Five Cool Things that Happened at SXSW Interactive
Last week, I got a chance to attend part of the SXSW Interactive Festival–the coolest tech/geek conference anyone could possibly go to. Where else could you see @garyvee swear profusely on a panel in front of 900+ people, get photographed for the Entertainment page of the local newspaper, and meet some of the most innovative and influential people in tech? Before I went, I spent a significant amount of time perusing the SXSW Web site, debating which panels were worthwhile, reading up on party etiquette and figuring out just how I was going to balance it all. In the end, the experience was even more powerful than I expected. While much has been written about what goes on at SXSW and how you can make the most of it, I thought I’d dive into my personal experience and why I now believe that any creative, driven and passionate person should try to go to this thing–at least once! Below is a brief rundown of 5 cool things that happened at SXSW:
1. An impromptu lunch/dinner with some really cool folks: at SXSW, throwing out your insecurities and shyness is probably the best way to go. People attending the conference are excited by the prospect of meeting cool people, so if you want to meet someone–say hello–and suggest lunch! While at the conference, I got a chance to have dinner with Boxee, Evernote and Cliqset, and an impromptu lunch with the founders of a San Francisco-based company called Foodzie, who showered us with delicious samples of truffles, granola and lollipops.
2. Watching Gary Vaynerchuck (of Wine Library TV) talk about ‘the hustle’ in front of a packed room of people–where, no one was ashamed of self-promotion when going up to the microphone to ask questions.
3. Getting our picture in the Austin Statesman‘s Entertainment section: priceless.
4. Talking with the founder of Moo, the makers of tiny Moo business cards–and awkwardly handing him my business card.
5. Going up to the microphone to ask a question at a panel that generated a good five minute discussion between all of the panelists–lesson learned: if you have something to say–say it!
Overall, the message that I took away from the event was to be aggressive–whether it be attending as many parties as you can, pushing your way through to meet a panelist/CEO/blogger, or running around between the Convention Center and the Hilton Hotel to get into as many panels as possible.