1. Get on the plane to Austin with no expectations. Since SXSW was a last-minute surprise for me, I didn’t have much choice on this one, but I don’t think you can really grasp the chaos that is SXSW. I’ll take a lesson I learned in the session “Better Crowdsourcing: Lessons Learned From the3six5 Project”
2. Let loose and be in the moment.
3. If you have to “post content for the folks back home”, pick one thing you’re passionate about and follow through with it all week. Had I really thought about how I could contribute to the SXSW blogging, posting, etc. I would have made it my mission to find the best breakfast, lunch and dinner restaurants in Austin and taken everyone on a food journey through Austin.
4. Free beer and swag is everywhere. You do not need to take advantage of it all at once.
5. Some of the sessions you look forward to the most will be sales pitches. Don’t be afraid to walk out and move onto something more inspiring.
6. Don’t fall in love with the schedule you’ve built. You’ll either meet someone somewhere and go to whatever they are going to, decide to play Four Square with “the foursquare guy”, get lost on Floor 1 of the conference center when you’re supposed to be on Floor 6, or had one too many drinks the night before and choose to sleep in rather than fight the madhouse that is downtown Austin during SXSW.
7. Group chat applications are really great for keeping in touch with everyone super easily. They are also really bad.
8. Buy an iPad (if you don’t already have one of course). This one doesn’t require an explanation. Just trust me on it.
