Everyone says SXSW is about the people, and they’re right. Thats my reason for going. Sure, the panels are great, and I got a lot out of them this year (especially “Traditional Design and Technology” and “Your own Design playground”).
The trouble is that this year, there were more people, more parties, and therefore more fragmentation. I had a great time (I knew I would), but more so than last year, I came away with the feeling that there were more people I missed out on meeting (Paul Nixon to name but one). There were those that I did meet, but all too briefly (Dustin Diaz to name but one). The parties were great, but not exactly easy to talk at, and often a particular person you wanted to meet was at one of the other 3 parties going on at the same time.
Did anyone else feel this?
I’m not sure what the answer is. Someone did suggest to me a “Break cheese with Hicks” session early evening, where we could easily talk and eat cheese, and I like that idea a lot…