Attending the LTW2023 in London
The period we attended was mainly for start-ups, while major companies exhibited from the 14th to the 16th. The weather in London at this time of the year is often bad and rainy, but it was sunny every day as if to welcome us.
About the event itself
The slogan for this year's London Tech Week was "Shape the Future": unite global tech to drive sustainable innovation. This slogan fits our product, Kafkai, so it is no exaggeration to say that being a part of this occasion will also shape our future.
Description and structure of the event
The event took place at the Queen Elizabeth Center II. It is located about a five-minute walk from Westminster or St. James's Park station on the District or Circle subway lines. It is truly the heart of London and Westminster.
Over the three days, there were six to ten lectures and discussions on each of the seven floors. Inspiring founders, top business leaders, policymakers, and investors were invited to discuss the technologies that will transform the future and create new opportunities and interactions. The following is a partial list of the titles of the discussions that resulted in exchanges.
- Unique insights from those leading the future of AI
- The Power of Technology to Transform the Future
- Generative AI - Opportunity or Risk?
- Global Healthcare; Benefits and Opportunities of Entering the UK Healthcare Market
- From Fertility to Menopause - the role of Business in Women's Health
- Mental and Physical Care to Prevent Burnout
- Winning Culture and Building High-Performing Teams
- Mental Health in the Workplace
- How AI is changing, accelerating, and transforming the creative industries
- Cultivating Culture - People and Technology
And more...
Titles focused not only on technology, but also on people, women, health, and the workplace. Talking about health and women at the world's largest tech festival suggests that such points are attracting attention around the world.
Other than exhibiting Kafkai, we also had the opportunity to listen in to some of the sessions that were part of London Tech Week. Of note were two panel discussions that Iqbal, our CEO managed to attend:
- Panel Discussion: The Importance of Curiosity, Persistency, and Resilience
- Panel Discussion: Future of Creative Work: How AI is Changing, Accelerating & Upending Creative Industries
The panel discussion about the importance of curiosity, persistence, and resilience had a panel of three women entrepreneurs and business leaders talk about their experiences and how these three traits impact their business and personal growth. One example given was how Kodak, was once a giant in its industry but was in the end obliviated because it failed to be curious about the new technology of digital cameras. The second-panel discussion about the future of creative work revolved mostly around how generative AI is changing how we create. A big portion of the discussion was around the legal aspects of the rights of what is created by AI. The panel conclusion was that at this point, we don’t have a conclusion.
Why did you decide to participate?
Kafkai is a product that is currently being used by our customers from all over the world. We wanted to promote Kafkai to more people in Europe, and the London Tech Week, being a premier event where decision-makers converge, was a great opportunity for us to do that. With AI being one of the main topics for this year’s London Tech Week, it was the right time to be there.
How did we prepare?
For the local participants, we prepared for booth rental, monitor rental, booth decoration, etc. For the Japanese participants, we mainly prepared for the grant from the Startups Overseas Support Program. This time, we were in London, so it was difficult to coordinate with the local staff due to the time difference, and the preparation for the grant application was very complicated and labor-intensive.
For example, advertising costs. We launched an ad for London Tech Week on Google Ads. On the day of the event, we needed to keep evidence of the ads when they were being launched in Japan, as the ads themselves were running on non-Japanese Internet connections, which might be difficult to do using an IP switcher. The idea was to leave screenshots of the ad settings and reports of the ads being run and to submit a Japanese translation for the appeal points there. Another point that was mentioned in the manual of the Tokyo Metropolitan Small and Medium Enterprise Promotion Agency was the need to prepare a floor map, guidebook, and speaker information for the day in paper form. For this year's London Tech Week, the organizer intended to do away with paper and put everything on an app. We also confirmed with the organizer that "if there are electronic media such as web pages for venue maps, guidebooks, etc., we would like to use them. If there are electronic venue maps, guidebooks, etc., such as web pages, be prepared to save and submit a screenshot of those pages. In this case, save screenshots of all pages, their URLs, and the date taken. ".
Since the information is too vast for screenshots, the URLs must be prepared, as well as the above photos taken on the day of the event. The important thing here is to take as many photos as possible. There is no better way to have enough evidence.
What kind of questions we received
About 300 visitors came to our booth over the three days! This is the highest number we have ever had. All of the visitors to our booth were very active and enthusiastic, many of them were interested in Kafkai and shared our focus on "Do Better With Text". We were very pleased with the response.They listened attentively to our explanation.
- What is the difference from Chat GTP?
- How much is it?
- Is it unique? What if I want an article on a more specific theme?
- What kind of people use it?
- Can you prove it was written by AI?
- Will there be more languages and more niches?
- Is it based in London?
We were very happy that they were trying to connect with us by asking us questions not only about the product but also about other things besides the product.
Conclusion
Through this event, we were able to experience firsthand that our products born in Japan have caught the attention of people around the world, and that there is considerable interest and demand for our products. Finally, the Covid-19 Disaster has come to an end and we are back to our normal routine. We hope to continue to actively participate in events like this, meet positive and passionate people, and spread what we can do around the world. We would like to thank the organizers for inviting us to this event, the people involved in the exhibition, the customers who stopped by our booth, the chefs who made the delicious falafel bowls, and the baristas who made the delicious lattes. We look forward to building a new future with you.
