There are 0 days and 0 hours until South by Southwest 2010 begins!
Events & Parties
Lively happenings OUTSIDE the conference hall.
Friday, March 12, 2010
SXSW Tips: Don’t Forget To Smile, Be Patient, and Have a Backup Plan
Three more things I try always to bring to Austin.
Humor, patience, and a smile. Please don’t forget these at home.
Be friendly! Relax! Oh, and one more thing? It’s not a race. We’re here to learn and have fun!
Expect long lines. SXSW has grown up and become an enormous conference that takes over downtown Austin for nearly two weeks. That’s a lot of people who all want to get into the same bars, clubs, restaurants, and more. Expected attendance for Film is about 7,000 people, with 11,000 expected attendees for Music, and about 12,000 attendees for Interactive!
Show up early to parties and panels. If you’re nervous about an event, it doesn’t hurt to show up earlier rather than later. RSVPs for parties often don’t guarantee entry, so the early birds will be inside, while you’re waiting in line outside. Same for the popular panels and talks. Get to the room 10-15 minutes early to ensure you get a seat, or, for some popular speakers, that you get in at all. This can be especially true for keynote speeches.
And know that even if you didn’t get into that one panel, party, screening, show, or club, there’s plenty of fun elsewhere during SXSW. Have a backup plan.
Or just ask around for whatever else might be going on, text message a friend, ping Twitter, or talk to the people who also didn’t get in. Plenty of new friendships have been forged in line for an event or in the hallways of the Convention Center.
SXSW Podcast: Ed Hunsinger’s How Not To Be Douchebag at SXSW
Time to start the 2010 podcast coverage of South by Southwest, rather than talk to the Festival organisers, there’s a more pressing matter to be dealt with first. How can you go to SXSW, interact with everyone, and not be a douchebag?
Luckily, I caught up with Ed Hunsinger in San Francisco before we both flew to Austin to talk about his panel, funnily enough called How Not To Be A Douchebag at SXSW (which runs today, Friday, at 5pm)
SXSW Tips: PSA on iPhone Sounds: Please turn them off!
Imagine a conference room full of people trying to listen to a panel with a quiet speaker. A touching story about life at Fray Cafe. A quiet acoustic performance in the back room of the Red Eyed Fly. And the person next to you is thumbing out an email and you can hear them typing every single character.
Please turn off any extraneous notification sounds and keyboard clicks, or you’ll drive everyone around you insane from hearing those little iPhone typing sounds or an SMS notification wind chime.
If it’s your first time at SXSW, here’s a handy video from the festival/conference organizers. And you may also find it useful to listen to the podcast of last year’s How to Rawk SXSW panel.
There are a number of great parties happening during SXSW and one of the aspects where party-organizers try to out-do one another is through not just an open bar, live music, and contests and prizes, but by offering food. And with each year, the party snacks get more and more interesting (although not always for free). Combine that with Austin’s thriving food truck scene, and you have some great combinations going on. From Pastries and Pasties to a Street Food Fest right outside the Convention Center doors, SXSW is for food lovers!
Before I arrive in Austin, I find it helpful to bookmark all of the relevent SXSW Mobile sites and install any SXSW mobile applications. Do this at home, before you find yourself somewhere where they charge for the wifi (airport, hotel) or there’s a potentially flaky connection (hotel, convention center, AT&T)! My recommendations:
The official schedule on my.sxsw.com, which now also has a mobile version. You’ll be able to add and remove events from your computer, and access them on the go using the mobile version. You should be automatically redirected when you visit on your mobile phone. There is also a free my.SXSW iPhone application that includes syncing of events as well as offline access of most features, except for Maps and Search. Having trouble? You may need to delete and reinstall the application.
Additionally, the unofficial scheduling site sched.org has launched a free SXSW 2010 version at sxsw2010.sched.org. It will format itself automatically when you visit on a mobile device. Additionally, they are offering an iPhone application very soon which includes syncing of events as well as full offline access.
Don’t forget your favorite location-based social networking application. Foursquare or Gowalla (these links are for iPhone apps) seem to be the weapons of choice this time around. And there are definitely special SXSW-only treats for users of both. Users of Gowalla can win VIP passes to the Gowalla Tiki Room during SXSWi, while users of Foursquare during SXSWm can win entry into SPIN’s invite-only party at Stubb’s BBQ.
And if you’re attending SXSW Music, you may also want to install the Levi’s Fader Fort application for iPhone/Android, built to support their unofficial SXSW parties. They also have an SMS updates service going on: text FORT to FADER (32337) to receive their updates.
And I’m sure you already have your favorite Twitter client installed, or m.twitter.com or mobile.twitter.com bookmarked.
Having trouble updating due to poor signal? Use your cell phone to send text messages to Twitter, instead. For US-based customers, send a text message to 40404.
sitby.us is a handy tool for Interactive attendees. Build or import a schedule, see what your Twitter friends are interested in attending, and during the actual conference, check in to panels and broadcast to your friends exactly where in the room you’re sitting. Rather than scanning the room looking for a familiar face, sitby.us hopes to connect you with other attendees in the same room. Save me a seat!
If you happen to drive somewhere during SXSW and need a designated driver to accompany you home, try out TipsyTaxiATX. They’ll send someone to drive you home, apparently!
The GetHuman iPhone application isn’t specifically about SXSW but it’s helpful to find airline customer service numbers if you happen to be traveling by air to Austin.
SXSW Tips: Documenting Your Experience With Photos
Pics, or it didn’t happen, right? I always bring my digital camera to SXSW with extra memory cards and charged batteries and the battery charger. And a camera cable or card reader to transfer images to my computer. It might help to clear off some hard drive space (and do a backup) before you arrive.
By the way, if you plan on putting your extra camera batteries into checked luggage and it’s lithium, put it in a separate plastic baggie.
Oh, and do turn off the fake shutter sound on your camera. Nothing says “I’m a newbie taking a picture of the panel! Look at me!” like hearing those little beeps. Same for your smart phone: turn off any annoying “fake shutter” sounds if you can.
Before you leave, set your smartphone up to send photographs to your preferred mobile uploading service: Twitpic, Yfrog, Flickr, etc. and your favorite uploading application. I like to set it up so that Flickr automatically adds a “sxsw” or “sxsw 2010” tag, too.
You may also want to post your photos to Twitter using the #sxsw or #sxswi hashtag.
Given that plans can change at any given moment, I always find it useful to bookmark and/or print out some of the unofficial SXSW party lists. I’ll fold up the printout and slip it into my bag, in addition to having a schedule of my own picks. This can be useful if the daytime party you want to attend is already full.
My favorites are:
Austin360.com’s SXSW on the Side list (all parties and events for SXSW Interactive, Film, and Music)
Showlistaustin (only unofficial events for SXSW Music, with a comprehensive listing of free daytime events)
As the dust settles on SXSW 2009 and the old lags make their reservations for 2011 (we sorted our Austin 2010 trip last year), I want to take a moment and thank Brad and the team for all their work on the Baby! this year, and in previous years. It’s a privilege to have the Podcasts co-hosted here, and I sure hope that they bring back memories for some of you, and bring a different SXSW to others as you wonder what to do until March next year.
So thank you, one and all.
But just before I disappear into the night, you do recall that Brad was speaking at Fray this year. You mean you missed it? Well, lucky you…
It’s the last night of the Interactive conference, the eve of the Music festival and, of course, Film just keeps chugging along. If you’re in the mood for a bit of chugging (or sipping or conversing or what have you) tonight, have a look at this sampling of post-conference events:
St. Patrick’s Last Stand: Party like a patron saint (yeah, we don’t know what that means exactly) at the PureVolume House from 10 pm until 4 am, sponsored by Crash Corp, Avenue Labs, PureVolume and the inimitable Rick Webb.
Brit Bash: Latitude 30 will vibrate with goodness from across the sea, including performances by The Proclaimers, Alice Russell, The Post War Years, and The Webb Sisters.
Media Temple Interactive Closing Party: It’s sad to say goodbye, my loves, but if we must, we might as well do it at the official closing party of Interactive at La Zona Rosa. Performances by Voxtrot, Franki Chan, Prince Klassen and Winter Gloves, and free to SXSW Interactive, Music and Film badge holders.
And it’s St. Patrick’s Day in Austin, the relative calm before the storm of a massive music festival. Sixth Street will be chock-a-block with celebrants, and no doubt you’ll find plenty of diversions all over town. Check out listings on Upcoming, Showlist Austin, sched.org or the official SXSW site.
So, you survived the Ides of March and are probably absorbing many, many Ideas of March. Got room in your noggin for more? Good, because there’s bound to be plenty of great conversation (and liquid refreshment, natch) at this small sampling of today’s post-panel evening events.
Austin on Rails Happy Hour: Ruby, don’t take your love to town. Take it to Buffalo Billiards from 6 until 9 pm to lift a glass and have a munch with Rails developers in the upstairs Rec Room. Interactive badge or RSVP required.
Plutopia EFF Party: This is a big one. Five bands on three stages and more than 80 artists. Headliners include The Heather Gold Show, Bruce Sterling and Ian McLagan & The Bump Band. Free to SXSW badgeholders, $10 for all others at the door.
Nuclear Taco Night: Yep, there’ll be a hot time in Brush Square Park tonight. Now in its seventh year, this event is a testament to taste bud stamina. Plus cool treats from The Ice Cream Man and music by Hilary York.
20x2 v 9.0: What’s It Gonna Take?: Twenty speakers from diverse walks of life, each given two minutes to answer one question, through spoken word, music, media and, just possibly, interpretive dance. Free to Interactive badgeholders, small cover for others.
The Great British Booze-up: Come hoist a few with the geeks from Ol’ Blighty at Shakespeare’s Pub. DJ Clagnut spins the tunes.
Interactive/Film Fusion: “Where Interactive and Film unite.” Well, we’ll see. Enjoy a hosted bar and nibbly bits, plus the world premiere of Sparhusen at Red Eyed Fly from 8–10 pm.
DandyID/Brightkite Party: Geolocation and online identity management kick out the props to party into the AM at the PureVolume House. RSVP required.
Mashable/Blurb Bash: Meet the Mashable crew for comp drinks and tuneage from DJ Marko at Six Lounge. Free to SXSW badge holders, but RSVP encouraged.
32-Bit: The sequel to the popular 8-Bit and 16-Bit parties of the past two years. Massive fun at a secret location to be revealed by Twitter only. Follow @32bit to get the deets.
South by Northwest: Those crazy folks from the upper left-hand corner of the country—Acquia, Blue Flavor, Rackspace and Raincity Studios—take over the Iron Cactus from 10:30 until closing time. This is the fourth year of delicious madness. We love this party. RSVP strongly encouraged.
Believe it or not, all so far has been prologue. The SXSW party scene kicks into high gear tonight. Here’s a taste of what’s in store:
All Hat, No Cattle: OK, this is actually a mid-day one, but hey, who doesn’t like shopping? Browse the wonderful eclectic shops along South Congress after brunch at Guero’s with a couple hundred of your closest friends and kin. We’re in!
Austin Werewolf: There’s a killer on the loose, and it might be you. Murder and mayhem at the Karma Lounge, free fun for all—all who manage to survive, that is.
Jonathan Coulton, Paul and Storm: Now that we’ve gotten that karaoke out of our system, come hear what a truly talented “geek troubador” sounds like. $20 tickets, at Antone’s.
The Avalonstar Bowling Extravaganza: In its fourth big year, this Interactive favorite continues to innovate. This year? Open bowling! Cheer on your favorite team or just come to bowl a few frames yourself. What’s sexier than geeks in rented shoes? Nothin’, that’s what.
Fray Café 9: Web celebs and civilians alike gather on the patio at the comfy Red Eyed Fly for an evening of personal storytelling. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll probably want to sign up for the open mic. We personally can’t wait to hear what rock star librarian Jessamyn West, one of several special guests, is gonna tell.
Bacon-Flavored Interactive After Party: You had us at “bacon”. Performances by Bacon Shoe and a raffle benefiting the Children’s Music Fund. And bacon? Please?
Google Reader Party: Oh yeah, baby, hot RSS and Atom action! The big G always puts on a great party, and they promise special treats for early arrivals. Interactive badge or invite required.
One of our very favorite events returns to SXSW tomorrow night, as Fray Café 9 takes over the patio at Red Eyed Fly, 715 Red River, from 8 pm until midnight. Stop by for personal storytelling at its finest, with featured guests and an open mic with only three restrictions: It’s gotta be true, it’s gotta be personal and it’s gotta be under five minutes. This year’s host is national treasure Kevin Smokler.
(Photo of Kevin Smokler, declaiming the magic of Purim at Fray Café 5, courtesy of Dan Budiac and the Creative Commons.)
...so come get a beer. GLBT SXSW (can we buy a vowel?) attendees have a couple of meetups planned this week. The first, tonight at 11 pm at Oil Can Harry’s (211 W. 4th) is a rather spontaneous affair, sort of a homo flashmob. Get together with friends old and new over a few drinks and maybe a dance or two.
What’s that? The first full day of the conference has barely begun and you’re already looking toward the night? Well, we say good on ya! Here are just a handful of this evening’s events you might want to hit after the panels wind down:
Bike Hugger Mobile Social BBQ: They call it the “intersection of bikes, technology, and culture.” We call it an opportunty to score some ‘cue and rock out with the Sycon DJs. Awesome.
The Bigg Digg Shindigg: Would you just look at all those extra G’s? Now that’s the sign of a good party, friend. Live music, DJs and confidence tricks from Scam School host Brian Brushwood. No badge required.
SXSW Interactive Opening Party: Hosted by Frog Design, this is a big one. Promising uniquely Austin entertainment and, if past is prologue, some killer lines for beer. Get there early. Interactive, Platinum and Gold SXSW badge holders only.
OK! Happy Cog’aoke: Zeldman sings! Well, maybe. Even if you haven’t Idol ambitions, you’ll probably get off on this friendly karaoke competition at the Scoot Inn, brought to you by Happy Cog.
Naturally, there’s a lot else going on. Hey, it’s Saturday night in the live music capital of the universe! For more events, check out listings on Upcoming, Showlist Austin, sched.org or the official SXSW site.
|
Permalink
