Samsung 837 Introduces New Technologies in Its 'Living Lab'
Samsung 837, a modular marketing center in New York City, has added engaging new technologies for consumers and event-goers to interact with at its “experiential hub.”
The venue is named for its location at 837 Washington Street in the Meatpacking District and boasts a three-story, 55,000-square-foot space that hosts special events and cultivates creative talent in the technology sector. Samsung 837 has accommodated more than 700 events since it first opened its doors in 2016. Walking into Samsung 837 on a casual afternoon, one can find customers testing out the latest VR experiences or lounging on couches with computers, drinking coffee and socializing in the venue’s homey and purposefully inviting environment.
Samsung changes the space five times a year based on seasonality, notable cultural moments, product launches and what’s relevant in New York City and introduces a bi-yearly refresh for its flagship launches.
An attendee views virtual reality at DYNE Show During NYFW — Men’s at Samsung 837 on Jan. 31, 2017. Photograph courtesy of Samsung 837.
Its latest technologies include interactive windows that allow passersby to test newly developed camera features via touchscreen from the street; VR experiences such as Anatomy of Ski in partnership with former World Cup alpine ski racer Bode Miller, which allows guests to race down a ski slope “in his boots” on a 4-D platform; or its Winter Ride, which takes participants through a forest experience in a winter setting.
Zach Overton, the vice president and general manager of Samsung 837, told WWD, “We keep on trying to raise the bar in terms of what we do,” and that “the more interactive our windows can be, the more likely we are to draw people into this space and bring the rest of our ecosystem to life.” He added, “We’re always trying to think about how we use VR for immersive storytelling and to give people immersive experiences that they might not normally have.”
Other new technologies include its Super Slow-Mo Globe, which “radically slows down time” with 960 frames per second in a whirring blur of motion and color, or its Super Low Light Booth, that features a camera with the ability to capture images in bright daylight, moonlight and super lowlight via an adjustable aperture, by “adapting like the human eye.”
Event-goers are likely taken with the “shareable assets,” such as phone case customization, a live messaging selfie booth that takes photographs guests can digitally draw on and modify with a pen and its AR Emoji booth that creates personalized emojis in over 18 different GIFs.
Scanning an NFC chip at the Dyne runway show. Photograph courtesy of Samsung 837.
Notable events include the men’s wear brand Dyne, which held its runway event at Samsung 837 and embedded NFC (near field communication) chips into the logo moniker of each garment. Guests could walk up to models wearing the garments and simply tap them with their phone to generate information about color, sourcing, fabrics or inspiration. Overton told WWD, “I’m always a huge fan of fashion week. I think it’s so exciting and we love the fact that we’re able to democratize this series of events that’s typically reserved for the elite few and really bring it to a much wider audience.”
A Samsung 837 experience immerses guests and consumers in the Samsung ecosystem of products from a heuristic perspective; there are no products for sale in the space. Overton told WWD, “We’re seeing a lot of brands and a lot of retailers rethink the traditional bricks-and-mortar experience to better align with consumer expectations.” He added, “For us, we’ve moved to a consumer experience journey, an infinity loop, realizing that purchase is not the end, it’s the beginning” and that “we want to continue that dialogue and that relationship [with our customers] well beyond purchase.”
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