I’m in Austin for the third year in a row to attend South by Southwest Interactive, and hoping to get into the swing of things as panels start tomorrow at 10AM.
Erin and I are staying here for a few weeks, which is a nice change from the usual drive in Friday night and leave Tuesday afternoon to get home to work and family. Our “Sol Seeker” is camped a mile from downtown at the charming “Pecan Grove RV Park” along the Barton Springs restaurant row (we are next to Chuy’s, Shady Grove, Romeo’s, Uncle Billy’s, etc). We’re a stone’s throw from Palmer Auditorium and Zilker Park. (Oh, and if you are curious what/who Sol Seeker is, she is our home on wheels that we write about at “Travel Adventures with Lance and Erin”).
So this year should be great—the conference has grown by leaps and bounds. The keynote addresses are now housed in the Hilton Ballroom since they apparently outgrew the size available at the Convention center across the street. It’s encouraging to see and feel the excitement surrounding the web design and interactive media industries (and film and music, too, for that matter).
Speaking of music, a side benefit to being here for a bit longer is that we can catch some shows. Last night we saw “The Mother Truckers” at the Continental Club (awesome venue and great band!) and had a great meal at Guero’s Taco Bar afterwards, a local favorite. Tonight was a Lucinda Williams concert, but we had to skip it. Tomorrow we might stop by and see Jimmie Dale Gilmore at the Cactus Club… maybe.
Stay tuned for thoughts and ideas from this year’s conference; I’ll post my notes sometime next week. Aaron and Brian, I’ll miss seeing you guys here. Sam and Michael R., you should come next time!
The Sensible Leader 