Updated March 2018
Time flies and here we are now with our team #SXSW bound for its 7th year! And reflecting back on our experiences, here are a few tips to help you make an impact at SXSW!
Here are my top tips for #SXSW
1. What Sessions to attend: My only advice here is to accept you cannot and will not get to everything you wish on your personalised schedule, so be sure to highlight your TOP 5 over 4 days and anything after that consider it a bonus. In 2015 IDA Ireland hosted a panel sessions with companies such as Indeed.com, Nitro and Zendesk talking about internationalising, great content can be gleamed from such tech companies. In 2016 with our partners, we brought the Macnas pop-up theatre performance to the streets of Austin and we rocked 6th street! Check out the video below #IrelandOn6ThSt
This year Ireland's Prime Minister, Leo Varadkar, TD, will be speaking on Sunday March 11th, dont miss this.
Also this year we are hosting a reception as part of the ATX Capital Factory Startup Tech Crawl for more details click here
Macnas Showreel from Macnas Ireland on Vimeo.
2. How to meet the right people: Do your homework; Linkedin, Twitter and Facebook, Instagram are your friends (they are also IDA's friends. Did you know all of those companies have their European headquarters in Ireland :)). There is also a touch of serendipity too, put yourself out there, talk to strangers, talk to people in lines and sign up for everything, you never know who you might meet. Over the past years we have bumped into the likes of Amazon CTO Werner Vogel, VC Guru Rob Theis, Dropbox founder, Drew Houston, WP Engine CEO Heather J. Brunner and lots more tech moguls!!
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4. What to bring: Don’t forget the umbrella and light rain jacket! I know I am Irish and I would think of this but trust me whilst it may not be cold IT does rain in Austin! Throat lozenges are also an absolute must, talking over loud noises at networking events and parties do put a strain on the vocal cords.
5. What to do when it’s all over: SLEEP!!! But also don’t leave it too long to connect in with people you meet, connections are 100-fold so be sure your follow-up is meaningful and engaging.
If you are coming to #SXSW18 do reach out to us and find out more about our on-the-ground activities:
Don't forget to follow us on Twitter for updates: @idaemergebiz
#WhyIreland
Aimee Williams
IDA's Emerging Business Team
