There’s a lot of hype around the South-by-Southwest Interactive Conference, and much of it is about parties. While parties are fun, I’m going to seek out a few things specifically. Here are my top 5. Please let me know if there are things I shouldn’t miss or if you’ll be there, too!
Sessions start today, so I’ll do my best to update as the week goes on!
1. New Ideas
The world moves quickly these days. It’s easy to miss important innovations or experiments that change our world.
2. Connections
There is still nothing that can replace the fun of meeting people in person, discussing ideas that are important, and “putting a face with a name.” I’m already having fun trying to match faces with avatars!
3. What’s Next
While it’s easy to think the “next big thing” won’t apply to you, many of them eventually do. I’m here to discover what’s next and why it might matter in the future. (Another observation I’d like to make – how does technology aid a real-live event like this? So far, it’s been impressive.)
4. What’s NOT Next
Events like SXSW are notorious for launching products in a BIG way that go on to do, well, not much. It’s interesting to make predictions about what will be adopted and what won’t.
5. Wine & Food
There, I said it. I’d love to discover a few new vinyards and vintages to appreciate. And my college friend is taking me out for the local scene tonight – I’m looking forward to some excellent tacos.
What are your thoughts? What would you want to discover here?