As a newbie to SXSW, I had no idea what to expect. The energy in downtown Austin was high, and upon stepping into the convention center you are immediately immersed with creativity. After taking it all in, and spamming my Facebook and Instagram friends with picture upon picture, I was ready to jump into my first session. Within my first few hours here, I learned some key tidbits of info that I found extremely valuable.
1. Have a plan and know its okay abandon it. There are so many sessions that it can be overwhelming. Map out the ones you’re interested in most, but also know that things come up and it’s okay if you aren’t able to make every session you wanted to attend.
2. Explore sessions outside of your expertise. You never know what could happen. They may be eye-opening to you.
3. Spark up conversations with a strangers. There are endless opportunities to meet interesting people: Waiting to get into a session, at one of the various lounges, jumping into random conversations on Twitter, or even just sitting on the floor as you recharge your phone.
Needless to say, with day one under my belt and the various newbie events that SXSW coordinated, I already feel like a SXSW veteran. I look forward to the adventures and relationship building that the conference and events will bring over the next few days!
