If you are heading to Austin for SXSW for the very first time, you may be wondering what to expect. No doubt you’ve heard how amazing it is, how crowded it is, how crazy it is, and how beneficial it is for business. All of the above are true – simultaneously.
I attended SXSW (or, “South-By”) last year for the first time and was blown away on many levels. The attendance is significant – last year I heard that numbers for the interactive portion alone were around 15,000. Who is attending? It is probably easier to think about who isn’t attending, because you will run into virtually everyone with a business focus in marketing, advertising, PR, emerging technologies, mobile, geo-location, social media, gaming….do you see where I’m going with this? Agencies, brands, consultants, designers, entrepreneurs, investors, and braniacs…they are all here, and guess what? They’ll all look alike. Read on to find out how you can blend in, have fun and probably make some great business connections.
Helpful Tips For First-Timers:
- Plan your travel! If you haven’t done this already, you probably aren’t going. Make your reservations (flight + hotel) MONTHS in advance. If you haven’t done this, it’s likely you’ll be staying in Houston or in a tent on the side of the road. Attendance at this event grows exponentially every year so plan ahead.
- Pack: Summer clothes. The weather will be warm, a bit cooler at night, and you’ll be out at night. Late. Pack a LOT of Excedrin. Alcohol flows like water at SXSW and you’ll want to attend as many parties as you can. Just plan for the inevitable headache. Ladies, many will tell you to wear “comfortable shoes” as you’ll be walking/standing a lot. (I am one of the few that would rather endure pain than wear flats but I’m passing it on for those of you that prefer comfort over fashion.) Generally speaking, the dress “code” vibe is much more casual here, and a lot of times you’ll be outside at a party or at a venue that will remind you of college. Dress how you’d feel most comfortable in that environment. Pack EVERY SINGLE BUSINESS CARD YOU HAVE.
- Plan: When you register, you’ll receive a guidebook to the sessions that is almost as thick as the September Vogue. Want a more accessible and updated glance at what’s “hot” and happening? Do yourself a favor and sign up on Plancast.com and follow some connected people to see what’s going on every day. Follow NMS on Plancast for some additional recommendations on parties, panels, and events.
- Be Realistic: Understand that there are hundreds of sessions to attend and MANY of them overlap. In addition, there WILL BE LINES for the more popular keynotes and sessions. Highly doubtful that anyone can show up at 10am for a 10am keynote and get in. Understand that you cannot attend every session and that you WILL miss some great stuff. But also understand that every moment at SXSW- and I can’t say this strongly enough- can be valuable. Whether you are in a session, at a restaurant, at a “VIP” Party or walking the halls in the convention center, you will run into and meet amazing people from virtually every industry you can imagine.
- REMEMBER: Never is it more important to remember that although this is an amazing conference and it is a great, fun city….this is business for most of us. Please try to remember before you down that 6th shot of tequila (that’s FREE), that everyone around you has a smartphone and is uber-connected online. What happens at SXSW doesn’t stay in Austin, but will likely reside on Facebook, Twitter, Posterous, Tumblr, Flickr, TwitPic, YouTube, Viddler, Vimeo, MyBlog.com and maybe even NBC Nightly News.
See you there!!