As the annual South by South West (SXSW) mega-festival kicks off, The Drum caught up with veteran attendees for their tips on how to get the most out of Austin.
Preparation is key - Daniele Fiandaca, head of innovation, CheilDecide what you want to get out of it. SXSW is very different to Cannes - people actually go to learn and be inspired and while there is partying, it is not to the same level as it is in Cannes. If you haven’t booked your hotel already, then good luck. Being 45 minutes outside Austin (as I was the first time) was a bit of a costly nightmare – though hopefully, the fine folks at Uber (
do download the app) will be offering free rides again.Even more important than where you’ll sleep is what you’re aiming to see. It’s vital to plan your schedule
BEFORE you get there. It is extremely hectic and there are so many different sessions to pick from so as a rule of thumb:
- Avoid what you already know. SXSW should be about expanding your horizons, not reaffirmation of what you know already. Be sure to pick at least one session that is likely to blow your mind
- Attend the keynotes.They take place at 2.30pm every day and are the only talks that you are guaranteed to get into
- Avoid panels. In general, they are ill prepared and don’t tend to be as good as a single speaker speaking about a specific topic
The three talks I am looking forward to are
Biopunk marketing: Biohacking for brands;
The effects of Internet use in the Teenage Brain; and
Pixelating happiness: How smartphones shift now.
When you get there: Dan Northover, digital design director, Partners Andrews Aldridge.Be prepared to expect the unexpected. SXSW is on a scale that’s difficult to imagine unless you experience it firsthand. It literally takes over the entire downtown area of a city.You won’t get into everything you want to see, hear and witness. If you’re deadset on being somewhere it pays to get there at least half an hour before.Make sure you plan how you’re going to get from one venue to another in time. It's easy to leave a perfectly good seat with a perfectly good speaker coming up next, in an attempt to sprint across town to another venue and speaker and end up missing both. However the greatest thing about SXSW is that there are so many great speakers and events happening at the same time that you’ll rarely feel like you've missed out.Make sure you walk around the tented
SXSW Create area. Meeting the makers, hackers and DIYers can be a breath of fresh air and a good opportunity to recover from the intensity of conference rooms, astrophysicists and biotechnologists.
(Daniele Fiandaca testing out Leap Motion tech) Eat, drink and party – Tom Kelshaw, director of technology, MaxusFood: Ironworks BBQ is closest to the ACC and the line stretches around the block by lunchtime. Eat at 11.30am or 3pm or instead pedi-cab up to Stubb's, Franklin or Micklethwait Craft Meats. Austin's legendary food trucks occupy various empty lots downtown. Frank's serves gourmet hotdogs and a Bloody Mary that resembles the offspring of a supreme pizza mated with a bottle of Tito's Vodka.
Drink: They call Texas the Cinderella State, since it prohibits the sale of alcohol after midnight. Even mini-bars are on timer locks. So, set a six-pack of Shiner aside during daylight hoursTito's Vodka is hand-made in Austin and amongst the best in the world. Make it your friend. Frequent the 6th Street Bars - most are taken over by tech startup sponsors to host parties, but some, like The Jackalope, stay indie and are staffed by Suicide Girl-lookalikes serving cheap beer and "Porno-Hot" wings. Take a pedi-cab further east on 6th past the highway for even cooler bars. Mingle with YouTube stars and billionaire VCs at the wood-panelled Driskoll, or Peché for absinthe cocktails
Party: Get signed up to
Rsvpster.com, the Austin-based startup that RSVPs on your behalf to the hundreds of available free parties. You might need only one or two of those RSVPs, but it's worth it to be on every list in the city.
Looking for even more tips? If your're a virgin SXSW-goer then check out Stephen Lepitak's survival guide.
