Heading to SXSW Interactive? Here’s some tips…

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The Definitive Guide to SXSW

4 min readJul 14, 2015

Altimeter Group CEO, Charlene Li talks at SXSW 2015 about former Telstra CEO David Thodey’s digital leadership

So, you’re thinking about making the trip to Austin for SXSW Interactive in 2016?

The 2016 Interactive event runs Friday, March 11 through Tuesday, March 15 and having been to the last four interactive events I was recently asked by the organising team to share my tips with fellow Aussies on how to get the most out of your experience at SXSW and in the fantastic city of Austin.

Here’s what I came up with:

#1 — BOOK YOUR ACCOMMODATION EARLY
- Consider Airbnb (it’s 2015, of course you will)
- East Austin is awesome, cheaper and very close to convention centre
- Staying in the city is expensive, really expensive — hotels ~US$500/night
- Consider teaming up with your friends and colleagues to share a house
- Buy or borrow a bike, buying is cheaper at pawn shops stores like ‘Cash America’

East Austin ROCKS… Wherever you stay, don’t forget to head East and explore

#2 — PLAN PLAN PLAN… PLAN YOUR SCHEDULE
If you haven’t worked out what you want to see/do two weeks before you leave, you’ll get a lot less out of your SXSW Interactive Experience…
- Download the SXSW Schedule App and use the website planner as soon as it becomes available — it will become your BEST FRIEND in Austin.
- Don’t try to do too much, going back-to-back-to-back in sessions isn't all that fun
- Choose the location of your sessions carefully, it can take 20–30min to walk between venues.
- Make a ‘non-negotiable’ list and make sure you have breaks before these sessions — queuing for popular sessions is an unfortunate reality, although a side note — it is rare that you can’t get a seat for the mega-keynotes in the Austin Convention Centre
- Save multiple sessions, you won’t always get in to your first choice, especially for boutique/small format sessions/venues
- Oh… and let’s remember it’s the speaker that makes the session, not the title (yes, “Sex in an augmented digital VR world” might sound interesting — but check out who is talking about it and why their views and experience matter)

Queueing for popular sessions is a reality — use the time to meet someone new…

#3 — GET THE MOST THROUGH GROUP MESSAGING
- Set-up a group message thread (e.g. Google Hangouts, FB or GroupMe)
- Stay in touch with your crew during the day and night
- Share sessions you’re liking and don’t be afraid to leave a boring sessions for a session your IM crew are enjoying.
- After dark, find the best places to eat and drink

#4 — MOBILE NETWORK/CONNECTIVITY MATTERS
- My experience is AT&T better in Austin, this will change year to year as carriers invest in their network and infrastructure
- Most carriers offer a ~$10 international calling pack, this can be handy to connect back home — especially if you need to dial-in to teleconferences
- Check your phones LTE compatibility before you go — Not all Australian phones work with all networks
- DEFINITELY take portable power — Xiaomi have seriously large capacity for around $30–50

#6 — EATING, DRINKING & COFFEE
I’ve spend most of my time in Austin on the East side. Over the past 5 years, East Austin has completely transformed itself from being a pretty rough part of town to a great balance of cultural roots. Whilst this transformation has not appealed to all residents — living through it, I love it and wouldn't stay anywhere else.

WHERE TO EAT

Las Cazuelas Mexican Restaurant
1701 E Cesar Chavez St

Cenote
1010 E Cesar Chavez St