Another Top 10 Tips to Survive & Thrive at SXSWi
March 10, 2010
Everybody has their tip list. Heck, I read them all and take what sounds good myself. But some friends of mine who are first-timers to SXSWi this year asked me for my best tips and so, why not put them here for anyone who could use them?
It’s by no means comprehensive. What list of 10 things can be? Nor will it work for everyone. It’s just a few of the things I pass along when my friends ask.
So here there are – in no particular order… aside from that last one.
10 Tips
1) Don’t ever, ever count on making it to more than 2 events/parties/dinners per night — you can RSVP for any & everything because there will be so much you will want to make it to – and who knows? You might be the one to make it to 8 events in 3 hours. (I know people do, but I just set my limit at 2… that way if I make it to 3 or 4? I’m really rockin’ it!!) But remember that going with the flow is more important. If you let it happen? You’ll end up being where you’re supposed to be. Which is hopefully not hoofing it half-way across Austin to wait in an hour-long line to get into the shoulder-to-shoulder, screaming-volume-only, uber-High-Profile event when a lot of the most amazing folks are someplace else in small groups talking and being happy they are where they are and who they are with.
2) Bring REALLY good shoes – the average person walks at least 10 miles a day during SXSW, sometimes more. If it weren’t for George Smith saving my feet with cute non-traditional Crocs (last year when he was doing social media for them)? I would’ve been down for the count by day 2. Everything is “just a couple of blocks from here” even if that means it’s really 3 miles and you’ll be walking the whole way because the cabs are full. The one night I sacrificed sensibility for fashion in the name of ‘cute shoes’ was the night I got blisters.
3) Stick the following in your laptop bag/purse/whatever:
- A couple of BandAid Advanced Healing Blister Ampoules (if you need these? You’ll NEED these. If not, be someone’s hero)
- Small bottle of hand sanitizer
- A couple of pens & business cards (even if you have them somewhere else) – lojack is sometimes faster
- A bottle or 2 of 5 Hour Energy – you can’t always find coffee when you need it. This will get you through w/o dying by 3pm.
- Chapstick
- Excedrine/Tylenol/Advil… something for headaches
- Colgate Wisp toothbrush, gum, mints – something that keeps your breath from being toxic 1/2 way through the day… trust me, you won’t get a chance to go back to brush your teeth.
4) Bring your powercords everywhere you go before 6pm — because you will never really get back to them once you are out for the day and nothing sucks more than dead laptop/phone syndrome. But you’ll probably want to ditch them before heading out for the night. If your hotel is too far away, see if you can drop them in a friend’s room that you’ll be out with.
5) If you use an iPhone? Make one specific page for your Twitter client, Foursquare, Whrrl, Gowalla, Flickr and whatever everyone else tells you on Day 2 that they are using — but don’t count on getting ANY reception from AT&T inside the convention center – it’s major hit or miss there. Last year they had to upgrade their hardware mid-conference and still most of us could only get reception on 5th floor or higher of our hotels.
6) After you check in, find a place in your hotel room that you can hang your badge (easily visible!) The minute you walk in – take it off and hang it up. And put it on the minute you walk out. Pretty much everything you want to get into day or night will require your badge. You might as well just wear it all the time when you’re out and take it off when in. Nothing worse than missing something because you can’t find your badge.
7) Speaking of badges? Plan on getting your badge on Thursday night if you get in early. The line will still take 30m-1h, but that’s better than the 3 hour wait on Friday or Saturday!! :\
Make a point of going to the Techset Blogger Lounge at least once (room 19a this year.) It’s where you will see people you never manage to run into the rest of the conference and it’s a good place to get caught up on email and whatnot while still networking – if you get there first thing in the morning instead of afternoon? You’ll get a better spot to plug in. Also, make sure to thank your hosts Steph Agresta & Brian Solis if you see them. TechSet & Microsoft Phone makes an oasis that you will really appreciate.
9) If there’s someone you really want to see/meet/hang out with? Make a concrete plan. With 30k people in attendance, you may not ever see them otherwise. Even if the plan is “we’ll both for sure be at TechKaraoke” – make a rough time and location like “meet you at the bar furthest from the singing on the first floor around 9p?” And then of course, ask your friends if they are on any panels or core convos. You can always meet up at a session and then head out for coffee or cocktails afterward.
10) Don’t forget to experience SXSW. If you’re a geek? You’re probably trying to twitter, check-in someplace, post a pic, make a video, write a blogpost, check your email… It’s easy to get TOO wired and to forget that you really should take this time to get some quality realspace interaction on. Scale back the social media and get with the social. Next week you can go back to interacting only online.
10 1/2) Come to this because you love me – even though it’s right smack-dab in the middle of All Hat No Cattle 2… 
Okay, seriously, don’t YOU want to know what I’m going to tell you to ditch? Sure ya do. I’ll see you there.
Did I forget to mention bring duct tape? You never know when you’ll need duct tape. And have fun. Seriously. HAVE. FUN.
