I'm going to the SxSw design conference in Austin for the first time next week. How can I make the most of it?

Question

I know this is the conference website:
http://2007.sxsw.com/

and I've seen the list of invited talks, but what should I be sure to checkout while I'm there? Is anyone else going?

Answer 1

SXSW is mostly about the people. Here are some suggestions:

1. Food: eat with small groups of people. Do NOT get roped into the "let's wait for X because she was grabbing Y and we want to be all-inclusive and not hurt anyone's feelings." Hurt people's feelings. They'll get over it. There's free booze. Go early and eat at the Melting Pot, Iron Works, the Cuban place across from the Melting Pot, Magnolia Cafe for brunch, Chuy's if you have a car, and anything off of the main strip of 6th st. It's worth the walk, seriously. And if the people you're with don't think so, maybe you shouldn't be with them.

2. Conference: make sure to go to the large talks. Go to whatever is interesting, but in the event that you have no opinion, opt for the SXSW committee's choice. they do a good job and the sheer number of people at these means you'll have something to talk to in the halls and at all of the parties. Which brings me to...

3. Parties: bring your extra liver. Per 1, don't go to the event just because it has free booze. Some of the classic events are worth going to just because of the history: Break Bread with Brad, Fray Cafe, 20x2, Bruce Sterling's closing party et al. should have the interactive elders who are good to know and know what's good. Also, if you have an option that sounds interesting but isn't supported by a major corporation or well-funded startup, choose it. The latter tend to be full of schmoozing and hard to talk at. Of course the Yahoo! party is awesome and you should definitely go to that ;)

4. You can always catch up on your sleep. Sleep is for the weak. Drink lots of rock star/sparks/red bull and set your alarm for stun.

Answer 2

I did a fair bit of travel to Austin in my first job out of college. While it's been a while, I'm guessing these places are still around:

BBQ:
- County Line is famous and good. There's one location right alongside one of the lakes or rivers - good atmosphere
- Iron Works - this place is right near 6th street, a bit shabby and quite tasty

Bars on 6th st:
- Maggie Mae's I recall was the bar on 6th street. Has an open roof deck so when the weather's good, great place to have a beer
- Shakespears Pub was my favorite on 6th street. Very mellow, good dart boards in the back, and a huge selection of hard to find beers - Belgian ales, Cask ales, etc.

Enjoy!

Answer 3

I hear that Luke Wroblewski guy is pretty clever. Here are two of his talks/panels.

Design Patterns: Defining and Sharing Web Interface Design Languages
http://2007.sxsw.com/interactive/programming/panels/?action=show&id=IAP060142

Put design patterns to use in your Web applications with an overview of the what, why, and how of shared online design pattern libraries. In particular I'll discuss what it takes to develop a usable design language and how disparate lists of design patterns can converge into a shared online resource.

Get Unstuck: Moving From 1.0 to 2.0
http://2007.sxsw.com/interactive/programming/panels/?action=show&id=IAP060160

Is your team mired in the goo and muck of old-school thinking? Are your designers and developers divided on their approach and about to throw in the towel? Are you dying to move from a stale world to a more agile, innovative approach? This panel features formerly stuck experts as well as those who have helped clients get out of the muck.

Answer 4

I assume you mean that you are going to the SXSW Interactive Conference, not the Music or Film Conferences.

Check out SXSW Baby for lots of information on Interactive:
http://www.sxswbaby.com/index.php/C11/

There are tons of events, both official and unofficial that you shouldn't miss (most are on upcoming.org too):
http://www.sxswbaby.com/index.php/site/comments/happy_hours_and_hours_and_hours/
http://www.sxswbaby.com/index.php/site/comments/and_hours_and_hours_and_hours/

SXSW unofficial social networking site:
http://www.sxswbaby.com/index.php/site/comments/conferenceer_a_sxswi_networking_app_and_more/

Read the Chronicle (local alt-weekly)
http://www.austinchronicle.com/gyrobase/Guides/sxsw

Go bowling:
http://bowling.avalonstar.com/

Don't get lost:
http://www.sxswbaby.com/index.php/site/familiarize_yourself_with_downtown/

Eat BBQ:
http://www.sxswbaby.com/index.php/site/where_theres_smoke_theres_barbecue/

Eat breakfast tacos:
http://www.sxswbaby.com/index.php/site/breakfast_tacos/

There's a bunch of other good downtown eats:
http://www.sxswbaby.com/index.php/site/more/where_to_eat_during_sxsw/

Talk to people. Take photos. Moblog to Flickr. Use Twitter and Dodgeball to connect to people you meet. Meet new folks! Lots of them! Network. Bask in the sun. Ask other people what they've seen so far that's good. Bring sunglasses. Stay hydrated. Give out your business card. Ask questions in panels. Hang out in the hallways. Smile! Bring your Mac, but don't be afraid to leave it in the hotel room. It's OK to miss a 10am panel. And don't be afraid to leave panels you think are boring. Sometimes the hallway conversations are the most fun. Go to panels that are out of your comfort zone. Arrive early for keynotes! Go to lots of parties.

My checklist:
http://www.sxswbaby.com/index.php/site/sxsw_checklist_2007/

Answer 5

check out as MANY of the musical performances you can... theres always a lot of up and coming artists that perform.

also take advantage of all of austins restaurants...

( i guess that doesnt really help specifically about the design conference... but austin DOES have a lot of artists to check out too)