This week many of my fellow techies, technologists, and geeks will head to Austin, TX for the 2011 SXSW Interactive festival. SXSWi has grown considerably over the years, and it can be a little overwhelming for newcomers. Here are some of my tips for making the most of your first experience at SXSWi.
- Go to panels you know nothing about. – Most of us in Washington, DC’s digital communications space know each other, and we see each speak at events regularly. Use your time at SXSW to learn new things. Two of my favorite panels last year involved space exploration and using the human brain as the next computer interface. You’ll learn more, and you’ll expose yourself to new ideas. New ideas lead to better innovation for your clients and organization.
- Be nice to Austin. – It’s a great town, and its residents (and fans) want to keep it that way. I’ve noticed that as SXSWi has grown, so has the amount of litter in downtown Austin. This I’ve also seen insiders, who can weave in and out of a pedestrian walkway with little impact to traffic, walk blindly and negligently into oncoming traffic. We’re guests in someone else’s city, so let’s be nice to it – and its residents.
- Take care of yourself. – Big conferences can be overwhelming. Sometimes it’s easy to forget to hydrate, wear comfortable shoes, eat lunch, rest – the kinds of activities that are so routine in our non-conference lives that we tend to forget about them. Attending a large conference can be a lot like running a road race. You need to take care of yourself – and pace yourself – in order to go the distance. For me, that means waking up with enough time to work out, grab a cup of coffee, and take some vitamins. I also make a point of carrying a reusable water bottle around with me, so that I can stop for refills throughout the day.
- Consider ditching your old laptop. – SXSWi isn’t just on one floor, along one hallway, or in one building. It’s spread out over a couple of blocks. Electrical outlets exist, but they fill up quickly. And because so many technologists are crammed into one geographical area, bandwidth tends to run low. This year I’ll ditch my laptop and use my iPad and my two mobile phones. They are light weight, and I find them easier to type notes on in crammed conference rooms.
- Make friends. – One of the most valuable assets at SXSWi is the people. The conference attracts some of the most amazing innovators in the digital space and there are plenty of social opportunities to meet them. Some of the most useful conversations at SXSWi will probably occur at the happy hours, bars, and restaurants scattered across the city – the kinds of conversations that lead to new business opportunities and innovative solutions to problems you might not know you have. They are the kinds of connections that last from one conference year to the next. It’s a pity to miss them! Make sure you sign up to attend the happy hour DCI Digital is hosting with Rock Creek strategies and Engage DC on March 12th from 4:00 to 6:00 pm. Details are on Facebook and Plancast.
While you’re at SXSWi, check out the Future 15 session I’m hosting on technology and government on Saturday, March 12, from 11:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
My speaker lineup includes Jennifer Pahlka (speaking on How to Fix Government), Sarah Granger (Startup.gov: Reworking Government through Technical Innovation), Laura Godfrey (Reaching Hispanics through Government Mobile Apps), Drew Scherz (Can Government Web Teams Make Government Services More User-Friendly), Lovisa Williams (Global Citizenship = World Peace?), Mindy Finn (Political Campaigns: the Tech You See & the Tech You Don’t), Nicholas Skytland (The Next Rocket Scientist: You), Tim Bonneman (Open Government through Participation: Designing Successful Online Consultations), Adria Richards (What the Government Can Learn From Amazon), and (Shireen Mitchell Lifecycles Tech & Society: Is 14 Years Old too Old).
