South By Southwest (SXSW) dedicates itself to helping creative people achieve their goals. Founded in 1987, SXSW has a rich history and is known for its conference and festivals that celebrate the convergence of the interactive, film, and music industries.
Every March, an extraordinary community of creators, thinkers, and groundbreaking visionaries convene to share their inspiration, amplify their work, and grow their careers.
SXSW believes that creativity changes the world and that there is tremendous impact in bringing together diverse ideas, industries and people where they can inspire and be inspired through face-to-face collaboration. At its core, SXSW is about connecting people and sharing ideas.
SXSW creates opportunities and value for its participants no matter where they are in their career. There is a comprehensive array of content and programming that supports professional development goals. It is in this rich environment where participants can choose their individual journeys to match their professional interests. Every attendee walks away with valuable new ideas, practical learning, and ways to impact their careers.
Through conference sessions, film screenings, music showcases and a world-class trade show, participants enjoy conversations, build collaborations, and create business opportunities with a lasting impact. Creatives and industry executives at every level share and showcase their passion, ideas and work.
Thousands of inspired and innovative ideas are shared through the SXSW Conference. The annual PanelPicker® gives the community a voice on the sessions hosted each year, joined by curated content including Keynotes, Featured Speakers, Mentor Sessions, Round Tables, Awards, and more.
Many of the Conference’s 22 tracks focus primarily on the tech, music, and film industries, with tracks including Tech Industry & Enterprise, Health & MedTech, Startups, Design, Future of Music, Monetizing Music, and Making Film and Episodics. Convergence Tracks, such as Government & Politics, Game Industry and Connection & Culture, highlight areas where themes interact and overlap, addressing social and cultural issues and highlighting key areas where the lines between industries blur.
The expansive cross-industry Trade Show offers an experiential opportunity brimming with discovery and rewarding connections. Top creative organizations, industry leaders, and emerging startups come together under one roof. In 2019, 70,000 attendees engaged with the businesses and organizations of 25 countries. The Trade Show includes focus areas and activities, such as the Meet Up Pavilion’s networking events, inspiring presentations and performances on the Next Stage, and the Simulcast Lounge’s real-time streams of the most anticipated Conference sessions.
The SXSW Music Festival brings artists, fans and music professionals together to discover and reveal new talent, while making personal and business connections across a week of multi-genre, multi-national live performances. New, developing, and established Showcasing Artists are amongst more than 1,800 performers looking to enhance their careers by reaching new audiences. Showcases are curated by SXSW in collaboration with record labels, booking agencies, management and PR firms, export offices, publishers, media outlets, lifestyle brands, festivals, and more. Performances take place in bars, clubs, parks, churches, and hotels around downtown Austin.
The nine-day SXSW Film Festival celebrates raw innovation and emerging talent from both behind and in front of the camera. Featuring 400 screenings of provocative dramas, documentaries, comedies, genre standouts, and more, the festival has become known for the high caliber and diversity of films presented, and for its smart, enthusiastic audiences. In 2019 the SXSW Film Festival operated 17 screens across 9 venues to reveal 130 features and 130 shorts representing 45 Countries and including 150 World Premieres .
The overall gathering, including kickoff event SXSW EDU which fosters innovations in learning, transforms the city into a global mecca for creative professionals and further reinforces Austin’s well-deserved reputation as a community where innovation and commerce are nurtured, networked and celebrated. In addition to contributing to Austin’s cultural cachet, SXSW’s 2019 economic impact on the Austin economy totaled $355.9 million. The extensive global media coverage generated by SXSW represents an extraordinary return on the City of Austin’s comparatively modest investment in the event.
Learn how you can participate at SXSW.com.