SXSW – Logistics Are Everything

I had the benefit of attending this year’s SXSW Interactive event.  Rather than trying to summarize all the great talks, I thought I’d offer some practical advice for future SXSW attendees.  Even though I lived in Austin for 5 years, I had to learn some things the hard way to make the best of my experience. SXSW Interactive is bit different compared to many of the other tech conferences. The topics range from Yoga to book signings.  The venues are spread throughout the downtown Austin area and it can be a challenge to get around.  Here are a few logistical tips to make sure you don’t miss anything.

1. Expect delays

SXSW is one of the biggest events held in Austin. You should expect heavy traffic and delays pretty much everywhere you go. At the airport, you will see long lines. If you are renting a car, try a smaller (less known) company if you can. They will most likely have less people in line and can save you up to 2 hours. My travel companion waited over 1 hour for his Budget rental car. Also expect a few hours of delay at the airport when leaving the conference. When I got to the airport at 5 a.m. to catch my 6 a.m. flight, there were at least 300 people waiting in the line. Apparently TSA thought one person would be enough to check everyone leaving SXSW.

2. Plan your events and know your routes

There are multiple hotels, bars, parking lots, and tents spread throughout the Austin downtown. You only get 30 minutes between events and you may need the whole 30 minutes to get to you next venue. At minimum, plan your next day ahead of time, know which events you want to attend, and how you are going to get there. The website and the mobile app have a decent scheduler that lets you bookmark different events. The iPhone app also had details about each venue so you can plan your route. Sometimes the descriptions for each event are short so chose wisely! Also, try Googling for the speakers or topics to see if it will be a good fit.

3. Utilize the transportation option

There are different ways to get around the downtown area. For many venues, walking is probably the fastest way to get to your next event. For other venues, SXSW has a free shuttle service that takes you to more distant places. The mobile app will let you see different routes and track the current location of the shuttles.

Chevrolet has been coming out to SXSW for the past 3 years with their “Catch a Chevy” promotion and they brought more than 50 cars this year. If you see a “Catch a Chevy” car, you can flag them down and they will take you to wherever you need to go. Or you could go to the “Catch a Chevy” hub located near the Convention Center.

4. Type of the event is important

There are several different types of events, from panels to solo to parties. Knowing what each of the types are will help you plan your day. You don’t want to go to an event expecting a discussion about technology and end up listening to a guy talking about his book at a book signing event. The scheduler on the website will have the type of the event in plain text, but the mobile app will have icons to denote each type. Knowing what these icons mean can help save you time when planning your day and maximize your SXSW experience.