If you haven't heard about SXSW – you're missing out! This incredible annual conglomerate of film, interactive media, music festivals and conferences take place in Austin, Texas ever March. Since it's inception in 1987, the festival has continued to grow in both scope and size.
We are PUMPED to be delegates at this year's event where we will get to explore the interactive world and all the branding, marketing and new technology that goes with it. With being there for such a short period but having so many events we want to attend, we came up with a sure-fire game plan to ensure our time is maximized from the moment we land in Austin to the moment we fly out.
1. DO YOUR RESEARCH
We are spending a few thousand dollars to go out to SXSW between flights, accommodations and tickets to the event. We want to make it worth it!
Our research started by setting our goals: Get the most out of our time there and make some great connections.
We dug into all the seminars and meet ups we wanted to attend to find out which ones will be streamed or broadcasted later – we took these right off our list. We can watch these back home at a later date. Fill your schedule with things that truly matter and that you will ultimately benefit from.
2. PLAN YOUR ROUTE
We lucked out with SXSW having an awesome, user friendly app that allows us to build our schedule right into our phones. We have dug through the long list of seminars, meet ups, events, lounges, shows and booths – made a list of what was interesting and then weeded down to what is most important to use. We mapped out how long it will take to get to each venue and had a plan b on the off chance we couldn’t get into an event we chose.
3. SNACK PACK
Pro tip – always buy bags that allow for ample snack room. Your main thought should be "how many snacks can I fit in this bag"
Conferences are a lot of hurry up and wait. You will rush to get to each venue on time, you will stand in line for an hour, you will enjoy the seminar and then you get to do it all over again. Chances are, we will have minimal time to stop for a meal and how awful would it be to fall unwell and no longer be able to go to any of the events? We are coming equipped with snacks, water and a portable charger!
4. ROLL WITH IT
This is the most important and often over looked. Keep your plan lose enough that you can still enjoy yourself and not be a slave to your schedule. Conferences like SXSW often have a TON of pop up booths and events that you will want to check out – allow yourself some time for the fun stuff 😊
Follow along our SXSW journey with us on Instagram and twitter! We will be tracking down the most fresh, exciting and thoughtful campaigns, events and ideas. We will report back with the best examples of soul marketing, along with a recap of our time there.