As I boarded my plane in New York en route to Austin for SXSW, I caught a fellow passenger out of the corner of my eye – Morgan Spurlock. He was also headed to SXSW Film for a screening of his latest movie, “The Greatest Movie Ever Sold.” Whether or not you agree with Morgan’s philosophies, he is undoubtedly a respected figure in his field. And here he was going to SXSW, on my plane!
Seeing such a well-known figure made me realize how SXSW really embraces both the big and little people. The conference is open to the general public (provided you are willing to shell out the registration fee), and attendees are free to roam events with the likes of global heads of communications and celebrity actors. There are start-up companies, megabrands like Pepsi MAX and individual entrepreneurs. It’s a great place to learn.
PepsiCo and the brands involved are true facilitators, spreading the word about great new ideas and the people who have made them happen. We were lucky enough to snag panel time with the founders of GroupMe, one of the most talked about companies over the past few days. We also brought to life on the PepsiCo Stage the reality of the Pepsi Refresh Project with two grant winners – a story of bringing awesome small ideas to fruition.
It’s no surprise this conference has grown exponentially in size over the years (probably doesn’t hurt that Austin is also a terrific city). I also heard that last year, registration for the Interactive portion surpassed Music for the first time ever — emphasizing the growing importance we are placing on social media and technologies. I am lucky to be able to play a part!
