From my snow-covered vantage point it’s hard to believe that it’s almost time for South by Southwest Interactive. Next week I’ll be joining a few of my colleagues, clients (Cisco, Rovi, NXP, MTV, Macheen and IBM) and thousands of other self-proclaimed geeks in Austin looking to make friends, share ideas, spot startups and soak up the latest in digital trends – and not to mention have a cocktail or two with some amazing Texas BBQ.
The festival turns 25 this year. Mashable has a cool infographic that walks you through the growth from a music event to a music, film and interactive “behemoth.” While last year’s event generated a lot of debate about whether SxSW has jumped the shark or is still awesome, as a first timer, I’m attending the show with an open mind and fresh perspective, but knowing the best insights, connections and experiences are uncovered through a discerning eye.
Jessica Casano-Antonellis, Melissa Chanslor, Star Meza and I are each taking a different beat at the show. Jessica will be tracking the intersection of entertainment and social media, Melissa is on the hunt for the latest product trends from a payment, mobile and developer perspective, Star will be watching what’s working for brands in community building and I’ll be taking a deep dive into brand journalism and measurement.
Some of the panels we’re looking forward to include:
- Social Media Mythbusters
- The Science of Influence
- It’s Not Tv, It’s Social Tv
- Marketing Budgets Have Gone Social – Is It Working?
- Community Engagement Strategies: Rational Debate or Herding Cats?
- Benefits of Highly Responsive Community Engagement Strategy
- Kicking Community Ass: Building Better Influence
- Brave New World: Debating Brands’ Role as Publishers
- iPhone Developer Meet Up
- NFC and RFID, How It Will Change Mobile
We’ll share sneak peeks into some of our clients’ panels leading up to the show.
Watch this space and follow @Text 100 for real-time reporting and opinion, as well as interviews with entrepreneurs, tech execs and social media influencers.
If there’s a panel or event you wish you were attending, let us know we’ll do our best to attend and share our thoughts.
Attending SXSW? Let’s meet up – we’d love to connect.
