This year marked my fifth trip to Austin Texas for the South by
Southwest Interactive Conference. Over the years, I have been fortunate
enough to speak on some exciting panels, meet some amazingly talented
people, and listen some truly innovative thinkers. This year was no
exception... What struck me about this year's conference was the adoption
of digital media by almost every vendor, and venue. Interactive twitter
hashtag driven walls, touchscreens, and Interactive kiosks were
strategically positioned in every direction, and as far as the eye could
see. It was great to see the adoption of all this media in one place.

Another
huge change was in the shift in the attendance. When I first presented
at SXSW in 2005, the audience was populated more with digital pioneers,
creative technologists, and artists who used the web as a canvas. Five
years later, every other person I met was an Agency talent recruiter. It
really changed the perception of the a conference for me. Sure SXSW was
always a great networking event, in that it was a place for lateral
conversations between those of us in the digital world, but now it had a
much more business like feel to it. Overall it was an amazing week. I
would be doing the Barbarian group a dis-service by not commenting on
the fact that they threw the most amazing party I have ever witnessed at
SXSW! Kudos to all, it was great meeting each and everyone of you. See
you next year in Austin.