–Engadget

“SXSW - by its very definition - is about breaking down boundaries, and stepping into the unknown. It’s about trying to do something

different…”

SXSWi

37,000+ participants (and 82 foreign countries) 1,377 sessions with over 3,000

speakers~3,500 media/reporters in

attendance

Making the mostof SXSWi

• SXSWi is widespread throughout downtown Austin - be sure to explore outside of just the Convention Center

• This year, the Interactive badge grants secondary admission to a broad selection of Film & Music programming

• Spend time walking around outside of the Convention Center to find the best branded experiences

• The trade show floor is open Sunday - Wednesday; budget around 2 hours to cover the full floor

• The weather in Austin can be unpredictable – check the forecast before you fly in & pack accordingly

• Download the SXSW GO app & use it to program your personal schedule

• Be open to spontaneity & be prepared with a plan B (lines can be long)

• Big names on panels draw crowds, “unknown” speakers deliver unique experiences

• Download the ReWop app to find nearby charging stations for your phone at the festival

• Comfortable shoes are a must – expect to walk around a lot.

SXSWi Distilled

Mindshare experts will distill the top events, trends, and emerging topics during the festival for marketers.

Follow us:

• Preview POV on what we’ll see at SXSWi

• Daily blog posts, videos, photos, and more

• Top trends from SXSW post-event

MINDSHAREINTHELOOP @MINDSHARE_NA MINDSHARENA MINDSHARENA MINDSHARE_NA

THE SESSIONSFRIDAY, MARCH 10 – THURSDAY, MARCH 16

THE SESSIONSFRIDAY, MARCH 10 – THURSDAY, MARCH 16

What to attend

• Mindshare experts have put together a selection of recommended sessions for each day of SXSWi.

• These sessions focus on innovation, invention, and key emerging marketing areas such as AI, voice recognition, and more.

• The selections were chosen to educate attendees, inspire new thinking, and drive big ideas that you can apply to your consumers.

Most of our selected sessions focus on one or more of the following themes:

SENSORYDATA AGILE STRATEGIES

AUTONOMOUS LIVING

MOBILE COMMERCE

Friday, March 1011:00AM-12:00PM

The opening speaker for the Interactive festival, in a conversation moderated by Google’s Malika Saada Saar.

Speakers:U.S. Senate, Google

Austin Convention Center Ballroom D, 500 E Cesar Chavez St

Opening Speaker: Cory Booker (U.S. Senator)

11:00AM-12:00PM

How TV and film are working with Silicon Valley to reach consumers in new ways & adjusting their creative process with advances in audience data.

Speakers:Mashable, The Hollywood Reporter, Endemol Shine

JW Marriott Salon D, 110 E 2nd St

How Tech is Shaping the Future of Entertainment

3:30-4:30PM

Emotion-sensing technology is moving from an experimental phase to reality. See how to design rich, emotional experiences for this next wave of tech.

Speakers:Changing Sciences

JW Marriott Salon FG, 110 E 2nd St

When Your Internet Things Know How You Feel

3:30-4:30PM

The floodgates are open: the FAA has broadly authorized businesses to use drones. A look at what’s still needed for businesses, and what’s next for the public.

Speakers:Commercial Drone Alliance / Hogan Lovells US LLP

Hilton Austin Downtown Salon F, 500 E 4th St

Dawn of the Drones

5:00-6:00PM

How advances in machine learning, AI, and VR/AR are revolutionizing brain health, transforming the treatment of brain and mental health disorders.

Speakers:Brain Power, NeuroLaunch, Ginger.io, Stanford University

Austin Convention Center Room 8ABC, 500 E Cesar Chavez St

Mind the Machines: Neurotech and AI for Brain Health

Saturday, March 1111:00AM-12:00PM

VR & AR let consumers live in your brand. But how do these immersive experiences do more than blow a handful of minds & actually become part of a marketing plan?

Speakers:Humana, National Geographic Channel, EnPlay

Sheraton Austin Capitol Ballroom, 701 E 11th Street

Is VR/AR The New Storytelling… Or The Old 3D?

12:30PM-1:30PM

While tech has given brands personalization at scale, it’s taken the “personal” touch out of fashion. How brands must leverage both data & people in commerce.

Speakers:The Business of Fashion, Stitch Fix, Poshmark

JW Marriott Salon 1-2, 110 E 2nd St

Data Alone Can’t Decode the Fashion Industry

3:30-4:30PM

How will intelligent machines affect mobile apps, as they try to understand & mimic human intelligence? A look at the potential for systems like Watson.

Speakers:IBM, Eventbase Technology Inc

JW Marriott Salon 8, 110 E 2nd St

Mobile Apps in the Age of Cognitive Computing

5:00PM-6:00PM

As more and more fans watch sports on the sofa or while they’re on the go (relying on apps for updates), see how the industry must monetize this critical audience.

Speakers:Lewica Ltd, SporTechie

Four Seasons Ballroom AB, 98 San Jacinto Blvd

Do Stadium Fans Even Matter Anymore?

5:00PM-6:00PM

As social media allows us to filter out imperfections, content creators can empower their audiences to embrace an authentic vision of themselves.

Speakers:CharliHoward.com, clapit, Dr. Vivian Diller

Hyatt Regency Austin Zilker Ballroom 2, 208 Barton Springs Rd

Social Media Real-volution: What’s After Perfect

Sunday, March 129:30AM-10:30AM

The thumb is in charge now & it’s quick to scroll, swipe, close. How mobile has changed consumer behavior, from shopping expectations around time, and more.

Speakers:Facebook

Hyatt Regency AustinZilker Ballroom 1, 208 Barton Springs Rd

Moving at a Mobile Minute

11:00AM-12:00PM

In a world where buyers prize experience over ownership & ostentatious consumption is largely frowned upon, how do we define luxury to remain relevant?

Speakers:Jaguar Land Rover, PSFK, Diageo, Warrior Poets

Hyatt Regency AustinZilker Ballroom 2, 208 Barton Springs Rd

The Future of Luxury

12:30-1:30PM

How will live sports tackle cord cutters? Exploring the future of live sports distribution and the challenges sports teams, leagues and networks face.

Speakers:Twitter, NBC Sports & Comcast Ventures, Sportle, Monumental Sports Network

Four Seasons Ballroom CD, 98 San Jacinto Blvd

Live Sports and Cord Cutters

2:00-3:00PM

From Snapchat Spectacles to GoPro and more, how marketers weigh what’s a game changer vs. just a fad for sports experiences and fan engagement.

Speakers:NHL (Minnesota Wild), Space Techie, Space 150

Four Seasons Ballroom AB, 98 San Jacinto Blvd

Game Changer: Spectacles Come to Sports

3:30-4:30PM

Social has taken your brand out of your control, while asking you to be more participatory than ever. How will it evolve over the next five years?

Speakers:Spredfast

Hyatt Regency AustinZilker Ballroom 1, 208 Barton Springs Rd

Social Is More Than A Metric

Saturday-Sunday, March 11-12

Tech companies across Transportation, Social & Culture, Innovative World, Health & Wearables, and Enterprise & Smart Data.

9:30AM – 6:00PM

SXSW Accelerator Pitch Event 

Tech companies across Sports, Entertainment & Content, Payment & FinTech, Security & Privacy, and Augmented & Virtual Reality.

The Accelerator judges will calculate the top scores for each of the ten categories, and announce the winners at this pitch awards ceremony. Each winner will then go on to compete at the Super Accelerator event on Monday.

11:00AM - 6:00PM7:00PM – 8:30PM

Accelerator Pitch Awards Ceremony  Startup Village at Hilton Austin Downtown, 500 East 5th Street – Salon AB

Now in its ninth year, the SXSW Accelerator Pitch allows emerging technology startups to pitch their products and services in front of a live audience and panel of expert judges. 50 companies across ten categories will present over the course of two days.

DAY ONE – MARCH 11

MARCH 12

DAY TWO – MARCH 12

Monday, March 139:30-10:30AM

How do platforms and publishers cover issues like race, politics, and sex in a thoughtful way while audiences are exposed to images & headlines in real-time?

Speakers:Teen Vogue, Refinery29

Hyatt Regency AustinZilker Ballroom 3-4, 208 Barton Springs Rd

How To Do “Taboo” In a Digital World

9:30-10:30AM

How GIFs can go beyond cute cat memes to actually advance storytelling in journalism, convey complex information, and reach new audiences.

Speakers:Frontline, PRI’s The World, Point Taken (WGBH)

Hyatt Regency AustinTexas Ballroom 1-3, 208 Barton Springs Rd

What the GIF?! How GIFs Help Advance Journalism

9:30AM-10:30AM

The future of shopping is social. What marketers, influencers, and e-comm teams need to know about creating authentic content & turning social followers into buyers.

Speakers:ShopStyle, Neiman Marcus

JW Marriott Salon 3-4, 110 E 2nd St

The Hundred Thousand Dollar Snap(chat)

11:00AM-12:00PM

How will millennials embrace luxury in an unpredictable social, economic climate? Does modern luxury still depend on high prices & "status" labels?

Speakers:Refinery29, Levi’s, Zady

JW Marriott Salon 3-4, 110 E 2nd St

How New Media is Redefining the Meaning of Luxury

5:00PM - 6:00PM

FBI Director James Comey will sit down with Newseum to discuss a wide range of issues, from cyber security to safeguarding civil liberties, and more.

Speakers:FBI, Newseum

Hilton Austin DowntownSalon H, 500 E. 4th St

A Conversation with FBI Director James Comey

Monday, March 13

Startup Village at Hilton Austin Downtown 500 East 5th St – Salon C

If you missed the Accelerator pitches, here’s your chance to meet each of the 50 finalists and see them demo their products and services.

11:00AM - 6:00PM11:00AM – 1:30PM

SXSW Accelerator Demo Days

 Austin Convention Center500 E Cesar Chavez St – Ballroom EFG

All ten category winners will be invited back to the stage to pitch in front of a new audience and a new set of judges. This competition will select the 2017 Best Startup Pitch Company.

11:00AM - 6:00PM5:00PM - 6:30PM

SXSW Super Accelerator

 

Tuesday, March 149:30AM-10:30AM

A look at the challenges and strategies moving forward for publishers and platforms in a world of ad blocking and viewability issues.

Speakers:Google, Vox Media, The Washington Post

Hyatt Regency AustinZilker Ballroom 3-4, 208 Barton Springs Rd

Redefining Ad Tech in a Distributed World

12:30PM – 1:30PM

With addressable tech already in millions of TVs around the world, explore the future of TV advertising, the data that will drive decision-making, and more.

Speakers:Advertising Age, Comcast, Gracenote, LG

Hyatt Regency AustinZilker Ballroom 2, 208 Barton Springs Rd

The Last Frontier: $73 Billion Land Grab

12:30PM – 1:30PM

For every new, successful tech that humankind has brought to our lives, we’ve molded & altered our behaviors. Will we follow the same path with VR?

Speakers:Google, Facebook, New York Media Center, Ustwo

JW Marriott Salon 7, 110 E 2nd St

Virtual Crossroads: A Look at VR and Human Behavior

3:30PM – 4:30PM

With over 500MM active Instagram users and 52MM pieces of content uploaded each day, how and why have some reached the top of this content cluttered world?

Speakers:Jerry Media, The OutCast Agency

Austin Convention CenterBallroom EFG, 500 E Cesar Chavez St

@FuckJerry and The Business of Hilarious Content

5:00PM - 6:00PM

The rise of male household consumers, more stay at home Dads, more focus on grooming – it’s forcing marketers to take a new look at how to talk to men.

Speakers:Movember, Pernod-Ricard, Ketchum

Hyatt Regency AustinZilker Ballroom 2, 208 Barton Springs Rd

The New Man Code: Targeting Modern Male Consumers

Wednesday, March 1511:00AM-12:00PM

From appliances to cars to medical implants, the products we buy are built around software code. But if you don't control that code, do you really own your device?

Speakers:Northeastern University School of Law, Public Knowledge, Case Western Reserve University, R Street Institute

JW MarriottSalon 7, 110 E 2nd St

The Internet of Things You Don't Own

11:00AM-12:00PM

Experts from the early days of VR will present lessons learned with their relevance to today’s more affordable and accessible forms of VR.

Speakers:Set It Spinning, Virtual World Society / Simiosys, PwC's Experience Center, All These Worlds, LLC

JW MarriottSalon 3-4, 110 E 2nd St

Learning From the 1st VR Boom to be Successful Now

3:30PM-4:30PM

The growing impact of the experience economy, and why brands must grow more mobile, social, and personal to meet consumer needs in this environment.

Speakers:Mashable, Lyft, StubHub

JW MarriottSalon E, 110 E 2nd St

Memories Matter: Leveraging the Experience Economy

5:00PM-6:00PM

Shazam and Wyclef have partnered to deliver an AR experience around his new album. Get an overview, demo, and Q&A of the technology.

Speakers:Shazam, Wyclef Jean

JW MarriottSalon E, 110 E 2nd St

How Did Shazam Get Wyclef in AR on My Phone?!

5:00PM - 6:00PM

Looking at the big dollars being invested in media today, and a discussion of the challenges, successes, and the future of the publishing industry as a whole.

Speakers:BuzzFeed, Reuters, Bleacher Report, Under Armour

JW MarriottSalon FG, 110 E 2nd St

Who Has The Guts to Invest in Content?

Thursday, March 1611:00AM-12:00PM

Today you can control your home, consume the news, order a ride, and much more through the latest in AI innovation. A look at where it’s evolving to next.

Speakers:Amazon, Sonos, Samsung

JW MarriottSalon 7, 110 E 2nd St

The Future of Intelligent Living

11:00AM-12:00PM

A discussion on the guardrails, governance, policy, accountability, transparency and security that will be the underpinnings of responsible AI. 

Speakers:Wired, CognitiveScale, Mertiage Capital LLC, WayBlazer

JW MarriottSalon C, 110 E 2nd St

The Next Four Years of AI

11:00AM-12:00PM

How do you reach PC/online/console gamers? How brands can navigate the massive gaming ecosystem and tap influencers in the space.

Speakers:Twitch, Ad Council, Rooster Teeth Productions LLC, 3Blackdot

JW MarriottSalon D, 110 E 2nd St

Game On: How to Engage Gaming Influencers

3:30PM-4:30PM

A look at relationship between VR creators and brands; why some of the most innovative VR content created today is being financed by brands.

Speakers:Discovery Communications, MEC, Deutsch, Moth + Flame

JW MarriottSalon 1-2, 110 E 2nd St

Brands are Leading the Way in the Evolution of VR

3:30-4:30PM

See Tony Stark's vision come to life. Developers can build and customize the foundation of J.A.R.V.I.S. (of 'Iron Man' fame) in an extremely short period of time.

Speakers:Built.io

JW MarriottSalon 6, 110 E 2nd St

Building J.A.R.V.I.S

Main Conference Venues

HYATT REGENCY AUSTIN

FOUR SEASONS

JW MARRIOTTAUSTIN CONVENTION CENTER

HILTON AUSTIN

COURTYARD MARRIOTT

WESTIN AUSTIN DOWNTOWN

SHERATON AUSTIN

THE SESSIONSFRIDAY, MARCH 10 – THURSDAY, MARCH 16

AROUND AUSTIN

SEE - EAT - GET AROUND

Around Austin

Austin’s Bat Colony

What: Largest Bat Colony in NAWhere:South Congress BridgeWhen:At sunset in March-November

Soco

What: Trendy street of retail & restaurants close to downtownWhere:South Congress Ave (Btwn Riverside Dr & W Johanna St)When:At Sunset in March - April

Barton Springs Pool

What: 68 degree natural spring poolWhere:Barton Springs RoadWhen:Year Round 5am – 10pm (except for part of Thursday). Closed March 4-10 for spring cleaning.

State Capitol Building

What: Texas State CapitolWhere:1100 Congress AveWhen:Year Round Mondays-Fridays 7am-10pm; Sat & Sun 9am-8pm

Around Austin

Rainey Street

What: Old homes converted to bars & restaurantsWhere:Rainey StreetWhen:Year Round

Broken Spoke

What: Honky Tonk Dance HallWhere:South Lamer(10min drive from downtown)When:11am-11:30pm Tuesday – Saturday; open until 12am Wed-Thurs and 1:30am Fri-Sat

Lady Bird Lake Trail

What: Running & bike trail through downtown AustinWhere:Along the Colorado RiverWhen:Year Round

Alamo Drafthouse

What: Movie theater w/ food & drinks servedWhere:6 locations around AustinWhen:Year Round

Places to Eat

WINK WINE BAR

Z’TEJAS

FIXE

FRANKLIN BARBEQUE

EASY TIGER BEER GARDEN

FUKUMOTO

GERALDINE'S

EMMER & RYE

LAMBERTS BARBEQUE

LA CONDESA

OLD DUCK

ALCOMARTORCHY'S TACOS

GUERO’S TACO BAR

PERLA’S SEAFOOD

IRON WORKS

MICKLETHWAIT

COOPER'S OLD TIME PIT BAR-B-QUE

Getting Around

Official ridesharing partner of SXSW. Download the app & get $5 off your first ride with

promo code RIDEON

Austin B-Cycle: pay-as-you-go bike

rental

Sign up for the complementary

Mazda Express ride service

SXSW Shuttles: departing the Convention Center every ten minutes during conference hours.

Cap Metro:extended metro

services to downtownAustin

Car Rental ServiceUse the rental code:

L65SXSW (PIN: SXS)

Car Sharing ServiceUse promo code SHAREATX; they’ll waive the sign-up fee and give you a $10 credit.

THANK YOU