SXSW Plans & First Time Tips
Goodness, I keep meaning to say this outright and forgetting, so here goes. Yes, I'm heading back to SXSW this year, along with everyone and his mother. I'll be there for the duration of the interactive conference, arriving Friday afternoon and leaving Wednesday morning. In between panels, parties, and eating out, I may be found sleeping in the Hampton Inn Hotel at odd hours. Anyway, this is my second year, and I've somehow managed to convince a few friends to come. The following tips are for them and for anyone else who may be coming for the first time.
SXSW Tips for First-Timers
First and foremost, come to have fun. Leave your work at home, and bring your hawaiian shirts if you have them. I made this mistake last year, bringing a few projects that had to get done while I was there. As a result, I missed out on quite a bit. I'm not making the same mistake this year. Don't you make it, either.
That said, bring your laptop if you've got one. A large part of the meeting and greeting I did last year was sitting in the hall next to the power outlets along with most of the other geeks. Yeah yeah, only geeks would consider power outlets a great meeting spot. And as Jeffrey Veen pointed out last year, Rendezvous and iChat make for a great way of discussing things in panels. (For those that have Macs at least - PC users, be prepared to be jealous.)
Also, bring business cards. You will meet a lot of people, and a lot of people will meet you. Your business card is just one way to help them remember.
Speaking of meeting people, come play kickball! It's always fun, it's a great way to meet people, and it's a great way to start out the conference. Even if you don't want to play, at least come to watch and cheer. Besides, everyone usually goes out to lunch afterwards.
Finally, yeah, there's a huge list of panels, and it's very hard to choose which to attend. But you don't have to commit to them in advance; in fact, you're allowed to change your mind even in the middle of a panel! (So long as you don't distract people leaving, that is.) Seriously, though - don't feel like you have to commit to specific panels or "tracks" - branch out and go to something that might not necessarily be your forte. You can learn as much or as little as you want while you're there. Into CSS? Check out a wifi panel. Big movie nut? Check out the journalism panels.
So, in short, here are my tips: Meet people. Have fun. Learn lots. Be your geeky self. Oh, and if you see me, stop me and say "Hey," because I'm pretty shy and can sometimes space out. But I would love to meet you.
About this Entry
This entry was posted on
Tuesday, March 8, 2005 at 02:56 PM under the categories:
SXSW05.
Comments
1. On Tuesday, Mar 8 at 6:11 PM, David Brent said:
Brilliant guide. I hope to attend in the next year or so. Being in England, UK doesn't do a great deal to help!
But if and when I do visit, I will be prepared!
2. On Thursday, Mar 10 at 8:19 PM, Christine said:
It will be my 4th trip (if you count the day and a half last year) and I can't WAIT. That is if I get to go. We must get together - we can not be in the same town and not get together again.
3. On Friday, Mar 11 at 7:23 PM, Kyle Bradshaw said:
It was great to meet you on the plane & share a taxi, hope to meet up with you at the festivities, I owe you a meal!
4. On Friday, Mar 18 at 2:34 PM, -b- said:
That's a great photo - thanks for posting it and there's proof that WaSPs can get along with Scoble.
5. On Friday, Mar 18 at 5:52 PM, strimble said:
Thanks for the tips! They worked well for me...well except for the 'bring business cards' one. I don't have business cards yet. :( But I did meet a lot of interesting and intelligent people, including you! It was great to meet you. I'll send you my vCard. Oh, and we should play WoW! :) Can't wait till next year!
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