SXSW is the most important technology conference of the year. There, I’ve said it. The problem is, very few people in IT are aware of it, and that is a shame. This is the one show of the year that not only highlights emerging technology but wraps it in context. This conference is also very international with different countries showcasing their unique companies, technologies and talents. We can get so lost in our own small world that we miss new market opportunities and technologies from around the globe.

History
SXSW started off back in 1987 as a music festival with about 700 people in attendance. By 1994, the likes of Johnny Cash and Beck were performing and the Interactive and Film festivals were added. While the Interactive festival started small, it has now grown to dwarf the music festival. The have also added gaming and comedy to the lineup. SXSW runs for 10 days, but don’t let that scare you, because the Interactive conference only lasts for 5.

Today, the conference hosts more than 430,000 participants with more than 75,000 badged attendees for the Interactive conference alone. There are nearly 5,000 speakers and more than 2,000 sessions for the Interactive conference. This show dwarfs the big shows like AWS Re:Invent. Still, with all of those people descending on a city of only 1.5 million, it is all managed surprisingly well.

In Geoffrey Moore’s seminal technology best seller, Crossing The Chasm, he talks about intersectional opportunities, where multiple factors combine to create products that are better than the sum of their parts. This is the conference that truly demonstrates that.

The New Face Of Business
The shape of business is changing, becoming increasingly IT centric. CMOs now carry a bigger technology budget than CIOs. SXSW offers the opportunity to explore the various modes and uses of technology. The conference also addresses the impacts of those technologies from the problems of bias in AI to the rise of Influencer marketing and fake news. This conference explores not only the potential of technology, but the ethical underpinnings we should be focusing on. There are sessions to make you better at your job, and better at life.

There really is something for everyone. In fact, there are so many sessions the biggest challenge is figuring out what to attend. With more than 2,000 sessions, you have to be very selective about what you attend. I was averaging about 6.5 miles and over 16,000 steps per day when I was there. I could only really manage 1 meal a day as I was always rushing to another session. By the end of the day, I would collapse satisfyingly exhausted into bed.

Starups and VCs
SXSW brings a lot of startups who are not only looking to find an audience for their technology, but to find funding as well. This is why there is a fairly large Venture Capital presence, with sessions by VCs and Angel investors. There were a lot of pitch sessions where entrepreneurs could showcase their startups, and awards for best of show.

The VC panels covered everything from what trends they are looking for, how to successfully pitch them, and how to become them. There was also a lot of focus on markets outside of The Valley, with cities vying to attract money and talent to their communities.

Tips for Attending
So hopefully by now I have convinced you that this show will make you smarter and better at your job, so what should you do to attend next year. First, you should try to register as early as possible. Right now, you can pick up an Interactive badge for $825, although I would recommend the Platinum badge which is going for $1150. Platinum gets you preferred access to sessions, which comes in handy when they fill up. Think of it like a Disney Fast Pass. If you wait until just before the show, that badge will likely be closer to $1,600.

The next thing you should look at right away is lodging. If your company requires you to stay in a hotel, book it right away. This is a town of 1.5 million with almost half a million coming in for the show. There is nowhere near enough hotel rooms available, despite almost constant hotel construction. I would recommend staying as close to the convention center as possible because transportation is challenging. I had one friend who stayed a couple of miles away and it took him 45 minutes to get close to the festival, because so many streets are shut down to autos.

I looked at hotel rooms a month before the show, and anything close was well over $1,000 per night. There are a lot of AirBnB options for those who can do that, and you might want to check out sonder.com as well.

The best transportation is usually walking, but this year they introduced electric scooters and bikes. While this drew a lot of criticism (they were littering every square inch of Austin), I have to say it was a fantastically convenient mode of transportation that I really enjoyed. In previous years, pedicabs were the best bet, but the scooters are a better option in my opinion.

I will be posting more from my trip to SXSW soon, and I can’t wait to go back. I hope to see you there next year, keeping Austin weird!