SXSW in Austin

By Lynn Rosen

According to the official history of the South by Southwest Music Conference and Festival, Austin’s status as a party town goes back to days after the Civil War when General Custer’s troops raised a ruckus. For that reason, and presumably several others, SXSW launched in Austin in 1987 and has been rockin’ the town ever since, growing from 700 registrants in 1987 to over 16,000. In 1994 it added film and interactive sections, which attract about 32,000 attendees. That’s a hell of a party!

Much as I don’t love crowds, I’ve always longed to join this one, and I’m very excited that I’m about to make my SXSW dreams come true and am heading down to Austin for the show.

Just looking at the program, however, is completely overwhelming. The Interactive piece alone is crammed with non-stop events and presentations, some even scheduled to begin at midnight!

I’m gearing up for a sleepless and therefore eye-opening few days, but I’d be mighty grateful for some guidance. Please email me (lrosen@napco.com) and let me know what highlights of SXSW Interactive you recommend, and any tips on getting around successfully. (See the program here.)

Thanks! I’ll be writing about it while I’m there, so watch this space and look for my Twitter posts @lynn_rosen