For the first time since the project was created, SXTXState participants had the opportunity to sit down with a few members of the SXSW Interactive team.
Director Hugh Forrest, Senior Festival Programmer Sarah Garcia and Festival Coordinator Andrew McNeill provided insight into this year’s festival, and offered advice for event newcomers and veterans alike.
According to the Interactive team, there will be 45 different panel rooms at this year’s event, along with some venue changes. The team has also been working to make SXSW better and more vibrant by increasing the number of international voices, and furthering the diversity of the event.
“When talking about the tech industry, the sameness – young, straight, white, male – can be overwhelming,” SXTXState member Becky Larson said. “It was really encouraging to talk to Hugh and the Interactive team and hear about the amount of effort spent finding unique and diverse voices.”
Hugh Forrest mentioned that 70 to 80 percent of SXSW panels are chosen through the PanelPicker voting system, but the remaining percentage are more carefully curated by the team, depending on which current issues deserve the recognition.
The Interactive team said trends to look for at this year’s event include startups, automation, space programming, transportation, DIY elements and the “Uber” of everything. They also mentioned self-driving cars and a robot petting zoo.
“Geeks have become cool,” Forrest said.
A few under the radar events include those in the health and biotech fields, as well as SX Create.
As for advice, Forrest stressed the importance of embracing serendipity during the festival. Change your game plan when something better comes up, and don’t be afraid to talk to the people around you. Step outside of your comfort zone.
“Go to sessions you don’t know anything about, or where you may not agree with the speaker,” Forrest said.
The Interactive team told the SXSW newcomers that it’s best to be flexible when dealing with an event of this size.
“The best advice I received from the meeting with Hugh, Andrew and Sarah was to not get overwhelmed by the enormity of the event,” SXTXState member Tyler Hammond said. “Pick a few panels, and then just go with the flow.”
The Interactive team looks forward to hearing what feedback the new members of the SXTXState team can provide after the event, and the graduate students are happy to help.
“I am very pleased that we were able to kick off SXTXState 2015 with a meeting with the SXSW Interactive team,” SXTXState director Cindy Royal said. “Our students are better prepared than ever to execute this project by having this unique opportunity to hear from those running the event.”
