SXSW Tips: On The Cheap

Left: Downtown Austin tonight –great sunset now that the rain is gone

SXSW isn’t about the panels, why? the best ones are going to be blogged and put on slideshare. What matters here is the networking, as the social web assembles as a collective community in person, true magic happens.

The networking IS what the social web is about, and I’ve met many social media strategists from different brands (had lunch with HR block, Uservoice, Dell, Seaworld, and beyond) consultants, vendors, and influencers. I’m hearing that many are here to find new jobs, I’m hearing that corporate folks that have true social experience are planning on going independent and will be finding better opportunities (more news on this, there’s at least half a dozen job changes coming this week), and those that are unemployed were smart to make it out here as an investment.

Here’s how to do SXSW on the cheap, even if you’re unemployed:
If you do this right, I think you can live at SXSW at $50 a day, plus airfare, here’s how.

Fly out here, airline tickets are cheap. I saw many that trekked here even from Hawaii.

Share a room at an inexpensive hotel, I know there are some folks that are splitting hotel rooms with others. You won’t be there that much anyways, so getting a room with two double beds is the way to go.

You don’t need a badge to attend the parties, which are often corporate sponsored.

I went to a Dell BBQ this afternoon, and food was provided, most evening parties have snacks and food provided.

Drinks at most evening parties are free, there are over half a dozen parties each night scattered around the city

Next network with others, try to get in Brian Solis’s pictures, he’ll make you look good. Collect lots of business cards and find out who’s hiring

Most of the events, sessions, and parties are on the weekend, you could be here and miss either a Friday or Monday of work, just don’t call in sick and update your Facebook profile with your drunken pictures with Zuck.

learn to suck up! Cozy on up to a CEO or make friends with Digg and Facebook founders.

Now if you can afford a badge, you should certainly do it, as some parties require a badge, and you may also want to get into the blogger lounge or a few sessions, but it’s not required. The pictures are printed on the badge, and since folks know your name, you won’t be able to be part of the ‘loan a badge’ program. I was able to get one of my friends a conference pass, she’s an official blogger for the SXSW program –can’t beat that!

So how’s the conference doing? I talked to Hugh Forrest this morning, the coordinator of SXSW and he tells me the interactive portion is up around aprox 20% while the film and music stayed even. Shows where the attention and money is going right now.

Tell me what you heard?

This entry was posted on Sunday, March 15th, 2009 at 5:17 pm and is filed under Social Media. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.