SXSW Interactive 2013: Events to Attend
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From March 8-12, curious minds will descend on Austin, TX, for South by Southwest. A much-hyped annual event, SXSW is an interactive conference centering on new technologies and digital creativity – it features speakers, panels, showcases, and networking opportunities galore. There is no shortage of excellent programs this year, so we’ve compiled a “must-attend” list to help you choose the best ones.
What Marketers Should Ask Themselves About Social
Friday, March 8 (12:30PM – 1:30PM) AT&T Conference Center, Salon C, 1900 University Ave
Jeff Dachis, CEO, Chairman & Founder of Dachis Group, will discuss how social media has shifted the balance of power from marketers and advertisers to consumers. He will examine the implications this shift has for the role of social in years to come.
Emerging Media & Devices
Friday, March 8 (2:00PM-3:00PM) Wanderlust, 206 E 4th St
The communication landscape is highly fragmented thanks to a recent proliferation of tools and technologies. In this panel, presenters will discuss how to select and utilize emerging technologies to reach your target audience.
Marketing Implications of Facebook’s Graph Search
Friday, March 8 (3:30PM – 4:30PM) AT&T Conference Center, Salon C, 1900 University Ave
Facebook’s latest innovation, Graph Search, represents the union of the social graph and the interest graph. Presenters at this panel will assess the implications of this addition to the Facebook ecosystem – will it help marketers generate richer consumer insights and increase ROI.
How to Rank Better in Google & Bing
Friday, March 8 (5:00PM – 6:00PM) Austin Convention Center, Room 18 ABCD, 500 E Cesar Chavez St.
In the Q&A-style panel, presenters will touch on smart ways to increase search visibility. Their advice will include things you can do on your own site as well as “off the page” activities and “signals” (like social media sharing) that have an impact on search rankings.
David over Goliath: Power of the Sharing Economy
Saturday, March 9 (12:30 PM – 1:30 PM) Hilton Austin Downtown, Salon JK, 500 E 4th St
The terms “sharing economy” and “collaborative consumption” describe what we see today – an economy wherein people rely on each other, not large institutions, for goods, education, jobs and enterprise creation. This panel will evaluate whether this change is it a positive or negative development.
How Peep Culture Hacked Your Reputation & Brain
Saturday, March 9 (12:30 PM – 1:30 PM) Sheraton Austin Downtown, Capitol EFGH, 701 E 11th St
Hal Niedzviecki, in his book, 'The Peep Diaries' & doc 'Peep Culture,' notes our willingness to bare everything for entertainment, profit & reputation. During this panel, lead by Boyd Neil, Canadian Practice Leader for Social Media & Digital Communication, the panelists will debate Hal's idea - a peep culture centered on chasing maximum rewards for exposing private lives.
Mobile Disruption & the Rise of the Local Web
Sunday, March 10 (3:30 PM – 4:30 PM) Hilton Austin Downtown, Salon JK, 500 E 4th St
Thanks to the rise of mobile, local merchants can now communicate directly with customers, and customers can order services and have them delivered in near real-time. Panelists will examine this trend, assessing the impact it has had on local commerce.
Moving from Story to Narrative
Monday, March 11 (11:00 AM – 12:00 PM) Hilton Austin Downtown, Salon JK, 500 E 4th St
John Hagel, Chairman at Deloitte, will explain how narratives amplify impact in the social space. He will argue that narratives operating at three levels – the individual, the institution and the social unit – are most effective, especially where they leverage new technologies like social, cloud, mobile and Big Data.
Death by Demographics: Killing Off Your Ad Budgets
Monday, March 11 (9:30 AM – 10:30 AM) Austin Convention Center, Room 12AB, 500 E Cesar Chavez St
Presenters will argue that purchase-data, not demographic targeting, is the key to maximizing your ad budget. Aiming cookie-cutter marketing at demographic groups is no longer a relevant method because it falsely assumes that all members of a demographic have similar interests, desires and values.
“Marketing is BS” (Part I), Presented by Adobe
Monday, March 11 (9:30 AM – 10:30 AM) Radisson Town Lake, Town Lake Ballroom, 111 E Cesar Chavez St
Presenters will lead the discussion on how innovations in data-driven marketing are helping debunk common myths like “Marketing is BS” and “Social Marketing is Worthless.”
Identity+30: The Future of Identity
Sunday, March 10 (5:00PM – 6:00PM) Sheraton Austin, Capitol View South, 701 E 11th St
Sam Lessin, current director of product at Facebook, will speak about his vision of identity in 30 years. His predictions will be based on the trends and technologies that are emerging today, and what formative effects they may have on the not too distant future.
H+K @ SXSW 2013
In addition to these programs, we encourage you to check out the H+K-sponsored events. Themed around the rise of measurement and analytics, our sessions look at how emerging data trends are reshaping journalism, democracy and our everyday lives. Here’s the lineup:
Data, Storytelling and Breaking Through the Noise
Sunday, March 10 (9:30 AM – 10:30 AM) Wanderlust, 206 E 4th St
The Internet is inundated with “noise” – and it is increasingly difficult to be heard. This session examines how data driven stories can help you breakthrough the noise to connect (and resonate) with target audiences.
Journalism by #s: Data Will Change the Nature of News
Sunday, March 10 (11:00 AM – 12:00 PM) Wanderlust, 206 E 4th St
Content may be journalism’s King, but there’s no kingdom without data. This panel will explore how data may alter the very definition of news, and whether a smart algorithm can ever replace personal, emotional reporting.
How Self-Tracking Geeks are Shaping our Future
Sunday, March 10 (12:30 PM – 1:30 PM) Wanderlust, 206 E 4th St
The “self-quantifying” movement has gained momentum recently, and now, more people than ever are using data to find our more about themselves and their world. This panel will focus on the potential this movement has to shape how we live our lives in the future.
Big Data Democracy: The Rise of Analytics
Sunday, March 10 (3:30 PM – 4:30 PM) Wanderlust, 206 E 4th St
In this panel, top political and technological minds will discuss how mining and analyzing "big data" helps predict - extremely accurately - the behaviors of constituents and the electorate. Presenters will offer their take on how data will continue to influence the political landscape.
To learn more about H+K @ SXSW 2013, please visit hkstrategies.com/sxsw2013