SXSW 2009: The First 48 Hours
Monday, March 16th, 2009Cold and wet, but having a great time at SXSW. While the weather has put a small damper on outdoor events, many are still rolling along and panels are packed.
While Friday was spent checking out the set up at the convention center and catching up with friends, I did manage to take in one panel, “My Boss Doesn’t Get It: Championing Social Media to the Man.” Some great information for those looking to get their employers involved in social media, I think many in attendance took away valuable tips on bringing their company into Web 2.0 discussion. Check out the recap from @Kara_atDell on Direct2Dell for her take on the panel.
The Silverlight booth was giving demonstrations on Microsoft Surface, with hands on experimentation for those who wanted to play with the technology.
Thursday, everyone kicked into SXSW mode and the full schedule of panels began. “Social Media Marketing” on the day stage looked promising, but what was slated as a 30-minute discussion, was cut short to 15 minutes, barely giving time for Alan Moore to share any information. That said, you can pick up his book “Social Media Marketing” for more information, as it did look very interesting.
Bike Hugger Beer & BBQ was a great time as always, and the event was packed. Pop on over to Regeneration.org as our own Todd Dwyer took some time and sat down with DL Byron, the man behind the BikeHugger.com Web site.
Dorkbot Austin hit Brush Square park and again brought an incredible group of artists who mix technology, music and basically all types of electronic art. My favorite was ArcAttack, who brought singing Tesla coils to the event and wowed the crowd with the fusion of music and potential lethal electricity.
The big event for Friday night was the SXSW Interactive Opening Party Hosted by frog design. Held against the beautiful backdrop of downtown Austin, at the equally beautiful Mexican American Cultural Center, SXSW-goers mingled and danced the night away. With Chinese dragons, drum lines and performances from Kitty Kitty Bang Bang, a good time was certainly had by all those in attendance.
Back to SXSW, still a full week of events with Interactive, Film and Music coming up later in the week.
Follow the event with me on Twitter: @ChrisBatDell
