I’m heading back to the SXSW Interactive Conference & Festival this year, thanks to a generous grant (which I ended up not using for this eek). This time I’m bringing my girlfriend and in an effort to not overwhelm her I am again trying to make a rough schedule for us to follow. Perhaps I shouldn’t call it a schedule and maybe it’s just the things that I really want to do.
Side note: I got incredibly stressed while trying to plan this out, so maybe it wasn’t the best idea. Maybe the best idea is to just go with the flow? Everyone always says that SX is more about serendipity, leaving your schedule behind and discovering things as you come upon them. I’m excited to learn a lot, have fun, and soak up some good old vitamin D!
Thursday, March 8
12:00, Arrive, pick up car2go.
1:00, Lunch and a visit to cool store: Uncommon Objects.
2:00, Head to AirBnB, unpack and settle in.
4:00, Walk down to Convention Center and pick up badges.
5:00, Take a walk down Rainey.
6:00, Visit Casa Mexico.
7:00, Eat dinner and head back to AirBnB to rest up.
Friday, March 9
6:30, 4–5 miles Run @ Lady Bird Lake
10:30, Opening remarks from Hugh Forrest @ ACC Ballroom D
11:00, There’s a lot going on at the 11AM hour:
Beyond the Game: Data-Driven Fan Engagement @JWMariot Salon AB
Do More. Do Things That Were Previously Impossible @ Hilton Salon H
Conspiracy?! Ryan Holiday on the Gawker Takedown @ ACC Room 18ABCD
Let’s Tech the Borders Down @ ACC Ballroom D
12:00, Most Innovative Companies Live — featuring Tina Chen from SLACK and Lisa Pike Sheehy from Patagoinia @ Fast Company Grill
1:30, FastCompany Grill or Dell Experience
4:00, Startup Crawl presented by Capital Factory **
Anytime, Mashable House
Saturday, March 10
11:00, The New World of Microadventure…Thanks to Tech @ Pinterest
12:30, Equality & Sports: Leveling the Playing Field @ JWMariot Salon AB
2:00, Blockchain and the Decentralization of Finance @ Hilton Salon C
3:30, A Conversation with Tatiana Maslany @ ACC 16AB
5:00, The Secrets of Cult Brands @ Fairmont Congressional B
Anytime, FOXSports House @ Hangar Lounge
Sunday, March 11
10:00, Trade Show opens
11:00, 2018 Emerging Tech Trends Report w/ Amy Webb @ ACC Ballroom D
12:30, Learning UX from Board Games @ Capital One House
2:00, Recode/Decode Live with Kara Swisher in Conversation with José Andrés @ The Belmont, presented by VOX
5:00, WomanCode: Biohacking Hormones, Cycle, Creativity & Success featuring Alisa Vitti @ ACC 16AB
5:00, Bitcoin and the New World of Programmable Money @ Fairmont Manchester EFG
Monday, March 12
9:30, Face Recognition: Please Search Responsibly @ Fairmont Manchester EFG
11:00, Empowering Girls with Tech: Breaking Barriers @ Hilton Salon A
12:30, David Chang and Scott Dadich in Conversation @ JW Marriot Salon E
3:30, How Real Food Can Change Your Life and the World w/ Melissa Hartwig & Lee Tilghman @ ACC 9AB
Tuesday, March 13
I’m leaving this day open for now — explore, maybe catch some music, walk around and prepare to head home the next day.
Brand Activations to see @ various times:
While the programming put on @ the convention center and various hotels around downtown is awesome — some of the best panels, talks, and innovations I saw were at the activations that the brands put on themselves. I think it’s worth it to at least stop in to each of these at some point of the conference — you honestly never know what you’re going to see. Last year I listened to Gary Vaynerchuk and Nick Offerman give talks while I was charging my phone in the Comcast Lounge, and later that day at CNN activation I got to eat some Iberico ham and watch a preview of a new Anthony Bourdain produced show, after an immersive running with the bulls in Spain VR experience. Or seeing Macy Gray perform at an intimate Amazon event. Or a live podcast recording of Kara Swisher’s Recode/Decode with the cast of VEEP! Anything could happen!
Mar 8–13 // Casa Mexico
Mar 9–13 Comcast Lounge at ACC (good spot, to chill recharge)
Mar 9 // Amazon Tech Talks
Mar 9 // Interactive Opening Party Micheladas Cafe
Mar 9–11 // CONDOR HQ
Mar 9–11 // Under Armour
Mar 9–11 // The Deep End by Vox Media @ The Belmont
Mar 9–11 // Nerdist House @ Bangers
Mar 9–11 // Mashable House @ The Main
Mar 9–11 // G-Store Popup (Gatorade)
Mar 9–11 // Under Armour
Mar 9–12 // FOXSports House
Mar 9–12 // FAST COMPANY GRILL @ Cedar Door
Mar 9–12 // Capital One House @ Antones
Mar 9–12 // Dropbox Live Mural: Activism Through Art
Mar 9–13 // Panasonic House @ SXSW 2018
Mar 9–13 // Casa Peru
Mar 9–14 // tiny house of smart @ Palm Park
Mar 10 // Eventbase Summit & Event Technology Mixer @ SXSW
Mar 10–11 // InstaCON by Bravo
Mar 10–11 // Create + Cultivate w/ FOSSIL @ the refinery
Mar 10–11 // YOUTUBE House @ Coppertank
Mar 10–11 // Pinterest House @ Container Bar
Mar 10–11 // Africa House @ Parker Jazz Club
Mar 10 -12 // Amplify Philly House @ Pour Choices
Mar 10–12 // Michigan House @ St. David’s Church
Mar 10–12 // Roseanne IRL @ Volcom
Mar 10–12 // EU @ SXSW
Mar 10–12 // Accenture’s Innovation Hub @ Micheladas Cafe
Mar 10–13 // BOSE House @Half Step
Mar 10–13 // German Haus @ Barracuda
Mar 10–13 // VICELAND Bus
Mar 10–13 // Sony’s WoW Studio
Mar 10–14 // Dell House
Mar 11 // Reeperbahn Hamburgers — Digital Media Women Day
Mar 11 // Amazon Cocktail Hour
Mar 11–12 // WeDC House @ Easy Tiger
Mar 11–12 // Texas A&M University x ’47 Discovery House
Mar 11–14 // Australia House
Mar 12 // The Onion + AV Club Present Manic Monday
Mar 12 // Women in Digital @SXSW 4:30 PM — 8:30 PM @ The Market Tap Mar 13 // Fort Worth House @ Fair Market
Fun pictures from last year:
