What to look forward to at SXSW Interactive, according to Director Hugh Forrest

March is a month loved by many. Some bask in the onset of spring, others revel in March Madness, and those in the tech community know only one thing: SXSW Interactive.  

 

The festival returns March 13 for its 22nd year, set to gather the brightest minds in the tech and digital space for a week of sharing ideas. To find out exactly what attendees should look forward to this year, we spoke with Hugh Forrest, director of the festival.

 

Read on to catch what's new in 2015, as well as Hugh's thoughts on the startup and tech industries. 

Built In Austin (BIA): What is shaping up to be unique about this year’s festival? 

 

Hugh Forrest (HF): One of the most important developments for SXSW Interactive 2015 is the opening of the new JW Marriott hotel in downtown Austin. It gives us 1,000 more sleeping rooms downtown. And, even more important, it gives us four more floors of meeting space two blocks away from the Austin Convention Center.

 

Its presence allows us to double the size of Startup Village in 2015 and add the new SX Health and MedTech Expo on Monday, March 16 and Tuesday, March 17.

 

BIA: What panels and presentations are you most excited for?

 

HF: I am really excited about the David Weinberger session “Is the Internet Disappointed in Us?” on Sunday, March 15. Weinberger is a former keynote speaker at SXSW Interactive. He is also one of the co-authors of the book “The Cluetrain Manifesto,” which is one of my all-time favorites. Weinberger will be speaking at the Hyatt Regency as part of the very strong “Content & Distribution” track.

 

BIA: What startup ideas are you most interested to learn more about this year?

 

HF: I’m excited about all the startups that are finalists for SXSW Accelerator 2015 — we think this is our strongest class of finalists ever. Otherwise, I’m excited that we will continue to see so many more international startups at this year’s event. As evidence of that international concentration, recall that 4 of the 9 category winners for SXSW Accelerator in 2014 were from outside the United States. It's exciting to see that the startup movement has in fact become a global phenomenon. 


 

BIA: How is the tech industry doing, both in Austin and on a country-wide scale? 

 

HF: The startup economy is still booming, and we are excited that we have doubled the size of Startup Village to accommodate that. That said, we should try to be as realistic as possible when describing the startup economy. The bulk of all startups will fail, so it is a high risk and high reward pursuit. Also, it is likely that we will see a decrease in funding for startups by the end of 2015. If startup investments become more conservative, that will force startups to embrace stronger, sounder business models, which will ultimately make that industry stronger. 

 

BIA:  How has the festival been tweaked from previous years to allow for optimal interaction between festival-goers and presenters/panel members? 

 

HF: A couple of years ago, we added Meet Ups to the schedule. As the title implies, Meet Ups are a great way for attendees to connect with the exact kind of people that they want to connect with at SXSW. Given the addition of the JW Marriott, we will have more Meet Ups than ever in 2015, and more will be centrally located and easier to access.



 

BIA: How does the SXSW Interactive team ensure each festival is fresh and new? 

 

HF: One of the most effective strategies in trying to keep each year’s event fresh and new is the SXSW PanelPicker. That is the interface we use to select about 80 percent of the content at SXSW Interactive — it essentially uses a modified crowdsourcing approach to content. While the PanelPicker isn’t a perfect system, it is a great way to connect us with the people in the community who are doing the most relevant new work. The more that we can connect to those people, the more likely that SXSW remains fresh, new and compelling.

 

BIA: Please share anything else you would like regarding SXSW Interactive and the festival overall.

 

HF: SXSW is a great opportunity to explore new ideas and meet new people and expand your horizons. I would encourage everyone to take advantage of this opportunity as much as possible. Purchasing a badge is a great way to be part of the event. But, there are also a number of ways you can participate in the event without buying a badge (i.e., all the SXSW Guest Pass events). Get involved!