Mt. Bonnell @ South By South West 2019 – Part 2
Okay, so SXSW 2019 is over.I’m still thinking over all the talks I heard; conversations I had; the people I met; in fact, I’m still living off the whole experience.When you attend a festival or conference such as SXSW here are some takeaways for entrepreneurs:
Expect the unexpected. I met so many people at SXSW 2019 and almost all of these encounters were unplanned. To be honest, the people I planned to meet never showed so I left it all to Providence, and, guess what, I had the best conversations and made some great connections. So when you attend these events just go and expect the unexpected.
Be open to meeting people. It may sound self evident but you’d be surprised at how much time you can waste trying to work out which events to go to and trying to juggle the times and places where these are taking place. Forget it. Just wander. Just hang out. At a place like SXSW if you spend five minutes in a line for coffee you’ll meet some mind-expanding people. I did. Try it.
Listen more than talk. The people I was meeting were authors, thought leaders, world-shaking entrepreneurs. For once I needed to learn humility and just spend “time at their feet” listening to what they had to say. At a world event like SXSW then it is time to shut and listen. Remember, this event may bring about a once in a lifetime meeting and so that incredible person I’m listening to doesn’t need to know what I’m doing – no really, they don’t.
Be careful what you say. By this I mean, say something significant and meaningful otherwise don’t bother. SXSW is not a place for the sales pitch. This is not the place or the time for that. In any event there will be other times and other places when ‘deals’ can be made. SXSW is too good for just So relax, most conferences will generate business but it may be in ways that surprise you.
Have business cards to hand. Having just said SXSW is no ordinary festival some normal rules do apply. Business cards are not sales documents but rather ways in which you introduce yourself. People will expect them to be handed out – I did. And, guess what, these people retain them for later. So bring a stack and hand them out liberally but more in spirit of just ‘saying hello’. You may even want to consider having new or different cards made just for events like these – I did.
Don’t plan the day but plan the night. There are ten days of non-stop SXSW so you are going to need stamina. So as active as you are during the day, make sure you get to bed on time. No sleep means: no mental activity the next day. It means you are not as fresh as you would like to be when meeting some of the most interesting people you will ever meet. This is still work, enjoyable work, but work none the less.
Give yourself a day to arrive. At least a day if you are coming from outside the USA. Jet lag is real and a drag. It will make you feel groggy and tired. So give yourself some time to at least rest before the full on experience of SXSW. Just a day or two wandering around Austin savoring the build up. Why not?
Eat breakfast. And then forget about food until the evening, that way you can exploit the peak times during the day to meet people. By the evening there will be lots of time for social dinners but hunting around for food during the day can be a waste of time. There is just too many people doing the same thing so plan for this by at least having a hearty breakfast.
Do attend some of the talks. Not just the headliners, but also some of the more obscure ones on offer. Everyone who is talking on a stage at SXSW is worth listening to and carefully chosen by the organizers, so you are never going to be disappointed, and it would be shame to come home and have heard no one.
Listen to the music and enjoy a movie. SXSW has some great premiers. Keep an eye out for these events. You can see and hear some world class acts and performances right here in Austin. It is not uncommon to wander around the city during SXSW and meet some great movie directors and producers, and many executives from the music business. A great chance to meet these people informally and where that leads is up to you.
Last but by no means least: smile. Enjoy SXSW. You have paid a lot of money to come to Austin and even more for the SXSW pass. Therefore, remember that it is supposed to be an enjoyable event so if you’re not smiling then you are in the wrong place! Also, a smile is so much more inviting to all the people you will meet there than a scowl or a worried look. So smile, smile, smile and watch as the whole of SXSW smiles back!
