s face
and FindFace will search billions of
photographs in less than a second
to try to find that person on social
media.
Launched earlier this year, the app
scans users on Russian social network
Vkontakte to find the exact person, or
those who look similar, based on the
picture. One million users have already
enlisted FindFace to track down people
they know or – as some have suggested
– attempt to find a stranger they’ve
snapped on the street.
Founder and chief executive Artem
Kuharenko, speaking to BusinessCloud
from Moscow, says his business
NTechLab has also received letters
from police forces that have
reopened cold cases and used the
app with photos of suspects they
had on file.
TV stardom
“In Russia it has become very widely
used and people have been really
keen on the project,” he says. “We
also have a show in Russia called ‘Wait
for me’ where relatives are looking for
lost family members, and FindFace is
now used in that show.”
But how does it work?
The app takes measurements from
unchanging facial features such as
eye shape and size, and lip
shape, discounting those features that
can change due to age, facial expression
or when that person is wearing glasses.
The algorithm recognises faces in
a more sophisticated way, picking up
many more subtle features that are
not perceptible to the human brain and
creating an index of numbers for the
face. This is then compared to faces in
the system which have already been
measured. A list of potential matches is
then brought up.
While privacy has been a concern for
some, Kuharenko says users can opt to
hide their faces from the app. He is keen
to point out that the benefits of the
system far outweigh any concerns.
The app is 70 per cent accurate when
searching a data set of 250m photos –
and Kuharenko says this is just the start.
“FindFace is just a demonstration
of the technology, with the main
advantages being accuracy and
speed,” he says. “There are other
projects we are working on and we
see a lot of applications for security,
entertainment and banking.”
NTechLab is currently in talks
about integrating the technology into
security cameras around Moscow, as
well as other cities in Europe and the
US.
“After a crime you could search all the
state cameras to find that person, which
would make it really hard for the criminal
to be in the city,” he adds.
Entertain me
He sees uses in the entertainment
sector and it has already been used
in a Russian music festival where
photographers spent the
“We have a show in
Russia called ‘Wait
for me’ where relatives
are looking for lost
family members.
Find Face is now
used in that show.”
Artem Kuharenko
BUSINESSCLOUD EDITION 3, OCTOBER 2016
6
BUSINESSCLOUD.CO.UK
INSIDE TECH
day snapping guests.
“At the end of the day, anyone who
was there could upload a selfie onto
the system and it would bring up all the
photographs of them, rather than them
having to go through every photograph
that was taken,” Kuharenko adds.
Another potentially more creepy
application could be in the field of dating.
“Another entertainment use would
be dating, where someone could find
a potential girlfriend or boyfriend who
looked like their ex or a famous person,”
Kuharenko says.
He also suggests the tech could
be used as a way of authorising
transactions in a bank branch or while
using mobile banking. It could even be
used internally by businesses as a way of
accurately tracking time management.
Growth spurt
Founded last May, the company
launched FindFace seven months later
and has gone from three founders, who
built the core technology, to a workforce
of 20. There are plans to take on another
50 in the coming year.
“We have more than 400 clients who
want our solution, many who are coming
up with some interesting applications
for the technology on their own,”
Kuharenko says. “They’re saying ‘can
you do this with the technology?’ and
we’re saying ‘yes, we can’.
“We have the best accuracy and speed
of large data sets and we’re improving
our algorithms all the time so we can
build interesting projects. Our team is
growing so fast and it’s very interesting
and exciting – we’ve been very surprised
at how fast things are moving.”
Closer to home, Liverpool-based
Human Recognition Systems has
been using automated identification
technology since 2001. The challenge
at that time was to take it from being a
gadget to a tool, says founder and chief
executive Neil Norman.
Today its facial recognition
technology, MFlow, is used to track
passenger movements at Gatwick,
Heathrow, London City and Edinburgh
airports, as well as a number of
international ones.
Cameras are set up at key locations
around the airports – the flow routes –
and can track faces from a distance of
8ft to record how long people spend in
any area.
“If the cameras have tracked you
coming in from the car park, dropping
your bag off and then going though
security, we can then piece together
that journey and know how long it has
taken you to go through different flow
paths,” Norman says.
This could be of benefit to airlines, he
adds, if passengers miss their flights.
“Airports have obligations to the
airlines and get fined if people miss
“Someone could find
a potential girlfriend
or boyfriend who
looked like their ex
or a famous person.”
Artem Kuharenko
 Artem Kuharenko.
BUSINESSCLOUD EDITION 3, OCTOBER 2016
7
@BCLOUDUK
INSIDE TECH
flights, but if they
have data to say
it’s taking 27
minutes to get
through security
they can respond
by opening another
lane to get people
through.
“At Gatwick we can
process 40,000 passengers a day
and when you’re looking at numbers
like that it’s worth investing in the
technology.”
Privacy concerns
While this sort of tracking was once
performed using passengers’ mobile
signal, facial recognition has proven
much more accurate, Norman says, and
is used in most airports.
MFlow works in three stages:
acquisition of the image; normalisation,
which isolates the specific features that
need to be measured; and encoding,
turning those measurements into
a number to enable any face to be
searchable in a database.
Yet, Norman says, the technology
never reveals identities and merely uses
faces to map journeys and allow the
airport to function more smoothly. He
accepts there are some reservations
over privacy.
“The reason governments lean in the
way of facial recognition is that there’s
a rich database already in existence,
because most
citizens have
drivers’ licences
or passports,
whereas to
collect the data
for iris recognition
or fingerprinting
would be a major
exercise and expense,”
says Norman, whose business
also offers fingerprinting systems to
allow construction workers to access
building sites, which was used in the
building of London’s Olympic Park.
The technology means you can limit
who can use certain types of machinery
and access different areas, and allows
time tracking.
THE LYING GAME
“Governments lean
in the way of facial
recognition rather
than iris recognition
or fingerprinting
because there’s a rich
database already in
existence thanks to
drivers’ licences and
passports.” Neil Norman
University academics are using facial
technology to predict when a person is
telling a lie.
Silent Talker is a lie detector device
built by experts at Manchester
Metropolitan University that monitors
a person’s face when they are asked a
series of questions and then classifies
their behaviour.
Jim O’Shea, a senior
lecturer in computing,
maths and digital
technology, came up
with the device, which
looks at “fine grained
gestures” – those that
the human eye does not necessarily
detect.
During extensive research, the
system has learned by example to
identify behaviours that suggest
lying, O’Shea says, adding that it has
been 87 per cent accurate based on
sample groups. But he says it would be
impossible to list the exact gestures
people make when lying. “We tried
converting the learning to a rule-based
system but that would need thousands
of rules to explain what’s going on,” he
says. “It doesn’t look at smiles but at
the things that happen in between the
gestures – a change of gaze or an eye
moving from half open to fully open.”
The patented system began as a
research topic in 2000 and a limited
company was formed in March 2016
after O’Shea had identified the right
investors. He is about to start a
Horizon 2020-funded project to use
the system at border crossing points
in Europe.
“The potential applications
commercially are enormous,” he
adds. “There are big opportunities
in security, in war zones where there
is risk of green on blue attacks, at
airports or in schools to protect from
random shooters. I’ve also been asked
if we can do a system for traders in
the City to predict when somebody
is going rogue. People might have an
occasional interview with the system
and we’re train it to detect precursors
to this activity happening. The idea
is to intervene to stop these things
happening in the first place.”
In the field of facial recognition,
Norman says the technology is beginning
to plateau and he expects a shift to occur
in the future as people seek to evade it.
Filter apps like Snapchat and MSQRD use
facial recognition but where the current
trend is for people to put their lives on
social media, he thinks this will reverse.
“We’re going to see more processing
power for the technology with the
introduction of quantum computing and
AI meaning we can process reams of data
faster,” he says.
“But I also think that in the next five
years we’re going to see a massive flurry
of privacy control technology that will
help counter this growth of what are
quite simple ways of accessing the rich
material that is online.”
BUSINESSCLOUD EDITION 3, OCTOBER 2016
8
BUSINESSCLOUD.CO.UK
RIO 2016
TECHNOLOGY
Team GB returned from Rio 2016 with 27 golds,
23 silvers and 17 bronzes to fi nish second in
the overall medal table. From athletics to
equestrian, from gymnastics to hockey, from
diving to shooting, it was an unforgettable
Games but, as Ged Henderson reports, the big
diff erence was technology.
WINS GOLD
AT RIO 2016
It had been a close call.
British cycling legend
Jason Kenny stood on
the Olympic podium to
have a sixth gold medal
placed around his neck
with the strains of the national
anthem ringing out. But it could have
been so diff erent.
Kenny’s record-equalling gold – his
third of the Rio Games – came in the
keirin event. But if it had not been for
two members of Team GB’s backroom
technical staff he might well have been
disqualifi ed.
It appeared Kenny and another rider
had come close to illegally overtaking
the pace motorbike before it had left the
track. The race was stopped, the nation
held its breath.
That’s when two data performance
analysts from British Cycling – Will Forbes
and Dr Debs Sides – entered the picture.
From their vantage point in the gallery
at the Olympic velodrome they sent GB’s
head coach Iain Dyer video footage of
the incident. Beamed through the team’s
own internal WiFi system it was available
less than a minute after the gun was fi red
to stop the race.
Tension
As the tension mounted and millions of
TV viewers waited anxiously, Dyer was
able to show the race offi cials – who did
not have their own on side-on camera
to prove that the riders were over when
the pacemaker left the track - Team GB’s
footage.
Dyer said later: “I off ered our footage,
not really knowing how it looked. It was
a big call in hindsight, but we didn’t have
anything to lose.”
Fortunately for Kenny the offi cials were
willing to accept the help Dyer off ered.
The video showed it was too close to call,
no-one was disqualifi ed and the race was
re-run with all six riders.
Frustratingly that second attempt
was also aborted and Team GB’s video
evidence again came to the judges’ aid,
preventing the eviction of a German rider.
Finally, on the third attempt, the race
was completed, Kenny powered his way
 Medal winners: Mo Farah, the women’s hockey team, Victoria Thornley and Katherine Grainger, and Jessica Ennis-Hill.
11 JUNE 2018 EXHIBITION CENTRE LIVERPOOL, UK
BUSINESSCLOUD EDITION 3, OCTOBER 2016
9
@BCLOUDUK
RIO 2016
to victory – and the rest is now Olympic
history.
The eff orts of Forbes and Sides that
evening may have been the most high-
profi le example of technology helping
bring Brazilian gold back to Britain but it is
by no means the only one.
Olympic powerhouse
In sports from rowing to taekwondo,
a host of highly skilled and dedicated
backroom staff – “the team behind
the team” - have harnessed the latest
technology to help Britain’s athletes
deliver and to give them and their
coaches that competitive edge.
And how they delivered! Team GB
returned from Rio with 27 golds in total –
a haul of 67 medals altogether – the most
Great Britain has won at an Olympics
since 1908 and putting us ahead of China
in the fi nal medals table.
It’s all a far cry from 20 years ago when
the team returned from Atlanta with just
one gold medal between them.
The journey from Olympic no-hoper to
powerhouse began shortly afterwards. It
has been fuelled by hundreds of millions
of pounds of National Lottery cash. And
investment in technology has played a
major part.
Established in May 2002, The English
Institute of Sport (EIS) is a grant-funded
organisation that provides sport science
and medical support services to elite
athletes.
EIS experts help coaches and
performance directors to improve
the performance of their athletes by
delivering services which enable them to
optimise training programmes, maximise
performance in competition and boost
their health and wellbeing.
Glenn Hunter is EIS research and
innovation manager and has seen fi rst-
hand the work that has moved Team GB
up the medals table.
He says: “When I joined we were 36th in
the table, now we are second. Part of that
is UK Sport creating a culture where you
are expected to go out and win.
“We’re here to support and help the
athletes on their performance journey.
There is quite a machine behind the
scenes to help people win.
“The athletes and their coaches are
the important people, they do it all.
We provide the support. It’s also about
continual forward planning and trying to
get better.”
Hunter says: “The only really true
competitive advantage you have is to
learn faster than the opposition. We have
a whole range of projects based around
that idea.”
He has been involved in the
development of the Performance Data
Management System (PDMS), which
played an important role in the run-up to
Rio.
PDMS is available to all athletes,
coaches and EIS sport
scientists. It brings
together data from a
variety of sources.
This information-
led approach allows
athletes and coaches
to better manage and
understand health
and fi tness and reduce
the incidence and
impact of illness.
Data-driven
The intelligence gathered allows
coaches to monitor and adapt training
programmes and manage recovery in
a way that optimises their athletes’
availability to train and compete with
maximum eff ort - giving them the
best possible chance of achieving their
performance targets.
It includes monitoring and input from
the athletes themselves, insights and
reports based on medical records and
the use of the data to look at potential
future injury issues, their causes and the
probability of occurrence.
The PDMS app is also used to
communicate directly with athletes and
deliver advice and tips on a wide range of
recovery techniques.
Advice is sport specifi c and tailored
to refl ect the individual circumstances
of a sport or athlete and covers a range
of subjects - everything from meal
planning and nutritional advice, to tips for
minimising the impact of jet lag, or even
the best way to create a home ice bath.
PDMS has been used by
competitors in a range
of Olympic sports
from cycling and
gymnastics
to women’s
rugby,
canoeing and
hockey.
British
Cycling was one
of the fi rst sports
to use the PDMS
app to support its
athletes in their recovery
strategies and provide them
with specifi c, best practice information
to suit their individual requirements.
GB Hockey, whose women won gold in
Rio, also used the PDMS app as part of its
athlete monitoring.
EIS strength and conditioning
coach, Andy Hudson, head of physical
preparation for GB and England
Hockey, says: “PDMS has a user friendly
interface so it makes it easier to capture
information and then present it back
quickly in graphical reports that provide
a snapshot of athlete availability for
training and, longer term, enable us to
track and analyse the volume and intensity
of their work.
“We’re here to support
and help the athletes
on their performance
journey. There is quite
a machine behind the
scenes to help people
win.” Glenn Hunter
11 JUNE 2018 EXHIBITION CENTRE LIVERPOOL, UK
 Performance analysis is crucial.
BUSINESSCLOUD EDITION 3, OCTOBER 2016
10
BUSINESSCLOUD.CO.UK
RIO 2016
“Having all of the information available
and up-to-date in a single place makes it
much easier for the sport science team to
support the athletes as they are all working
from the same data.
“It means the strength and conditioning
coaches can use it to inform their work as
can the physiotherapists, physiologists,
doctors and other practitioners that are
also part of the multi-disciplinary team.”
Steve Ludlow is principal analyst at
analytics, business intelligence and data
management experts SAS UK, which has
worked closely with Britain’s successful
Olympic rowers.
He says: “Sport generally is making
more and more use of data and analytics.
We only got involved with British Rowing
and the GB Rowing Team in May 2014, so
rowing has already come a long way.
“All sports, including rowing, are
continually looking for diff erent ways they
can make those small marginal gains.
“We are looking at new areas, such as
biomechanics – all the forces and angles
of those forces that are operating on the
boat – to see how we can make each of the
strokes, by rowers and the crew as a whole,
more effi cient.”
He adds: “Data is never going to be the
complete answer, but making use of the
available data to extract insights can only
help the various experts within the
sport to make smarter decisions.”
The crowds may only just have
stopped cheering the eff orts
of Team GB’s Rio triumph but
attention has already turned to
the Tokyo Games in four years’
time.
Creating “what it takes to win”
models will continue to play an important
part in those preparations.
Hunter at EIS says: “We are already
looking at the Tokyo timeline, asking what
are the key things that might go wrong and
how do we mitigate against them.
“It’s about gathering intelligence to help
us make decisions, putting it all together
for the bigger picture.
“It’s a bit like working for MI6, gathering
intelligence, putting it on the table and
asking, ‘What does this mean? And, if it
means this, what should we do about it?’”
Some 6,000 miles from the sandy
stretches of Copacabana beach or the
Olympic stadium, a special sporting
team in Manchester played a key role
in helping Team GB athletes to golden
glory.
The EIS performance analysis hub, set
up in the state-of-the-art Manchester
Institute of Health and Performance
(MIHP), was linked directly with
the British School in Rio.
Experts based at both
sites recorded and
reviewed hundreds of
hours of footage of the
Olympic sporting events
as they took place.
The work of the central
performance analysis team
was sent immediately through to
the embedded analysts, coaches and
athletes in more than 17 Team GB
sports using the online video analysis
platform dartfi sh.tv.
It provided crucial information on the
performance of British competitors
and their opposition – helping make the
diff erence between winning Olympic
gold and missing out on the podium
altogether.
EIS head of performance
analysis Chris White
(pictured left) was based
at the British School, just
eight kilometres from
the Olympic Village and
Athletes’ Village in Barra de
Tijuca.
As well as the technology that
allowed the performance analysis team
to link with Manchester, it boasted top
training facilities, medical, physio and
operational areas.
White says: “Team GB in Rio was
the most supported that has ever
competed at an overseas Games, and
the performance analysts in Manchester
played a vital role in this as the team
behind the team.”
Cutting edge technology was used to
deliver targeted video analysis to teams
in the time frame they needed to make
a diff erence. The time
diff erence meant some
late nights for those back
in Manchester.
One of the main roles
for the team back in North
West England was to review Team GB’s
opposition – looking to identify all their
strengths and weaknesses.
White says: “High performance sport
within the UK has advanced signifi cantly
since the London 2012 Olympic Games in
its delivery of technical expertise to sport
and the performance analysis team based
in Manchester are at the forefront of this.”
He adds: “The job of the analysts
embedded within the teams at Rio and
working at pitch side or in the arena was
to provide simple, targeted and eff ective
video and digital feedback to coaches.
“Research shows coaches only recall 30
per cent of the action and incidents played
out on a pitch. We fi ll in the other 70 per
cent. Why would you guess when you can
know?”
White, who spent a decade working with
British Cycling and Team Sky, says: “It’s an
exciting job, every day is diff erent. You are
on the frontline, working with coaches and
athletes, genuinely having an impact and
adding value to their success.
“The athlete’s performance is what is
important. You are the team behind the
team, looking to support them in the best
possible way.
“It never stops, and that is our challenge.
You need to stay on the front foot with the
technology.”
PUTTING TEAM GB IN THE PICTURE
BUSINESSCLOUD EDITION 3, OCTOBER 2016
11
@BCLOUDUK
BAE Systems delivers some of the world’s
most advanced, technology-led defence,
aerospace and security programmes.
If there were medals for innovation and
engineering excellence it would be in the
running for gold.
While its high-fl ying Typhoon and
Lightning fi ghter plane programmes
make all the headlines, the company had
a crucial role as part of Team GB’s Rio
success.
BAE Systems is UK Sport’s offi cial
research and innovation partner. The
eight-year partnership has seen it apply
technology usually reserved for the
defence and security sector to help
the nation’s athletes improve their
performance.
This partnership approach has helped
more than 30 diff erent sports and 250
Olympic and Paralympic athletes since
2008.
Recent projects include an advanced
cycling ergometer used to measure the
power output of Britain’s all-conquering
Rio cyclists.
Its visualisation experts have also been
helping British athletes train by providing
360° and 3D simulations of course layouts
ahead of major competitions.
Digital headset technologies are being
used to integrate 3D video in new ways,
aimed at providing a real benefi t to a
wide variety of sports including sailing,
canoeing and triathlon – all Rio gold medal
winning sports.
The technology provides a playback
of 3D recorded material collated ahead
of competition, giving athletes a fully
immersive experience.
It allows them to feel familiar in the
environments they’ll be competing in as
well as understanding the undulations,
twists and turns of a course layout. Again
it is all about giving Britain’s elite sporting
performers an edge.
Simon Timson, director of performance
at UK Sport, says: “Familiarity and practice
in the competition environment, whether
real or virtual, breeds confi dence in
athletes.
“The advantages of virtual training
should not be underestimated in the
pursuit of excellence. This adaptation
of new technology allows us to digitally
bottle that experience for elite athletes
and help them perform at their best.”
Brendan Purcell, performance director
for British Triathlon, adds: “Having the
support of a major technology business
such as BAE Systems is exciting and opens
up new opportunities for us.
“We worked with them on this 3D video
imaging project as part of our intelligent
racing strategy, using content gathered at
the Rio Test Event last summer.”
Another team of engineering experts
at BAE Systems worked closely with the
British cycling team to develop the state-
of-the art advanced cycling ergometer to
measure the immense power output of its
elite performers.
It measures the work-rate and energy
expended by cyclists and according to
the BAE Systems experts is capable
of replicating the inertial forces of a
velodrome more accurately than any
other testing tool.
The important data collected includes
gas and blood analysis and enables testing
at high speeds to analyse the technique of
the cyclist.
In another of its sporting projects BAE
Systems applied some of the techniques
and principles used to develop fi ghter
jets and military tanks to help give the GB
Taekwondo team an edge.
Its team of engineers and scientists
helped the team to evaluate the electronic
scoring vest which is used in major
international competitions.
As a result the GB Taekwondo team
adjusted its training style to maximise the
methods needed to score.
The company has also worked on
a training simulator to enable GB’s
Taekwondo competitors to develop new
skills while signifi cantly reducing the risk of
injury through repetitive impact.
Henry White, BAE Systems’ UK Sport
Technology Partnership lead, says: “We
apply the same problem-solving principles
and ingenuity to challenges in sport as
we do to tackling complex defence and
security programmes.”
VISUALISING SUCCESS
“Virtual training should
not be underestimated
in the pursuit of
excellence. It allows us
to digitally bottle that
experience for elite
athletes.” Simon Timson
 Virtual training in action.
BUSINESSCLOUD EDITION 3, OCTOBER 2016
12
BUSINESSCLOUD.CO.UK
At 6ft 8ins Olympic rower Paul Bennett
(pictured above) was the tallest member
of Team GB’s victorious men’s eight crew
in Rio.
In an immense performance in the fi nal
Team GB led from start to fi nish to beat
their great rivals Germany.
The 27-year-old Oxford Blue, who has
a Masters in computer science, has seen
fi rst-hand how performance analytics and
the information it delivers can help elite
athletes in their pursuit of success.
Earlier this year London-born Bennett,
who is also a double world rowing
champion, was appointed as a part-time
intern at SAS (pictured right, below), the
analytics partner for British Rowing and the
GB Rowing Team.
He says: “Currently the main use of data
we have is through a system referred to
as ‘telemetry’. Essentially this is a sensor
system which we can fi x to boats to gather
data about the rowing stroke and the boat
speed.
“From this we draw conclusions about
how each of us is rowing, and whether we
are rowing together. It is essentially a form
of coaching by data.
“It has in the past been shown to be
useful for identifying areas in which we can
improve so we can be better prepared for
racing.”
He adds: “The key pieces of information
I use are predominantly my ergo scores. If
I am pumping out personal bests all year
then I think I am on to be winning medals
come the summer.
“When we are in crews we have fi xed
goals for boat speed during training pieces.
These speeds are based on the fastest
speeds that boats have ever done. We
aim to be beating those speeds when we
are practising at or close to maximum
intensity.”
Steve Ludlow, SAS UK and Ireland’s
principal analyst, says: “The GB Rowing
Team collects lots of diff erent data
on each of the rowers – strength and
conditioning data, on the water data,
physiological data such as blood lactate
levels, biomechanical data – as well as
other data types such as weather data.
“We analyse their data to fi nd insights
that aid decision-making. We can spot
anomalies in the data and look into why
they might exist, and we can look into
correlations between one set of data and
another.
“As well as better understanding of what
the data is telling us, it can help uncover
things we may have not previously known
about – the hidden gems or needles in the
haystack.
“All this ultimately helps the coaches
make better decisions so the boats go
faster. If we can fi nd a few marginal gains
here and there, that can make a
signifi cant diff erence.
“At the Olympics in Rio,
you will have noticed that
some of the races were
extremely close including
one, not involving the GB
Rowing Team, close to a
dead heat.”
He adds: “A key element
is the in-built analytical
capability – it’s predictive,
meaning it can be used to generate
insights into various future scenarios,
making it a key aid to better decision-
making.
“For example, it could reveal information
about a particular rower that is indicative
of a slight muscle strain that could lead
to a full-blown injury unless their training
schedule is adapted accordingly.”
A MASTER STROKE
There is also a psychological edge to
performance analytics. Bennett says:
“Knowing that you are going fast in training
and knowing that you are physically at your
fi ttest can do a lot to calm your nerves
before racing.”
He also sees performance analytics
continuing to develop in his and other
sports. “Currently it all feels very
rudimentary. There is a huge amount we
can do with the data we have.”
Britain’s rowers returned from Rio with
three gold medals – it’s a sport where
success is now demanded and expected.
With top British rowers training
multiple times a day, the amount of data
that a single athlete can produce can
be extensive. On top of that there is
the combined crew information to sift
through.
SAS has worked with British Rowing to
provide the tools to examine and interpret
all this information more quickly
and in-depth.
Mark Homer, GB
Rowing Team’s senior
sports scientist, says:
“Bringing together
that array of data,
combined with data
from competition, we
have a huge resource
to inform our training
and help to enhance athlete
performance. But the data is nothing
without the tools to analyse it.”
Data analytics is used to spot initial signs
of injury so training regimes can be tailored
accordingly, enabling rowers to miss fewer
sessions. Data modelling also provides
the knowledge that allows more informed
coaches and managers to make better
decisions.
BUSINESSCLOUD EDITION 3, OCTOBER 2016
13
@BCLOUDUK
RIO 2016
The mass celebration after Great Britain’s
women won a fi rst Olympic hockey gold
medal was one of the most enduring
images of Rio 2016.
The fi nal against defending champions
Netherlands fi nished 3-3 and Team GB
won a dramatic penalty shoot-out, with
Britain’s keeper Maddie Hinch – who keeps
a database of information on opposition
players – making a string of remarkable
saves.
The team was put on the road to Olympic
success by everyday technology used in car
sat-nav systems.
With eight games in just 13 days, high
fi tness levels were of critical importance,
but coaches were also keen to focus on the
technical and tactical aspects of the
sport in training – and also keep
an eye on how hard individual
players performed at certain
times.
GPS tracking technology
was introduced in 2009-10 to
monitor the training routines of
both male and female players.
If the data shows that a player hasn’t
covered enough ground, or completed
enough high intensity drills, these can be
incorporated into later sessions.
A coach might make a drill physically
harder by increasing the physical space
used, reducing recovery time or increasing
the number of reps.
The development of more individualised
programmes also recognises physiological
diff erences between players and whether
they are – or aren’t – responding to training.
Andy Hudson, head of physical
preparation for GB and England Hockey,
says the trackers are incorporated in vests
worn by players in training and
matches.
“It works in the same way
as the sat-nav in your car,
only the units are much
more sensitive. It can place
someone within a few
centimetres,” he says.
“We use it to analyse
performance, thought processes and
positional play.
“We use the data to answer questions
around the work done by individuals and
the collective.
“We look at individual player
performance and understand what their
training and playing footprint is.
“It’s also important for monitoring and
maintaining the levels of fi tness players
need to carry into the next game.”
SAT-NAV PUTS HOCKEY STARS ON RIGHT ROAD
 Andy Hudson delivers conditioning training.
BUSINESSCLOUD EDITION 3, OCTOBER 2016
14
BUSINESSCLOUD.CO.UK
With his trademark
black hat, tight-fi tting
black jumper, skinny
black jeans, perfectly
manicured facial hair
and massive watch,
image is clearly important to Steve
Bartlett.
The 24-year-old CEO of the Social Chain
says he chooses to wear black because
it limits the number of decisions he has
to make – and he has to make a lot of
decisions.
Bartlett is supremely confi dent but
insists it falls short of arrogance. “I don’t
think I’m arrogant,” he says. “I know what
arrogance would feel like if it was in me. I
really believe in myself.
“I’ve sucked at all of my businesses, in
diff erent ways. I’ve made loads of mistakes.
You’ve got to make mistakes to learn: a
good failure is worth much more than a
good success, in my mind.”
Bartlett was fashionably late for our
interview and, as befi ts a man who has
made a living through managing social
media, he knows the profi le he wants to
maintain.
A quick look through his Twitter
timeline reveals photos of him
catching planes to New York,
dining with clients in LA
and speaking to budding
entrepreneurs. However
he aims to paint a picture
of someone who doesn’t
give his clothing much
thought.
“Someone in the company sat
down with me recently and asked me what
they should be wearing – for their image –
and my opinion was ‘be true to yourself’,”
he says. “This is what I dress like on the
weekend. I’m not trying to be someone I’m
not. This is who I am.
“I’ve had people come for an interview in
a shirt and tie and an amazing suit on and I
think ‘what is it you’re trying to do with that
suit? Are you trying to tell me that you’re
smart, or intelligent?’ I’d much rather
someone rolled in with whatever
they wear on the weekend so I
can get to know the person,
without the wrap.”
If ever an offi ce refl ects
the vision of its leader then
the Social Chain is it. From
the surreal moment French
Bulldog Louie sauntered into
our meeting room to the offi ce’s
slide, sleep pods and fully stocked bar,
there seem to be no limits to Bartlett’s
imagination – which explains the success
It’s all
about
the
image
Marketing agency the Social Chain has achieved explosive growth, attracted multi-million
pound funding and generated headlines aplenty. Jonathan Symcox met co-founder and CEO
Steve Bartlett, who is shaking up the industry.
@BCLOUDUK
THE BIG INTERVIEW
he and his company
have achieved.
The ‘infl uencer’
business claims
to be able to
reach more than
300 million people
with its viral marketing
campaigns. Bartlett, who
promotes his company in part
through public speaking, expects it to turn
over £9 million in this fi nancial year.
Independent childhood
It’s all a far cry from his childhood, which
Bartlett says didn’t involve birthdays or
Christmases. “My parents had no money,”
he refl ects. “I’d be lucky to get a card. I
came to realise fairly quickly that if I was
going to have stuff in my life, it was going
to be down to me.
“I wanted to have a good life. I wanted
to have all the things that my friends had.
I wanted to create my own birthdays and
Christmases.”
Bartlett, one of four children, was born
in Botswana but raised in Plymouth. His
parents were hardworking, but hands-off .
“My parents would leave the house at
6am and not get back until 1am,” he says. “I
developed a real independence.
“I’d be pretty naïve if I didn’t think
that inadvertently they’re completely
responsible [for my success]. I was born a
blank canvas, right? If you have the parents
and childhood you’d always wished for, you
wouldn’t be the person you are today. I’m
very thankful.
“I realised I wanted to be an
entrepreneur when I was 12. The skills I
had were 100 per cent tailored to running a
business. At the age of 14 I started running
a website selling clothes from Japan to
the UK market after
witnessing this whole
Superdry trend. I
borrowed £140 off
my dad to pay for the
hosting and domain.
“Then eight years ago
[at age 16] I was throwing
these big parties in the South
West for under-18s. When I say big,
I mean for like 2,000 people. I’d always
throw a big one on my birthday and make
about 10 grand.”
At school the young Bartlett realised
his brain was wired up in a diff erent way to
other students. He arranged commercial
deals for the school – for example
persuading a coff ee company to pay for
the privilege of selling its products on the
site – which made it tens of thousands of
pounds a month.
He says his money-making exploits
earned him the nickname of the ‘Harry
Potter under the stairs’ from his grateful
headteacher.
“I stopped going to school. I never did
my homework,” he says with no obvious
regret. “I didn’t even attempt to do it. And I
didn’t really apologise for it either. I was just
too preoccupied with other things.”
His fi rst serious internet business,
Wallpark, was a virtual noticeboard for
students in the same city to connect in any
number of ways, from selling textbooks
to arranging social events. He exited in
December 2013 after four years, having
founded the fi rm at age 18.
Chain reaction
At Wallpark he met the Social Chain co-
founder Dom McGregor (pictured with
Bartlett, left), who ran a ‘Student Problems’
Twitter page in his free time.
Realising the enormous potential reach
of social media, upon leaving Wallpark
the pair began to seek out the authors
behind other irreverent millennial
blogs with mass followings.
After a year of travelling and
consultancy work – at one point
Bartlett found himself advising Bebo
in San Francisco after sending a
witty email about chatting up girls
to founder Michael Birch – they took
£300,000 investment from NVC, a
talent management fi rm, to found the
Social Chain in London.
The team runs hundreds of social media
pages across Twitter, Facebook, YouTube,
Instagram and other channels. Among its
Twitter accounts are @BeFitMotivation –
which has 1.67 million followers –
@BritishLogic and @PrimarySklProbs.
The fi rm has run campaigns for global
brands such as Twentieth Century Fox,
Universal, MTV, Spotify, Microsoft,
the UFC, Huawei and PUMA. It can get
hashtags trending within minutes.
The Social Chain staff , which have an
average age of 21, will pick a trend that
they know their audience will engage
with and contribute to. They then push
the message, which is tailored to each
individual account, out from many of their
pages at the same time.
Trending
The company only launched in November
2014 but has already opened offi ces in
Berlin and New York. It retains a presence
in London, having moved
“I don’t think I’m
arrogant. I know
what arrogance
would feel like if it
was in me. I really
believe in myself.
BUSINESSCLOUD EDITION 3, OCTOBER 2016
16
BUSINESSCLOUD.CO.UK
THE BIG INTERVIEW
its headquarters to Manchester.
Its first success was with mobile puzzle
game Tippy Tap, which achieved two
million downloads and was number one
in the UK Apple App Store for two weeks
after the Social Chain helped it become the
trending number one topic worldwide.
“Dom and I are like two pieces of a jigsaw
puzzle,” he says of McGregor. “There are
no gaps. We’re very complementary. Social
Chain has changed him: when I met him he
was so thankful for the opportunity, super
nice – too nice, almost – and now he’s a
little more worn. Like a stone in a river, you
come out a little bit different, a little more
rounded off and hard.
“I’m way different too – you’ve got to be.
I’m a lot harder than I was, but in other ways
I’m a lot softer.”
The company recently appointed a
head of happiness. “People are your most
valuable asset,” explains Bartlett. “You
invest in cleaning the office and keeping
your finances in order, so you should invest
in keeping your people happy.”
NVC has to date invested more than
$2m – for no equity – in Social Chain,
such is its confidence in the ability of
Bartlett and the team to control the online
conversation – regardless of how the social
media landscape alters.
“It can get as big as we want to make
it. It can be a billion-pound company,”
says Bartlett. “You have to constantly
disrupt yourself to succeed. Whatever
is making you money today probably
won’t be making you money in 10 years.
It probably won’t be making you money in
five years. It probably won’t be making you
as much money next year. There might
be 25 people behind you ready to
take little pieces of that money
away. Either a younger,
more agile and hungry
person will disrupt that
model, or you can do it
yourself.
“Social media
changes all the time but
when one door shuts, it
shuts for everybody – and
another one opens. People
who were relying on that platform
have no answers. They need someone to
solve it for them – which is us. We ride that
change.”
Does that make him alert, or paranoid?
“Both.”
Criticism
The Social Chain has been accused of
plagiarism and openly admits to reusing
content from Twitter, Tumblr and Reddit.
However Bartlett says that it’s a two-way
street. “Any publisher which puts out
thousands of pieces of content every
single day runs the risk of one of those
images or sentences they’ve used having
been used by someone else,” he contends.
“There’s a very fine line between
curation and plagiarism. Some of our
pages curate images so they’ll find images
online, post them and tag the person who
made the images. We’re probably the
biggest victim of plagiarism.”
Social Chain also attracted negative
headlines recently when it was ordered by
the Competition and Markets Authority
to stop its practice of promoting films,
games, takeaway and dating apps through
celebrities’ social media accounts without
declaring that the content was paid-for
advertising.
The CMA wrote to 43 unnamed
celebrities and 15 businesses to “warn
them that arranging or publishing
advertising that is not clearly labelled
may result in them breaching consumer
protection law”.
“When we started the Social Chain,
we weren’t aware of the rules regarding
advertising. Four of us were university
dropouts and the other was planning to
become a primary school teacher. We
didn’t have anyone from advertising in our
company,” says Bartlett.
“Social media is a
new thing and the
Advertising Standards
Authority regulations
hadn’t been adapted
to it a couple of years
ago.
“There were no
guidelines about how
to make it transparent.
We didn’t know that you
had to write #ad in a post.
“The ASA contacting us in March 2015
was the first moment we were made
aware – then we didn’t hear anything back
until the piece came out.”
However the bad publicity hasn’t dented
his confidence. “Social Chain is going to
get closer and closer to excellence and
being perfect at what we do,” he says.
“We’ll never get there, but we’ll get
closer. We want to make sure that Social
Chain is synonymous with social media.
“We want to go into a number of
different markets: Australia is a big one
for us. And we want to continue to be
disruptive and bold.”
“There’s a very fine line
between curation and
plagiarism. We tag the
person who made the
images. We’re probably
the biggest victim of
plagiarism.”
BUSINESSCLOUD EDITION 3, OCTOBER 2016
17
@BCLOUDUK
READER COLUMN
Like a Fish out of water
Monday
Day one of my smartphone
experiment. I’ve checked
Facebook and LinkedIn four
times and done the same
with my emails. I’m in the car with my
better half Tom and friend Danny. There’s
not much of a conversation.
By midday I’ve interviewed two
candidates and been run off my feet with
calls. Over lunch, I sit with my work mate
and we’ve both been Facebooking and
texting most of the hour. I’m out on the
road in the afternoon but check my phone
every time I stop to meet with a candidate
or client.
At home, Tom and I hunt through
Facebook while we cook tea: videos of
jumping dogs, friends’ posts, news articles.
It dawns on me that we haven’t spoken
more than two words to each other.
Tuesday
There isn’t much conversation in the car
again this morning.
At 1pm I stop for something to eat and
speak to candidates, text other candidates
and check LinkedIn - all at the same
time.  Has technology enabled me to
multi-task better than in the days before
smartphones?
Tonight I have candidate interviews over
in Bolton. I use my smartphone on the way:
Waze is the world's largest community-
based navigation app and I don’t know
what I’d do without it.
I get home at 7pm and Tom is already
cooking tea. I sit on the sofa and watch
some Judge Judy. I’m playing on my phone
for a good 20 minutes when I realise I
haven’t paid attention to the programme
I’m watching and have to rewind it, not
once, but twice. Tom and I sit down to have
tea and I get aggravated that he’s playing
on his phone and not talking to me.
Wednesday
I try to start a conversation this morning
but Tom is concentrating on the road
and Danny is on Facebook playing music
videos. I’m already making a conscious
eff ort to reduce my phone usage.
I’m out and about with clients in
Liverpool. It’s a very exciting outcome and
I can’t wait to update my Facebook status:
‘Rachael Fish is feeling happy – what a great
meeting. I’m learning so much.. woo hoo!’
I try to start a conversation in the
evening. We spend so much time sharing
pictures and videos while sat on the same
sofa, grunting yes or no in the right places.
He has told me I don’t listen. Is it because
I’m too busy reading Facebook posts?
Thursday
A later start as I have a couple of meetings
in Blackburn and Bury with candidates.
The fi rst thing I do when I wake up is check
my messages, WhatsApps and Facebook
followed by my bank account (to see what
I can play with at the weekend). How has
this happened to me? For eight years on
ships, I didn’t have the ability to use my
phone whilst we were at sea: the internet
was a privilege when we went ashore. In
the four years since, my phone seems to
have become glued to my hand.
I resolve to make a concerted eff ort to
not use my phone unless necessarybut
by 1pm I’ve already checked my Facebook
countless times.
Will Rachael be able to live without her
smartphone? Find out in the next edition
of BusinessCloud.
Rachael Fish is a senior recruitment consultant at Badenoch & Clark in Manchester. A fully paid-up
member of the smartphone generation, BusinessCloud challenged Rachael to keep a diary of her
handset usage for a few days then live without it for a week. The results may astound you.
BUSINESSCLOUD EDITION 3, OCTOBER 2016
18
BUSINESSCLOUD.CO.UK
RESTAURANT TECH
With an overhead
projection system and
interactive touch panel
table, visitors to inamo
could be forgiven
for thinking they’ve
walked into a spaceship rather than
an exclusive restaurant.
Restaurant technology has come a
long way in a short space of time and
inamo has been at the front of the tech
queue.
Co-founders Noel Hunwick (pictured
right) and Daniel Potter met while at
Oxford University and were reportedly
so fed up at the tardy service it took to
order some beer that they came up with
the idea for the E-Table.
The patented technology was then
brought to diners through their pan-
Asian fusion restaurant inamo, which
they opened in London’s Soho in August
2008. They have opened a second
Putting
tech on
the menu
From interactive tables to smartphone charging, restaurants are adopting technology at a rapid pace.
Katherine Lofthouse reports on the innovations taking place in the nation’s eateries.
restaurant in London and will launch a
third venue in Camden this November.
“I think the hospitality industry has
been relatively slow to adopt new tech,”
says Hunwick. “For many years it was
tricky as no one else was really doing
what we’re doing, so we had to look
outside our industry.”
The team turned to the tech sector,
exhibiting at consumer tech show CES in
Las Vegas for inspiration. A decade
later the team has split the two
sides of the business in order to
better focus on both.
Inamo now off ers the tech
we have come to expect at
restaurants – online booking,
contactless payments, online
reviews – as well as a more high-
tech, interactive dining experience that
led it to be described as “possibly the
best fi rst date spot in London” by one
leading dating site.
The tech varies slightly between the
diff erent locations but each incorporates
variations of an overhead projection
system, touch panels and a track pad
built into the table; with these you can do
everything from playing Battleships to
changing the colour of the table cloth and
placing your order.
This might sound tech-heavy but
the team wanted to make sure the
customer experience wasn’t too
‘computery’ or intrusive.
BUSINESSCLOUD EDITION 3, OCTOBER 2016
19
@BCLOUDUK
RESTAURANT TECH
“We see it as something which adds
to the experience rather than being
dehumanising,” explains Hunwick. “It’s a
talking point as well as being something
that adds significant functional value,
and also helps the waiter.
“It’s still vital to have an engaged
friendly team on the floor as well, though
it’s important for them to adapt to a
different type of service than they may
have delivered in other restaurants; but
from the kitchen’s point of view not a
great deal changes.”
As tech continues to innovate, the
team’s plans for the future will too.
“We’re developing a music application
to tell you what’s playing and what’s
on next which might develop into a
jukebox,” says Hunwick. “We also
recently introduced the opportunity
to choose different backgrounds – for
example blackboard or brick wall – so
you can graffiti on the table. We’re also
looking at monthly magic nights and
ways of integrating some elements of
magic into (the) table, which I’ll keep a bit
schtum about, but will be fun.
“We don’t see ourselves as looking to
push out the other types of restaurant –
I like going to fine dining restaurants or
street food places too. It’s just a gradual
shift in adoption of tech in different
forms.
“It’s quite funny now – lots of people
said ‘tech in a social space? We’re not
sure about that!’ Now that’s radically
changed.”
‘Smart-card’
Tanja Scheffel is marketing and
operations advisor for Italian restaurant
chain Vapiano. The restaurants centre
around stations where you can pick
your food, watch the chef cook it and
customise it to your taste.
At each station customers touch a
Vapiano ‘smart-card’, which they are
handed on entry; it logs their choices
and they then use it to pay at the end.
The system means you can pay together
or separately, so don’t have to worry
about figuring out the bill.
Scheffel feels that having a few key
pieces of tech is better than using more
for the sake of it.
“We are actually happy with the tech
we have,” says Scheffel. “There might
be some add-ons coming though; for
example, in London one of restaurants
is trialling a smartphone charging
system which is installed in the
tables. If it goes well it will
be rolled out worldwide.
We are happy to have
one trial here in London
then to focus on the
card-based ordering
systems.
“We try to see what
makes it more enjoyable for
guests. The world is getting
more tech, and it seems like more
and more people are addicted to their
smartphones, so this was one project
that came from the department.”
The company’s ‘special projects’
department, based in its head office in
Germany, is responsible for deciding
which tech they try.
“We mainly get suggestions from
Germany but obviously the UK, and
especially London, is a bit of a different
market to the German one – it’s more
dynamic and modern – so we always give
feedback back to Germany and from
there they use that feedback to develop
projects for the rest of the world.”
Are they worried about getting
overtaken by tech-focused restaurants
like inamo? Not as long as they focus on
what works for them, and do it well.
“I would say we still should focus on
the core things that we’re doing great –
good, fresh food cooked in front of you,”
says Scheffel. “I personally would say
that it might get a bit too complicated
for guests if you have too much tech in
your restaurant.”
“It might get a bit
too complicated for
guests if you have
too much tech in your
restaurant.” Tanja Scheffel
BUSINESSCLOUD EDITION 3, OCTOBER 2016
20
BUSINESSCLOUD.CO.UK
RESTAURANT TECH
Restaurant Tech Live
This idea of fi guring out which tech is
right for your restaurant is one of the
key aims of Restaurant Tech Live, a
London-based exhibition that takes
place at the end of September. Laura
San Segundo (pictured right, top) is the
marketing manager for the show, and
wants to educate the restaurateurs of
Europe.
“If you’re not up-to-date you’ll
become old in the industry,” she says.
“No one wants to be old – you want to
be up-to-date and at the top of the
pyramid.
“We know this industry is growing a lot
and tech is becoming part of our lives in
everything we do. At this event we want
everything restaurants can think of, and
some things they haven’t yet thought of,
under the same roof.”
Having an awareness of tech is
important for any restaurant, says San
Segundo, and there will be some key
things that any business can use – if they
make the most of it.
“Not everyone will use the same tech
but to help people to talk about you, for
example, you need social media. You can
do it yourself by being on the computer
or you can buy a programme that will do
it for you for a bit of money, but you will
then have a lot of people talking about
you and coming through your doors.”
Slow to adapt
The show was originally part of the
Takeaway and Restaurant Innovation
expo, which is in its fourth year.
San Segundo says that now tech in
restaurants deserves its own; the
problem is getting the rest of the
industry to realise that.
“They’re worried it’s expensive
so they’re slow to adopt tech,” she
explains. She suggests making small
changes within your budget such as
a new payment system, or looking to
start-ups to fi nd new, inexpensive ideas
to innovate with.
“For example, contactless payment
is something simple which