Well SXSW 2015 is over and somehow we “locals” managed to survive all the additional people coming to enjoy our great city of Austin, Texas. SXSW for me personally seemed a little different this year. As I talked with friends who live here we all agreed. SXSW 2015 was different this year but we couldn’t quite put our finger on it. So I suspect we will continue to discuss our SXSW 2015 adventures over cocktails and we will come up with one consensus. Stay tuned.

I love SXSW; people from all over the world descend on our “small” town to do what they love, whether it’s education, technology, film or music. The networking is amazing and you never know who you are going to run into or meet walking down the street. Living in Austin, Texas has its perks and one of them is enjoying SXSW!

While I love music and film, my favorite part of SXSW is the Interactive part. The city is filled with many innovative companies here to launch their technology, and I love all the swag and there are many opportunities to win technology prizes. Let’s not forget all the parties, you must be ready for lots of walking and wear comfortable shoes.

To fully enjoy SXSW it really pays to know where and what you want to do so it really is a plus to have your schedule planned ahead of time. The only way to enjoy SXSW is to know which parties to hit up and which ones you don’t want to stand in line for. AND you will stand in line, but it’s the fun part of the whole experience. I met so many interesting people while standing line, I even made a few new friends.

After 5 days of Interactive fun, I was personally exhausted and in my usual manner learned a few lessons from this year’s SXSW. Here are a few pointers:

1. Comfortable shoes

2. Plan ahead of time and RSVP for events. Have your schedule ready and check in with your friends so you are all in sync

3. Carry a small bag in your purse (for all the free swag, t-shirts etc.)

4. Pace yourself – free drinks can catch up on you

5. Have a cell phone battery backup, I carry one of those recharge units and it saved me

6. Don’t drive, Uber was great this year and more economical than paying for parking

7. Plenty of business cards

8. Sunscreen, sunglasses, hats, scarves… you know the usual

And remember to have fun! SXSW dates for 2016 haven’t been released but I know I will be ready after the 12 months of recuperation and will I be recharged for SXSW 2016.

Cheers,

Chica

**** Photo taken on the last day of SXSW, March 22, 2015, Photo credit goes to Ruben Morales Photography