Interactive FAQ

The SXSW Interactive Festival offers five days of panels, keynote discussions, Trade Show, and exciting evening events. Attendees benefit from hands-on, how-to training as well as long-term, big-picture analysis in an atmosphere that charges creativity and out-of-the-box thinking. More to the point, coming to SXSW Interactive is a great way to recharge your creativity.

Daytime panel programming (as well as the Trade Show & Exhibition) takes place at the Austin Convention Center (500 E. Cesar Chavez) in downtown Austin. Evening events occur at various nightspots around the city.

The 2009 SXSW Interactive Festival will take place Friday, March 13th through Tuesday, March 17th. The ScreenBurn at SXSW Arcade will run from Friday, March 13th through Sunday, March 15, and the Film + Interactive Exhibition & Trade Show will open Saturday, March 14th and close Monday, March 16th.

Registration for next year's event will begin on August 1. Registering early allows you to get the lowest price. If you are coming to Austin from out of town, registering early also allows you to have the most choices in terms of downtown hotel rooms.

SXSW Interactive appeals to uber-geeks and digital creatives who push the cutting edge of technological change. The event appeals to content developers, web designers, programmers, bloggers, wireless innovators, gamers, tech entrepreneurs, investors, and educators. Even if you are not a technical person, you will benefit from the outside-the-box thinking that thrives at SXSW.

Panel topics cover everything from web design, usability, and blogging to wireless innovation and new technology business models. Other panels focus on more general topics that are nonetheless relevant to the digital creatives who attend SXSW Interactive. Discovering new ideas that lead us to a better future is the underlying theme on all of this programming.

The event saw its largest growth yet, with more than 7500 total Interactive, Gold and Platinum registrants from across the United States and around the world in attendance. These numbers notwithstanding, the core of the SXSW Interactive experience remains unchanged. This is a great place to be inspired by amazing people who are doing incredible things to make our future more exciting.

The first year of SXSW Music was 1987. The event now known as the SXSW Interactive Festival began in 1994. At that point, it was called the SXSW Film and Multimedia Conference. Film and Multimedia split into two separate events in 1995. In 1999, the name of the event morphed to Interactive. ScreenBurn, which is focused on video game technology, was added to the mix in 2006.

Thousands of cutting-edge new media industry experts have spoken at SXSW Interactive over the last 14 years. Some of the bigger names to participate in the event include Mark Zuckerberg, Henry Jenkins, Steven Johnson, Frank Warren, Jane McGonigal, Heather Armstrong, Stewart Brand, Po Bronson, Denise Caruso, Ana Marie Cox, Mark Cuban, Cory Doctorow, Thomas Dolby, Richard Florida, Al Franken, Malcolm Gladwell, Philip Glass, Molly Holzschlag, Craig Newmark, Steven Johnson, Jaron Lanier, Brenda Laurel, Dan Rather, Howard Rheingold, Todd Rundgren, Douglas Rushkoff, DJ Spooky, Bruce Sterling, James Suroweicki, Joe Trippi, Mena Trott, Jimmy Wales, Will Wright, and Jeffrey Zeldman.

In 2007, SXSW made a major push into the world of video games with the addition of ScreenBurn. In 2009, the Game Design Competition has been added to ScreenBurn at SXSW lineup. The 2009 event will also continue to provide more structured networking opportunities -- thereby making it easier for you to meet the types of people that you want to meet. Finally, as encouraged by the SXSW community, look for more technical sessions, as well as more panels that are discussing advanced-level topics.

The variety of programming offered at SXSW Interactive means that the event focuses as much on creativity as it does on technology. This focus is augmented by SXSW Film and SXSW Music, which are scheduled concurrently with SXSW Interactive. Moreover, a full slate of parties and receptions during the event hours help to accelerate the social aspect of the event.

Look for an extensive schedule of evening events geared to allow attendees to share the new ideas that they learned during the daytime programming. The informal nature of these evening events also make them conducive to forming new connections or just relaxing with people whose energy will inspire you to better things.

Most of these official evening events are restricted to SXSW Interactive, Gold and Platinum badgeholders.

Being involved in one of the evening events is a great way for your company to generate a lot of attention. Contact Katie King for complete details on how to be an official part of the evening program.

Unfortunately, we do not sell single session or single day passes to the event. As compared to other technology events, the low registration price of the SXSW Interactive Festival makes for an extraordinary value. Even if you are only able to attend for one or two days, the amount of information and networking opportunities afforded by the event make the registration price a bargain.

Running Friday, March 13 through Sunday, March 21, 2009, SXSWeek is the nine-day stretch that encompasses SXSW Interactive, SXSW Film and SXSW Music.

The SXSW Interactive Festival badge covers admission to all events affiliated with SXSW Interactive. If you want to attend both SXSW Interactive and SXSW Film, then you should purchase a Gold Pass. If you want to attend SXSW Interactive, SXSW Film and SXSW Music, then you should purchase a Platinum Pass.

The earlier you register for SXSW Interactive, the more you save on the $495 walkup price. Also, rooms at downtown-area hotels tend to sell out quickly -- when you register, you can book into the SXSW room block via the Housing Desk. Finally, flights to Austin in March also fill up faster than at other times of the year. In other words, if you wait until the last minute to register you may miss out!

If you are currently a high school or college student and you are interested in attending the 2009 SXSW Interactive Festival, please contact us for information on discount rates. Must have valid copy of student ID to be eligible for reduced admission fee.

We will begin accepting panel proposals for the 2009 SXSW Interactive Festival from June 2 through July 11. Stay tuned to the front page of the SXSW Interactive website for complete details on this panel submission process. Or, stay updated by subscribing to the SXSW Interactive listserve.

Getting your product or service in front of the cutting-edge crowd of digital creatives that attends SXSW Interactive is a great way to build a buzz. We offer all sorts of opportunities for this -- from a booth at the Trade Show to advertising in the Program Book to hosting a party or reception. For information on all the available marketing opportunities, please contact Katie King.

Registrants will have the opportunity to attend 20 gaming-related panels Saturday, March 13th through Tuesday, March 17th as part of the SXSW Interactive Festival. The fourth annual ScreenBurn Festival enables consumers and game developers to preview the future of this industry, hear about soon-to-be-released titles, learn fascinating insights from thought-provoking experts, plus meet up-and-coming new talent whose innovations are powering the next generation of play.

Admission to attend the ScreenBurn panels comes with your SXSW Interactive, Gold, or Platinum Badge. Admission to the ScreenBurn Arcade is free to the public.

The ScreenBurn Arcade is an open platform of exhibitors and game tournaments. Free and open to the public, this space offers a hands-on environment for consumers, independents, developers, and soon to be masters of the game world. Come here to sample the newest game developments or other gaming-related innovations. The 2009 ScreenBurn Arcade will also feature a tournament space for consumers and pro gamers to demo and compete on the latest games.

The ScreenBurn Arcade will take place during the ScreenBurn Festival on the first floor of the Austin Convention Center located at the 4th Street & Trinity entrance. The ScreeBurn Arcade will run from Friday, March 13 through Sunday, March 15.

To represent your company at the ScreenBurn Arcade, contact Lindsay Muse for more info.

New to ScreenBurn this year is the Game Design Competition, which allows up-and-coming game designers to create a proposal for a game design that will be judged by industry professionals. For more information on the ScreenBurn at SXSW Game Design Competition, check out the contest's information page.

When you register for SXSW via the website, you will be able to book your hotel via the online interface.

E-mail us with all your questions and we will provide quick answers.

E-mail us with all your ideas and brainstorms. We are all ears!