Passion: The Renewable Energy

March 11th, 2010 View Comments

rickmurraypostmarch11

Yesterday, David Armano asked us all why we make the annual pilgrimage to Austin for #SXSW.

No doubt, he’ll get a wide range of responses from “the parties,” to “networking,” to “get me the hell out of winter.”

This is only my second South by, but I can’t see missing another one anytime soon. And here’s why:

- The vibe is amazing. Austin sets the tone. Yes, it’s weird, and that’s a GREAT thing.

- Geeks rule. The buzz is invigorating and unavoidable. It’s impossible not to be engaged… and inspired.

- Let’s face it. Our years are filled with daily doses of “I need it now.” It’s hard to stay on top of your game when continued success demands that you’re essentially “on” 24 / 7 / 365. SXSW is my chance to check out, and plug in. I’ll hit a few panels, spend a lot of time in the hallways, eat some amazing food, catch up with a lot of old friends and hopefully, meet a handful of new ones.

- I go to soak it all in — the youth, the smarts, the energy and most of all, the passion. It’s an incredibly rejuvenating experience.

I can’t tell you what I’ll do, who I’ll meet or what I’ll learn but I can guarantee this: come Monday morning (yes, I’m leaving early), I’ll be ready for the next 361.

Keep Austin Weird.

Image credit: Brian Solis

Rick Murray
Edelman, Chicago
Follow on Twitter @rickmurray

Tags: community, David Armano, events, networking, Rick Murray, SXSW

This entry was posted on Thursday, March 11th, 2010 at 2:52 am and is filed under Home Page, events. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

Rick Murray

Johnathan -- Couldn't agree more. I'm not sure what ideas came out of my visit here last year (other than to come back), but you can't help but leave here thinking differently than when you arrived.

Derek -- to that point... everyone's got a different flavor, right? I turn into a pumpkin at midnight, and not a huge fan of crowds, so I prefer small gatherings over a long meal.
David Armano

Last year I slashed my knee falling into an unmarked hole in the sidewalk. This year I'm looking forward to new bumps and bruises.

Cheers! :-)
DShan

This'll be my first, and I'm looking forward to it. Maybe we'll catch each other...I know so many of the great people on your digital team, and admire the work they do.

I find it amusing how many differing takes there are on what it's like down there, what to do/see, and how to handle the weekend. It's such a unique conference in that all its attendees are out here jabbering around the net, myself included:)
Suzanne Marlatt

Derek, this will be my first SXSW too. Rick, David, and all of my twitter followers have been passing me great SXSW tips the last few weeks. Bring extra batteries, know when to unplug, remember to have fun, attend panels that are out of your speciality...etc. I'm sure you've been hearing the same things.

Also, it's great that you put together a 20SB tweet-up for the gang. Hopefully I can make it out.

-Suzanne
Digitalinfant

The other thing I would add to this is "Inspiration". I saw a great presentation by Mark Coleran about the difference between the "Copy Loop" and "Inspiration Loop" at Ignite TO 3. http://visualthesis.com/igniteto/.

Attending events like SXSW can also serve as inspiration and the seed for brilliant ideas when you head back to your project meetings, and work sessions. Why we are there, passion. What we get out of it, inspiration.

-Johnathan