Every spring, the South by Southwest Conference and Festivals fill our home city of Austin, Texas, with big ideas – not to mention beer and barbecue.
With scores of sessions on an array of topics, the SXSW schedule can be kind of overwhelming. So we put together a list of recommendations to make your SXSW planning easier. These picks cover some of the same themes we talk about here at The Creative Executive and/or feature smart people we like who are dropping some major wisdom. Check them out if you can.
Great Sessions for Creative Executives
- Leading with Love: Future of Emotional Leadership
Our friend Ryan Fey is part of this panel on how millennials are changing the employer-employee relationship.
- Networking Sucks. Build Communities People Love
Panelist Ben Thoma organizes CreativeMornings/Austin, an event series where we’ve been featured. So we know he knows his stuff on this topic.
- HI + AI: What’s the Future of Intelligence?
Futurist Nancy Giordano is one of the panelists sharing ideas about the intersection of human and artificial intelligence.
- Personal Career Management for Self-Realization
The guys on this panel are deep thinkers on finding engagement and meaning at work.
- Build a Culture of Good: Unleash Results
A discussion about the intersection of employees, customers and cause.
- The Intersection of Personality & Business Meet Up
Swap ideas about teams, motivation and retention.
- Strengthening Organizations Through Coaching
How to build a culture of coaching in your company.
Get Schooled
These sessions can help you pick up a new skill or specialized information.
- Designing Intelligent Conversations with Chatbots
Ready to jump into the world of artificial intelligence? Experience designer Austin Beer is leading a fast-paced workshop.
- Getting a Big Sound on a Small Budget
If you work involves film and audio, join audio engineer Shayna Brown and other panelists for this session.
- Finding the Words: How To Create Your Web Content
Lindsey Tyner’s workshop will help if you’re not sure where to start in creating copy for a new website.
- Speak Up! Build an Alexa Skill for a Cause
Tom Hudson and the gang from Thirteen23 will show you to build an Alexa Skill (a job that Amazon’s intelligent personal assistant can do).
More SXSW Picks
Our Creative Executive buddies speaking at each session are listed in parentheses after the titles.
- DoD, Silicon Valley, Hollywood: Hacking for Defense (Matt Thunnell)
- Dunking on Disparity: Health Tech for All (Baker Harrell)
- Research Universities Should Be Better at Startups (Kerry Rupp)
A Couple of SXSW Reminders
If you’ve read this far, you’re probably all set with your SXSW planning, but just in case not … South by Southwest happens March 10-19 in Austin, Texas. To go to any of the sessions we’ve recommended, you’ll need to buy a badge. Some sessions are open to only certain types of badges, and several that we’ve mentioned here require an RSVP.
