The best way to describe events during SXSW Interactive in Austin? A thousand overly-stressed people screaming in a small room.
It’s downright deafening. That’s not to say I don’t secretly love going every year. SXSW is an extremely valuable testing ground for event planners. We’re forced to differentiate, manage unruly crowds, and battle unpredictable Texas weather every year. The result is a slew of really memorable parties, but we’ve also gained a lot of useful insights along the way.
As we’re just about a month away from the tech community’s annual pilgrimage to Austin, I decided to put all of my best SXSW event tips down on paper — and gather some advice from four veteran SXSW event planners:
I like to design multiple entrances into the venue, especially for VIP guests. Creating backup doors tempers the frustration of the crowd and helps you get your friends and top clients inside the party with less hassle.
I also love a velvet rope. When used effectively, they can help you reconfigure the line flow throughout the night depending on the size of the crowd, the weather, or the street traffic. Lines are hard to design until you have humans standing in them, so factoring in the moveable barriers gives you freedom.
“Some of the most buzz-generating events during SXSW have been the ones that simply give the people what they want. When Mashable brought in Grumpy cat for a guest photo booth, they blew away the competition.
It wasn’t overly complicated and it wasn’t hard to produce, but it happened to be the most popular pitstop that year in Austin. So think simple, try to predict behavior, and spend your money on stuff you know people will love."
– Stephen Papageorge, partner and chief creative officer at Mirrorball
“Crowds and lines at SXSW are the stuff of nightmares. In this ecosystem, there’s no such thing as too many door people. Also make sure you have a great communicator from your team stationed up front that knows who’s who—preferably by face, but at least by name. They can swoop in and make sure super VIPS like potential clients or investors aren’t standing in line too long, getting cranky or feeling like you don’t appreciate them.”
– Katherine Elasser, co-founder of experiential marketing agency Rood Studios
“Yep, your event is during the SX conference week, and yes, SX conference guests will be in attendance, but that doesn’t mean you can drop their name in your marketing materials. The organization has some pretty strict guidelines when it comes to where and how its name and branding can be used. If you feel like you’re about to break the law, read up on the full SXSW trademark and copyright rules.“
– Molly Small, independent event contractor
“In the days before Uber, Chevy made headlines at SXSW by hauling a bunch of cars downtown and carpooling people to parties. They filled the front seats with knowledgeable drivers who could talk up the brand, and guests got free rides all over town. It worked brilliantly because Chevy knew Austin’s traditional transportation infrastructure couldn’t handle the influx of conference guests. It wasn’t super snazzy, but it made a lot of people happy. In short: solve an unmet user need (even if it’s just creating a puppy lodge), and you’ll beat out even the most interesting concerts or pool parties.”
– Stephen Papageorge, partner and chief creative officer at Mirrorball
We found that most SXSW event pages start trickling into the Splash database in mid-February. But if you’re still waiting on permits or performance contracts, it’s best to hold off.
When your Splash page conveys the authority and the excitement of your party, the guest interest will catch up fast, no matter when you launch. Proof: I’ve published an event site the week before SX, and we still had to turn people away.
“With so many events happening simultaneously, it’s become popular to RSVP for multiple events in every time slot. In response, we’ve seen an uptick in the more casual lounge-style activations from brands. People want to drop in, grab a free drink, and move on to their next stop.
It’s hard not to be offended when the majority of your guests don’t stick around, but party-hopping has become a SXSW staple. It’s really in your best interest to create experiences that allow people to flow through your event on their own timeline. Also, staggering performances or demos throughout the event can help keep a crowd engaged.”
– Alison Flood, co-founder of experiential marketing agency Rood Studios
“Growth has forced events to move beyond the relatively small convention center-adjacent area, and in response people have gotten more creative about finding venues and planning unconventional events that feel new and exciting.
Plus, thanks to Uber (and the influx of taxi drivers who come just for the SXSW crowds), getting there is much more manageable. If you do host an off-the-grid event, just make sure you make it worth the while. Guests may have higher expectations of a party that’s harder to find.”
– Katherine Elasser, co-founder of experiential marketing agency Rood Studios
“An event planner is only as good as her tools. Always carry a bottle of water, extra tape, velcro dots, a phone charger, and a lighter. Even people who don’t normally smoke like to light up at SX. And if you’re the only one that has a light, you’ll easily be everyone’s new best friend.”
– Alison Flood, co-founder of experiential marketing agency Rood Studios
"Events during SX are notorious for exceeding venue capacity, and every year many of them are shut down prematurely. If you’ve spent the last eight months conceiving your complicated shindig for clients and potential customers, the last thing you want is to kick them out early.
Besides strictly adhering to capacity regulations, invite the local fire marshal to do a walk-through of the event space before the doors open. That way he or she can point out potential hazards or blocked exits before the crowds roll in.”
– Molly Small, independent event contractor
Think strategically with your marketing materials. Hanging giant vinyl logo banners or flooding people with cheap swag is probably a waste of your money.
People are walking around hoping to be wowed. You can make a real impression when you communicate your brand (which isn’t your logo!) in a targeted, thoughtful way. Spend your flier money on an experience that prioritizes connecting people with each other, and the brand love is a halo effect that will follow.”
– Katherine Elasser, co-founder of experiential marketing agency Rood Studios
"But if you can’t beat ‘em, why not offer your product or service to existing events? Mirrorball often supplies the large-scale branded activations with products from their liquor or beer clients so they can be part of the fabric of the conference without having to carry the full weight of an independent event.”
– Stephen Papageorge, partner and chief creative officer at Mirrorball
“Austin sure is an exciting place in March, but a lot of locals despise the conference for the crowds and craziness it brings to their hometown. Most of the producers or caterers for hire are from Austin and live there year-round. This is not their first, ahem, rodeo. It’s important to be sensitive to their city and to be polite to your hired guns. Many of us are just guests passing through, and strangely enough, when we leave to go back to our respective cities, Austin returns to the cool, weird town that a lot of us never get to meet.”
– Molly Small, independent event contractor
Ben Hindman is co-founder and CEO of Splash, the country's fastest-growing event marketing platform that helps businesses and brands more effectively market through their events. An event planner turned tech entrepreneur, events are in Ben’s DNA. Prior to starting Splash, Ben was the Director of Events at Thrillist, where he produced large-scale events from concerts to mystery fly-aways.
