Don’t Be a Meat Cow
… and Other Lessons Learned at SXSW
Last week we flew to the fabulous South by Southwest conference in Austin, a friendly city that transformed itself into a carnival of creatives, tech mavens, artists and entrepreneurs seeking inspiration, funding, fame, glory and … a great party.
With a suitcase packed full of postcards and stickers, stacks of business cards, and a feather boa, we set out to learn about the Lone Star tech ecosystem and spread the gospel about the GUILD’s mission. We met thousands of awesome, receptive, and inspiring people (including many prospective partners), and showed off our networking platform for women in business to connect and build stronger networks through face-to-face meetings.
After our four-day immersion in art, film, tech, and people, we returned to San Francisco buzzing with energy and inspired by our new “southwestern” point of view.
Network Like A Pro
During a big conference like SXSW, you may suffer an embarrassment of networking riches! You’ll collect copious LinkedIn contacts, new Facebook friends, and business cards. What can you do to stay connected and make sure you left a positive impression? How do you remember who you met at which party, film opening, breakout session, or booth? Here are a few of our tried-and-true strategies:
- Before you leave home, take a good look at your business card. You might want to add a profile picture. Also: make sure your LinkedIn is up to date! Maybe even tweak it for the conference.
- When someone offers you a business card, write down on it where you met the person and include clues that will help you remember the conversation (bring a pen that writes on all kinds of business cards!).
- Bring enough cards yourself! Before you hand it to someone, write a short, targeted message, almost as if you were inscribing a book (“fun meeting you at the McKinsey party!”).
- Take a picture of the cards you collect, and store them in a dedicated folder on your GDrive or Evernote. Yes, create a database!
- Connect with your new contacts on LinkedIn and compose a short note mentioning where you met and what common interests you might share or collaborate on.
- If there is something to follow up on, do it within a week — otherwise it’s going to be too late! Your message should be short (aim for three sentences!) and actionable. If you agreed to call, suggest a time immediately or send them your calendar scheduling link.
- Once you’ve connected on LinkedIn or Facebook, post something relevant and tag your new connections so you have a deeper online connection right away.
I know how hard it can be to make time for follow-up and systematic sorting of contacts — especially when you’ve been out of town for a few days and your inbox is beckoning. But my advice is, there’s no time like the present. Take action. Nothing is more valuable than a meaningful connection!
Cross-pollinate!
Step out of your comfort zone! Don’t just attend the same old conferences in your industry. Be brave and immerse yourself in another field, culture and way of thinking. You’ll be inspired and start thinking about challenges in a whole new way. SXSW is a perfect example of that concept. One of the reasons it’s such a great conference is that it melds different worlds, bringing together film, tech, and music in one spectacular place.
Take the “Jazz in the Digital Age” session, for example. It dazzled us with new art forms, showing us how the internet has transformed the industry. We were truly enlightened on the exponential effect these new media might have on a younger generation — which may also be your company’s target audience.
Virtual Reality has also arrived, and was in full force at SXSW. We learned there’s no better medium to connect storytelling, cutting edge tech, and music. I bravely joined a person in their solitary confinement cell in a virtual reality space, and experienced isolation in our society in such a way that I could not look away, because I was immersed in it.
Learn from the Locals
When you explore a new city, immerse yourself in a new startup ecosystem and fresh mix of investors. Listen, pay attention, and let locals open your eyes to different ways of running startups and investment models.
At the TechStars investor panel, I got a glimpse into the Texan mindset: “You are a dairy cow to investors,” said one speaker. “Once you stop giving milk, you become a meat cow.” So much for the romanticized entrepreneur-investor relationship we all dream about! That amusing Texas colloquialism really hit home.
All-in-all, it was a great, full, and auspicious Texas week. I partied with great friends, met many wonderful people, laughed hard at comedy, and bonded with the Avett Brothers through their new documentary. Thank you, SXSW, and thank you, Austin!
