South by Southwest (SXSW) Interactive has come and gone once again in an annual flurry of panels, parties, and events the likes of which could only be hosted in a state the size of Texas. That might sound trite, but the three-day event (four if you include the open house and wonderful Scott McCloud interview) is an endurance test of daytime panels and nighttime follies.
Not for the faint of heart, SXSW is spring break for some, a business write-off for others, and for the majority, a chance to meet up with friends old and new.
This was my second SXSW. Since last year's conference had brought an incredible moment of epiphany that wrought the kind of change that requires a significant number of boxes, roughly three thousand miles and quite a bit of paperwork for Customs and the INS, I was excited to be returning. But who knew what to expect this year given the roller coaster ride of the past few months? With so many of us having been either directly or indirectly affected by the downturn in the markets, it was pretty much a given that it would show up in the flavor of the conference.
Andy Wang, from Ironminds sums it up by saying that "in a way, I'm relieved, really, that I no longer have to speak breathlessly about the potential of the Web economy, and how 'eyeballs' can be 'monetized,' and what my 'exit strategy' is." After all, SXSW Interactive's focus is the creative Web. Wang went on to say that ". . . maybe now that the venture capital has dried up, it [the Web] can return to its roots. As gloomy as things may seem, I think the conference will help me recapture some of the energy I felt last year. Or at least give me an opportunity to eat some good Tex-Mex food and drink some Shiner Bock."
Community
Unlike many of the other trade shows, conferences, and festivals that I've attended, SXSW has long been more about the creative community than the sometimes-blatant hucksterism associated with other, more commercial conventions.
A wonderful example of this community is SXSWbaby!, a public Weblog created by Pyra Labs' Evan Williams, Meg Hourihan, and Paul Bausch last year.
"Ev, Meg, and I (the only full-time employees of Pyra at the time) knew that SXSW 2000 would be a big event for us and Blogger. It felt like the 'Weblog coming out party' . . . the first big gathering of Webloggers. Naturally, we felt there should be a public Weblog to facilitate communication, planning, and discussion" says Paul Bausch. Bausch and Matt Haughey resurrected SXSWbaby! for SXSW 2001 and the community thrived. Introductions and tip swapping prior to the convention were replaced with reminiscences and photographs.
Brad Graham is a writer, raconteur, riverboat gambler, softshoe dancer, singer of sentimental ballads, and proprietor of The BradLands. A purveyor of purple prose since 1994 and current home of mid-30s gay boy angst, Brad said "I'll be making my second visit to SXSW this year and I'm thrilled for the opportunity to catch up with old friends, make new ones."
So despite the downturn in economy and challenges to community, SXSW pulled through on both counts this year.
The Moment Of Truth: The Schwag Bag
My first clue that some things might be a little different this year was encountering Business 2.0 as only a slim something pages. Where was the doorstop tome of last year that weighed down the SXSW Interactive Media schwag bag? And where were the fabulous Disgruntled Housewife tea towels formerly found amongst the ChickClick goodies? The Atomz super balls that blinked brightly when thwapped against hard surfaces? And the Dr. Koop condoms? Where were the condoms?
I was instantly upset. Was this a hint of things to come? Would this disparity be reflected throughout the conference? Fortunately, the panels, the nightlife, and the quality insights of attendees proved it wasn't so.
Panels
The panels, for the most part, were of the same high caliber as last year, recruiting many of the best and brightest to ruminate and debate on a variety of topics. Forty-six panels and three keynotes over three days stretched our imaginations with conversations about the past with "Starting a Web business from scratch: Lessons learned the hard way," the present; "Does content still matter?" and the future—"Designing for Wireless." As with most decent conferences, too many good panels run concurrently! It was difficult to choose where to go.
Captain Cursor pointed out that "SXSW has some of the best panels of the interactive and Web conferences out there. Most conferences are full of beginner courses like an intro to XML. They have to, that's where the money is. SXSW has managed to make one of the only Web conferences where there can be a higher level of discussion."
SXSW After Dark
There were a number of return engagements this year including the Second Annual Internet Roast and the epic Frog Party. A little of the previous year's glitz and glamour might have been missing and the return of the cash bar was pretty much expected. But something a little more homegrown and quite wonderful filled any void.
Dakota Smith and Andy Pressman entertained us on Saturday night at the Bouldin Creek Coffeehouse with the thoroughly unique "Pretty Boys Doing Things." The hour's worth of song and storytelling had us all humming for the duration of the conference.
"Andy and I planned to make fools of ourselves in front of our friends, but eventually we realized other people would like to watch that, too," quips Smith. "So, we printed flyers and two weeks later our dream had come true. We both have a genetic predisposition which makes us need attention. We're starting our own charity soon."
A quick listen to Smith's Squirrel Fight should remove any doubt that this was something special.
With so many people gathered together in one place, Derek Powazek seized the moment to bring Fray Cafe to SXSW. Fray Day, an annual celebration of personal storytelling, takes place in mid to late September in San Francisco. Fray Cafe afforded many an opportunity to participate, and the resulting four hours of stories and personal reminiscences was a hit.
I was also very intrigued by 20x2, a lunchtime event sponsored by the @ustin Interactive Marketing Association. The sparse attendance had more to do with the ticket sticker shock of $21—which facilitated a $20 donation to American Youth Works—than the concept. 20x2 posed the question, "What is interactive?" Each speaker had two minutes and only two minutes to define the topic. The responses varied from the expected PowerPoint presentations to others that involved audience participation, and a few that didn't involve talking at all. Think Twister or large beach ball and you might get the idea. Joe Silva of OliveDesign, Bryan Pudder of GSD&M , Brad Graham, Andy Wang and the Austin band, and Seven Percent Solution stand out in my mind as being entertaining in ways that pushed the envelope.
A Time of Reflection
In the end though, the panels and events were merely a vehicle to facilitate the personal connections that were most remarked upon by attendees. Here are a few of my favorite quotes from some notables:
"Last year was as bad as this year, in reverse: the unthinking euphoria filled the place with those who chase money. They're gone now, but so are some good folks. The pruning is really painful, but necessary if we ever hope to grow again. But either way, SXSW is a morale booster for me. It reassures me that amazing people are still thinking amazing thoughts." - Jeffrey Veen
"I've come back feeling wonderful. Though the stories of layoffs and bitter endings outnumbered those of fast startups with venture funding, I was grateful to find that good spirited humor had returned to the Web. We all seem to have traded our power lunches for tomato soup and grilled cheese. Though we're less frantic, we're still good craftsmen who enjoy the people and the work that this industry provides. I think this is the beginning of leaner but happier times—more creative, more sustainable. I've been playing a lot of Nick Drake since getting home. It just seems to fit." - Janice Crotty Fraser, Adaptive Path
"Twenty people you know and love but rarely see. Dozens you've worked with but never met. Hundreds more you've known virtually for years. Still more, whose work you know, but you've never had the chance to exchange a two-word greeting. Suddenly you're all thrown together. It's wonderful but overwhelming. Time and space are compressed: so many people, so little time. If you're lucky, you get fifteen minutes with a friend. Or you spend hours smiling at them across a table while talking to another friend. Or you only get to shake their hand. You say "love your work" a lot. You mean it, but it still feels a little Hollywood, because there's no time to tell them how much you love the work. That's the bittersweetness of the thing: you're finally together, but only for moments. And then you're all flying away again." - Jeffrey Zeldman
SXSW is remarkable because it gives you the opportunity to learn something new, put a voice and face to an online friend, to share stories of achievements and failures, or just get silly. In the end, we all took something home with us, something that will feed us until next year.
Heather has been designing and developing Web sites and writing about Web design professionally since 1994.
