Depending on your budget, stamina and opinion of Tex-Mex cuisine, the thought of spending a whole week in Austin for the annual South By Southwest (SXSW) Film, Interactive and Music Festival may trigger varying levels of anxiety. Factor in this year’s dose of inclement weather, followed by a senseless tragedy that, for many, hit close to home, and your attendance at the festival to end all festivals might become further complicated. But for those who are truly focused on the rapidly evolving intersection of media, entertainment and technology, one week spent at SXSW affords ample access to the thought leaders, industry trendsetters and emerging platforms that are likely to affect the future. Simply put, the entire conference is now a must-attend.

SXSW Interactive attendees have traditionally extracted value from the festival through many different outlets. However, this year, as Fortune reporter Erin Griffith and several other panelists observed, there appeared to be a greater shift among many towards private intimate gatherings and away from large corporate-sponsored activations. Among the most high-profile intimate gathering venues was the Fast Company Grill, which hosted an invitation-only mix of journalists, product evangelists, startup accelerators and founders. Fullscreen, a YouTube- and Vine-based content creator network hosted a similarly small-yet-fun event for its clients and friends. Those seeking an even more streamlined crowd could have opted for Gary Vaynerchuk’s #SecretWineParty, or cocktails within the familiar confines of the lobby lounge at the Four Seasons hotel. Yet, there was no shortage of venues for companies to showcase recently-launched products, and some of these areas (including the PayPal Lounge, which hosted a chat with Randi Zuckerberg) also doubled as fully-functioning workspace lounges.

Warm post-panel exchange between Ben Horowitz (Andreesen Horowitz) and Nas.

As SXSW has grown in size and scope, the lines between Interactive and Music (both of which overlay Film) have become increasingly blurred, and this was perhaps most evident during “The Hard Thing About Hard Things” a panel in which Ben Horowitz, VC at Andreesen Horowitz, and renowned hip-hop artist Nas engaged in a friendly panel discussion centered around handling difficult decisions and overcoming challenging business cycles. The following day, Pepsi sponsored an exclusive bioreactive concert featuring A-Trak that was powered by Lightwave, a company that creates augmented nightlife experiences by collecting and analyzing user data through its wearable wristband technology. Further examples of Interactive and Music convergence included the Official SXSW Interactive Closing Party, which was hosted by Media Temple in celebration of Def Jam’s 30th Anniversary, the Samsung Galaxy Concert Series which featured Jay-Z and Kanye West, and Kanye West’s G.O.O.D. Music Showcase, which was hosted by Yahoo!

Timothy Jordan, Developer Advocate for Google +, and a friend at the Fast Company Grill.

The massive user uptick in streaming music services and launches of hardware (Aether Cone, etc.) with music-related artificial intelligence components that have transpired since last year’s SXSW also served to extend Interactive themes into the Music portion of the festival. What’s Trending’s Shira Lazar, DJ Skee of Skee TV and both Russell Simmons and Steve Rifkind of All Def Music led a thought-provoking panel on the significance of YouTube as a tool for artist discovery, content development and monetization. Spotify House maintained its position as a default venue for emerging recording artists, iTunes Festival featured Grammy-nominated Kendrick Lamar, and on the media side, The FADER, FILTER and Elliot Wilson’s Rap Radar blog hosted music showcases or panels featuring Damon Albarn, Banks and Lil’ Wayne, respectively. A week removed from the office or your normal work environment can feel like an eternity away from the staff, processes and technology that make your business go, but the sheer magnitude of interaction, innovative thought and trendspotting that occurs among some of the brightest leaders in the media, entertainment and technology space during SXSW Film, Interactive and Music makes for a smart investment of time, energy and other resources. Words to the wise: register and make your accommodations early, download the app and carefully plan the little down time you will have in order to make your extended Austin stay worthwhile.

Angel Headrick, Braintree-sponsored SXSW pedicabber and UT-Austin student.

Posted on 3/18/2014

Written by Harold Hadnott

Harold Hadnott is a Managing Partner at Beverly Hills, CA-based H2KREATIVE, an innovative business and brand development, content production and talent cultivation platform focused on the media, entertainment and technology space. He founded the company following a successful stint on Wall Street where he advised Silicon Valley entrepreneurs, venture capitalists and executives on pre- and post-liquidity event investment strategies. Harold can be followed on Twitter at @HaroldHadnott.

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