The SXSWi guide you’ve been looking for

For all of you making the yearly pilgrimage to SXSWi this year, Brad King has written the best guide I’ve seen so far. It includes loads of practical tips (wear comfortable shoes, don’t expect to find a cab, drink water) and loads of tips for getting the most out of the 5 days (do lunch with friends and strangers, don’t show up just in time, make your own party).

Here are a couple of my favourite tips:

Don’t Just Hang With Your Friends: If you spend all your time with the people you already know, you’re missing the point of South by Southwest. It’s cool to have a posse. It’s cooler to have a new posse every day.

Big Parties Are For Suckers: You think you want to go to the big parties. You hear there’s an open bar. The music will be kicking, you say. Maybe that’s true. You won’t notice though because the line is around the block. Plus, there’s no place to sit. And you can’t hear anybody. Or get back to the bar.

Home Will Be Sad: You will experience a bit of a let down when you return home. You will want to quit your job, school, life…everything, and return to South by Southwest. Take a deep breath and do what the rest of us do: get on Twitter and count down the days until it begins again.

Have fun down there and play safe. And if you are going to be in Austin, please look me up (@pema), I’d love to have lunch with ya.

1 Comment

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  Brad King March 1, 2011 at 9:57 am

  Thanks for the kind words. You know where to find me. Let’s try to meet up and high five in person :)