Last week was a busy one for many in the interactive community here in Minnesota. As chronicled by Minnov8, South By Southwest (SXSW), a name long associated with independent and breaking music and has grown to include Film and Interactive, attracted many of Minnesota’s best and brightest for five days of workshops, events, and parties.
From March 13th-17th the Austin Convention Center, as well as the very Streets of Austin, became a hotbed for computer code, social media, and interactive business. And right there in the middle of it stood the Land of 10,000 Lakes.
For example, marketing agency Zeus Jones and interactive and technology developer Sierra Bravo teamed up to storm into Austin and dominate Microsoft’s PhizzPop Design Challenge, a web design and development competition. The PhizzPop Tour stopped in seven cities across the U.S. including Minneapolis where Zeus Jones and Sierra Bravo emerged victorious.
The task was this: a 3-person team conceives, designs and presents a solution to a fictional brief in front of a live audience and a panel of judges. This year’s task was to help the citizens of Austin live more sustainably using currently-available technologies. According to Christian Ercikson of Zeus Jones, “Our idea came from the idea that instead of focusing on using less – something that is important, but well-covered by others – we should focus on doing more with the resources that we already have.”
The presentation proved to be the winner as a unanimous decision by the judges chose the Minneapolis team’s Usemore Campaign as this year’s winner.
Best Buy also had a strong presence at SXSW this year. The Best Buy Remix team was there along with Mashery hosting Circus Mashimus on the main floor of the Austin Convention center. The “big top” feel of this five day event was designed to not only bring attention to Best Buy’s open API for their product catalog but to inspire developers to build mash-ups that include it. SXSWi particpants were invited to Circus Mashimus to hook up with friends and colleagues, watch an API demo, learn about a mashup contest and brainstorm ideas with the experts, meet new people, or just relax.
According to Senior E-Business Architect for Best Buy, Kevin Matheny, “We’ve seem the first blushes of some really neat mash-ups of the API’s, very exciting.” He also noted that SXSW “is a great place for serendipity.”
It is that serendipity that truly is the heart and soul of what SXSWi can mean to those Minnesotans who make the trip and buy their badge. Whether representing a company like those noted above as well as Weber-Shandwick’s Greg Swan, or there on behalf of a business or start up, as I was for Localtone Radio, Jennifer Kane was for Kane Consulting, or Nicole de Beaufort was for Fourth Sector Consulting, the ability to connect with these personalities and professionals of the ether provides the biggest appeal.
While the sessions proved to be informative and well attended, though some smacked of being a bit remedial for what one percieves as a cutting edge event, the hall ways, lunches, and night-time parties provided the chance to share experiences and dig deep into specifics. In fact, it would have been difficult to emerge from one of these discussions or events with our serisously questioning the existence of a recession or any economic strife. That’s not to say there isn’t a solid understanding of, or distinct impact felt by these troubled financial times, but the sheer energy and enthusiasm, the desire to truly explore where the path will lead overrides dwelling on the actual ability to fund or derive revenue from what is ahead. Personally it was a bit of welcome bliss from the harsh realities waiting outside the Austin city limits.
From my Minnesota perspective there is a strong take away from South By Southwest. As we continue to emerge as a market that is transforming “fly-over country” for those on the east-coast and in “the Valley” into a destination for tech and interactive technology, our representation at events like SXSWi is well represented and growing! And most importantly that representation is being noticed in a very positive way. Minnesota can clearly talk the talk and walk the walk.