2019 SXSW Final Recap
Well, my time at SXSW is officially in the books for 2019. This year was the second year in a row I’ve attended the festival and once again, I enjoyed it immensely. Throughout this week, I’ve been blogging about some of the industry trends, innovations and just general scribbles from my notebook while in Austin. So, I thought it would be a good conclusion to explain why I like the festival so much, why I plan to go again next year, and hopefully even have others from our PEG team join me.
More Than a Festival
First and foremost, some people think of SXSW as just a music and movies festival. Well, it used to be that, but definitely isn’t anymore. This year’s featured not only leaders from the tech industry, but basically any other industry that you can think of. It really has evolved into an all-encompassing event that really encapsulates anything you’d want to learn more about. I mean, there’s a reason nearly every 2020 presidential candidate made an appearance.
Take Away What You Want
In terms of what you can take away from the event, it really all depends what you’re looking for. If you are someone into music, you could spend every single day and night listening to live performances and learning about the industry. Same if you were a movie-lover. There are screenings going on almost constantly, day and night. For me, while I dabble in checking some of those things out, I really love it for the sessions and lessons that you can take away from it. Whether it’s video-specific, entrepreneurship, work culture, etc. I fill the week I’m there by listening to people who are far more successful and far smarter than myself, just trying to take some of the lessons and learnings that they’ve had back home to put into what we do here at PEG.
The best way I can describe the way I try to experience it is like going back to college for a week, with the ability to pick and choose anything that you want to learn about without being boxed in to the standard College Algebra or Humanities in Western Civilization courses. My general goal is to attend four sessions per day. Two that directly pertain to our work (video, business, leadership), one about something I’m passionate about (urban design, technology, politics, sports, etc.) and one about something that I don’t know anything at all. It’s a good mix that leads to a week that goes by in a flash and leaves you looking forward to next year without getting too burnt out on one particular topic. Everyone tackles it in their way, but this is just what I enjoy. Both years I’ve gone, I’ve come back feeling refreshed, inspired and with a list full of notes that I am excited to bring back and incorporate into my day-to-day life, both personally and professionally.
Anyway, that’s all for this year’s week of SXSW blogging! I hope you enjoyed it. Already looking forward to next March and doing it all again!
