This March will be my 11th year attending South by Southwest Interactive. My friend Dave Weich is attending the conference for the first time. He asked me to put together a little list of recommendations and thoughts then kindly reposted it at his company site. I've put here at well.
When attending SXSW, a few things to remember…
I. Appointments
If there’s anyone you want to have a business (or even social) meeting with, try to schedule both for your conference before arriving in Austin. The inclination will be to say, “Oh, we’ll figure it out or run into each other when we get there.” Resist that inclination. SXSW has grown to T-Rex-sized proportions. There’s a good chance that Big Bird could be keynoting at the conference and you’d never see him.
II. Scheduling
It’s good to plan out beforehand what panels you’d like to go to, but I recommend a) leaving room for at least one session outside of your area of interest/comfort zone per day. I’ve found that those turn out to be the most surprisingly valuable; b) Don’t kill yourself to get to the keynotes. Keynotes can be very hit-and-miss, where you either get a Jane McGonigal, who knocked it out of the park two years ago, or the CEO of Spotify, who last year talked about everything except when Spotify is coming to America, which is why everyone was in the room to begin with. Also, keynotes are recorded six ways to Sunday and have overflow rooms, so “getting a good seat” is largely a waste of time and effort; c) Be prepared to junk your plans if you’re in a fabulous conversation, hear about something cool, etc. That element of surprise is SXSW’s best asset.
III. Where You Are
Now that SXSW is ginormous, I’ve concluded that it’s better to have six, in-depth, worthwhile conversations than forty-five, two-minute, shallow conversations. Practically, this means that if you’re in a fabulous dialogue with someone and it’s time to go to the next session, forget the next session. If you’re into something good, that’s where you’re supposed to be.
IV. Nighttime
The official conference nighttime parties are huge, loud affairs. If you thrive in that environment, go for it. But, overall, I’ve found them pretty useless for meeting anyone, as you’re just screaming to be heard. You’re better off going to dinner with the fifteen interesting people you met that afternoon. Also, the unofficial conference calendar is great stuff. Two events that are completely unique to SXSW (and therefore should not be missed) are 20×2 and Fray Cafe. Two of the oldest events at SXSW, which attract a dedicated, influential crowd.
V. Your Health
Take good care of yourself. You’ll almost certainly be sleep-deprived and eating meals at odd hours. I therefore try to pack multivitamins and hand sanitizer, walk as much as possible, and workout at least once. Think of it as a marathon on your body, not a sprint, even if its only five days. Because you’ll be zonked when it’s over.
