I still contend that SXSW Interactive is spring break for nerds. Close to 30,000 like minded people in the technology field gather to talk about social media, wearables, cameras, cell phones, and so much more. On top of this niche community large brands ascend into downtown Austin to provide lounges, food, swag, and their presence around some of the most influential people around. While this SXSW is smaller and more controlled by the city of Austin, its no less a party than past years.
This year Mazda grabbed the official car of SXSW, Samsung is in full force showing everyone their phones and Gear VR, and Mophie is out with St. Bernards making sure everyone’s phone is fully charged. While these brands are only the top of the ice berg they were the ones who managed to grab most peoples attention. We still see and hear about Uber, but Lyft is the official ride sharing service of SXSW.
If you don’t know Austin, Texas is known for a few things; Barbecue, breakfast tacos, and being weird. Their whole mantra is “keep Austin weird.” This identity of the city and the tech culture around it is what has made SXSW the spring break for nerds. It’s different than a singular press event or CES as it has a party and laxed vibe to it. It’s about connecting, socializing with fellow like minded people, and having fun in a great city.
It’s not all parties, breakfast tacos, and barbecue though. The event is where Twitter, Foursquare, and a growing number of start ups turn to prove themselves in the real world. It’s a large event that if you can manage to draw enough attention from the fun you can create enough buzz to make your product viral. It’s also where some notable celebrities, politicians, and corporate suites come to talk about what they are passionate about.
SXSW is hands down the most interesting and exciting event every year for me. And many of you know how excited a new phone can get me so this is saying a lot about not only SXSW but Austin as a whole.
As for pictures I’ve already gone through and found the photos that I liked, and yes there’s a lot of them. The video from the GoPro looks great so far, and I’ll have some of that out tomorrow hopefully. If you want live up to the second coverage follow us on Twitter or add us on Snapchat; Our username is DigitalBounds.
Tell us what you think about SXSW and the atmosphere around the event in the comments below!
