With a seemingly never-ending list of panels and sessions for SXSW Interactive 2020, it can be overwhelming to narrow down your schedule. To make it easier, I’ve pulled the sessions I recommend that include Austin-based businesses and organizations. Pick the topics most relevant to you and show up to support local.
Friday, March 13
Deaf Entrepreneurs: Stories That Change Perception
Startups
11 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Jump straight into SXSW Interactive with Christopher Soukup to get an inside look at CSD Social Venture Fund, “the nation’s first venture fund for deaf owned and operated businesses generating social impact.” You’ll walk away from this talk with new ideas about what entrepreneurship, diversity, leadership, and investment mean.
From the Home to the Helm: Unquieting the Latina Voice
Connection & Culture
5:30 to 5:45 p.m.
Join the Deputy Executive Director of Latinitas Magazine, Sylvia Butanda, for an important talk about diversity and inclusion. During this session, Butanda will share ideas and strategy on how to grow Latina voices in media, tech, and economic leadership.
Saturday, March 14
The Experience Economy is Here, Get Ready for It
Experiential Storytelling
3:30 to 4:30 p.m.
Amber Allen from Double A Labs, an award-winning Austin company that focuses on creating engaging experiences with consumers, teams up with Jan Ryan from The University of Texas and Julie Larson-Green from Qualtrics to discuss the ever-changing world of experience expectations.
Expect to walk away from this SXSW panel knowing how the marriage of digital and physical worlds affect expectations for the brand, employee, and customer.
Signs That Your Business is Ready to Podcast
Advertising & Brand Experience
5 to 6 p.m.
Podcasting has been growing tremendously–and your business might be ready to join in this popular trend. Join Jen Grogono, CEO of uStudio, as she leads a panel of podcasting and corporate communications experts on the what, why, and where of developing your own podcast strategy.
Panelists include uStudio’s VP of Marketing (Neil Garrett), LivePerson’s Sr. Director of Marketing Communications (Hollie Ellison), and Pacific Content’s Vice President and Co-Founder (Steve Pratt).
Sunday, March 15
Accessible Transportation: Scooter Hell to High-Speed Rail
Climate & Social Action
11 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Chase Bearden of Coalition of Texans with Disabilities joins this panel to discuss transportation systems, and how policy-makers, stakeholders, and industries should be hyper-focused on ensuring future systems are designed to allow access for the disability community.
Panelists include speakers from Texas Central High-Speed Railways (Rebecca Cowle), Access Empowerment (Mack Marsh), and Audi of America (Brad Stertz).
Code of Ethics in Venture Capital
Startups
3:30 to 4:30 p.m.
Dr. Oksana Malysheva of Sputnik ATX, an Austin accelerator, joins forces with Kamal Hassan of Loyal VC to talk ethics in venture capital. She is proposing a new “Code of Conduct” to ensure deals are structured to align interests between investors and founders.
Monday, March 16
The Plant-Based Future Will Save Small Businesses
Connection & Culture
11:00 to 11:15 a.m.
Veganism has exploded within the past five years and has already created an impact on big business. Britty Hamby of Planted speaks about how small- to medium-sized businesses can easily meet consumer demand, and get onboard with this societal change.
Level Up Your Company Culture with Extra Life
Game Industry
5 to 6 p.m.
Company culture is such an important part of the workplace and Rooster Teeth has the answer to improving company morale, while addressing volunteer opportunities and charitable giving back.
Jack Pattillo of Rooster Teeth shares how his company did this through supporting children at Dell Children’s Medical Center in Austin. He will be joined by Lou Adducci (Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals), Megan Campuzano (Dell Children’s Medical Center of Texas), and Michael Kinney (Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals).
Tuesday, March 17
Helping Vets Through Technology, Music, and Health
Health & MedTech
11 a.m. to 12 p.m.
As an Army Brat, this panel sits near and dear to my heart: the wellness care of our nation’s veterans. Ted Gee from Live Music Tutor and Hope Young from Center for Music Therapy will team up to discuss the use of music therapy, and the benefits it has for veterans. They’ll also share information on successful pilot programs at the VA.
How Artists Are Driving Culture
Design
3:30 to 4 p.m.
Despite the growth of the corporate world, art still has a strong presence. Emily Eisenhart, a local artist, joins this Interactive panel to discuss the different voices involved in presenting art to contemporary culture.
You’ll walk away from this panel understanding how artists and brands can best work together, how social media has changed how artists create, and the dynamic role art has today. Other panelists will include Sulaiman Shabazz from The LINE ATX and Jessica Shaefer from Facebook.
Wednesday, March 18
Branding Workshop: Developing Your Brand Strategy & Voice
Professional Development
11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Rachel Denton with Civitas Learning joins this workshop to discuss both the strategic and creative elements of branding, from defining your position in the marketplace to compelling storytelling. Candice Deriso (Beckman Collaborative) and Meredith Gonsalves (Deloitte) will also be speaking in this workshop.
Make sure to RSVP and to bring your laptop or notebook with you.
The New Retail Reality: Humans, Tech & Logistics
Tech Industry & Enterprise
3:30 to 4:30 p.m.
In today’s world of tech-filled retail, it’s important to embrace innovation while prioritizing customer experience. Jag Bath, the Chief Digital Officer of H-E-B and CEO of Favor Delivery, joins Julie Schell, Executive Director of Extend and Executive Education for School of Design and Creative Technologies at UT, to discuss emerging retail technologies and how to design human-centered experiences across both physical and digital spaces.
Thursday, March 19
Digital Media In Public Art: Risks and Rewards
Design
3:30 to 4:30 p.m.
Digital art adds new levels of risk and reward to the art industry. Andrée Bober, the Director of Landmarks, joins this panel to discuss the effects technology has on art, as well as the unique opportunities digital art allows for audience engagement.
Other panelists include Ben Rubin (Center for Data Arts at the New School, New York), Steven Sacks (bitforms gallery), and Jennifer Steinkamp (Jennifer Steinkamp).
Launching an Austin Space Startup: Why, Where, and How
Space
5 to 6 p.m.
One of my favorite things about Austin is its entrepreneurial spirit and just how strong the startup community is. New Space-focused startups have been growing in number over the past several years. Tom Markusic, founder and CEO of Firefly Aerospace, will talk about what made Austin the perfect choice for his company’s home, as well as the city’s future in the space industry.
Friday, March 20
How to Save a Life: Healthcare That Heals
Future of Music
2:15 to 2:30 p.m.
While live music makes up the heart and soul of Austin, it’s not always easy for the musicians trying to make a living. Musicians and music professionals unfortunately have a higher risk of mental illnesses and substance abuse, and SIMS Foundation is doing what it can to ensure these individuals have access to mental health care.
You’ll walk away from this session with details on how SIMS Foundation is working to close the care gaps for Austin’s local musicians and music professionals.
How Do You MacGyver In Space?
Space
5:45 to 6 p.m.
Join Raymond Kaminski from HyperSciences, a drilling equipment supplier, to get some laughs and learn about how emergencies in space are solved.
Saturday, March 21
AI Visualized: Prepping For the Robot Revolution
Fantastic Future
11 a.m. to 12 p.m.
With artificial intelligence and automation, society is sure to find itself at a crossroads within the next decade. August Cole and Amir Husain from SparkCognition, a company that develops AI systems, join this panel with Heather Roff (JHUAPL) and Peter Singer (New America Foundation) to discuss possible tomorrows and whether we’re in for a dystopian or utopian future.
Death & Dying in the Modern Workplace
Workplace
4:15 to 4:30 p.m.
Join Adelle Archer from Eterneva, a local company that creates memorial diamonds from ashes, to learn about how to break ground for important high-impact conversations in the workplace, by first confronting some of the most difficult topics of life and death.
@theAustinot wants to know:
What panels are you looking forward to attending the most during SXSW Interactive 2020?
