Sam Southon, Sales and Marketing Manager

This Summer has seen the return of live events following the Covid-19 pandemic and I for one am thrilled! Having worked in the industry for several years, I think nothing beats the buzz of attending an in-person event. On July 8th, myself and some other members of the Identity Marketing and Sales teams attended the Goodwood Festival of Speed, one of the largest automotive events in the UK. Among the stands and numerous immersive experiences that were on display at the event, I have chosen my five favourites to share.

Electric Avenue
Electric Avenue – the Road to 2030, presented by Sky Zero provided a space to showcase the latest electric vehicles and the innovative tech behind them. This was housed in a fully immersive stand, gleaming with connecting LED tubing which demonstrated the continued transfer of electricity and simplicity of charging these stunning vehicles ready to hit the road. For me, seeing the ever-impressive Polestar 2 was a highlight. In my opinion, this vehicle is the epitome of how automotive, blends with technology, innovation and stunning creative. A true reflection on how the automotive world is moving and wow – what an exciting future we have ahead based on what I saw!

Virtual Lotus Centre Piece
Year-on-year, the central feature outside Goodwood House becomes more and more impressive. Some of the most iconic brands around the world have had the opportunity to be celebrated here with the creation of a super-sized statue which encompasses the main sightlines from around the site. This year, the magic was an absolute masterclass of behind-the-scenes immersive tech. At first glance, the statue could seem underwhelming in comparison to previous years, yet it was actually a virtual reality masterpiece that included flying cars!

PufferTouch2+
A constant favourite of mine when it comes to interactive tech. The PufferTouch2+ from Pufferfish was seen within the iconic Festival of Speed Future Lab, where you could catch a glimpse of what’s to come in the future of automotive and technology. The PufferTouch2+ is a fully touchscreen sphere which houses interactive content navigable just by finger. This immersive piece of kit not only showcased compelling content about life on mars, something regularly becoming more and more current within the modern world, but a purely unrivalled piece of tech. Something I expect to see on exhibition stands all over the world.

Jaguar F-Type experience
Housed on a gigantic stand (more akin to a full dealership than an exhibit) Jaguar Land Rover once again went all out when it came to their Goodwood Festival of Speed display. Along with getting up close and personal with the entire Jaguar Land Rover range and various concept cars, Jaguar never fails to entertain me with their exhilarating in-car experience. You can register to be a passenger in a Jaguar F-Type driven by a professional stunt driver drifting around a specially made course. Although quite often a lengthy wait in line, the experience is something well worth hanging on for and should feature near the top of everyone’s Festival of Speed bucket list!

Penske Exhibition
For the motorsports enthusiasts out there, a walk along the cricket pitch was something that really encapsulated the event, and what it stands for. This year, the cricket pitch featured an exhibition celebrating the career of ‘The Captain’ Roger Penske – a man who is a true legend of the sport, breaking motorsport boundaries through his career. I felt truly immersed in the exhibition, seeing and reading great anecdotal memories of his career. As someone who works in events, its showcases like this, which strip back the tech and the bells and whistles to its rawest form of consumer immersion, and it gets me every time!