Comments on: Advice for the SXSW-bound

By: Daniel Markham

Daniel Markham — Sat, 14 Mar 2009 20:00:32 +0000

“pocket spam”. I like it.

If I’m lucky, someday I may be able to use this advice.

By: Kathryn

Kathryn — Sat, 14 Mar 2009 02:52:35 +0000

Really great list of advice here. Those who haven’t been before will find it to be useful but it’s also a great checklist for people who often go and may still forget the basics. Good stuff. Have tons of fun!

By: Gloria Antonelli

Gloria Antonelli — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 03:16:58 +0000

Had to make a hard choice this year – 2 weeks in Hawaii or SXSW. Hawaii won this year. Could not take any more of Chicago winter. I will save the list for next year. Wish I could have done both.

By: gaeyia

gaeyia — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 21:29:40 +0000

@dingman you’re everywhere!

Oh, and this post makes me laugh. I like it.

By: Subhankar Ray

Subhankar Ray — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 18:20:47 +0000

Thanks for the tips.
My first time at the SXSW. Driving from Dallas in the rain.

By: Dinah

Dinah — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 15:59:45 +0000

Good list. I’d add “Don’t be afraid to take a nap when you start to wear down.”

See you in Austin! or at the airport :)

By: shane

shane — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 02:21:03 +0000

Good advice based on the currrent weather forecasts. If you need restaurant recommendations, try yelp.com, i’t's Austin listings are fairly good.

By: Franco

Franco — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 01:11:19 +0000

Bring a bike. If you can’t, rent one and ride everywhere. Maneuvering through congested crowds 10 hours a day on foot can be physically and mentally taxing. For me, riding a bike throughout SXSW allowed for more spur-of-the-moment opportunities to see great shows often not listed in the various official playbills.

By: Andy Baio

Andy Baio — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 22:27:46 +0000

If you leave the laptop at the hotel, bring your iPhone charger. I drained by battery during the sessions, leaving my phone without a charge at night. That sucked.

By: Lea

Lea — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 22:01:53 +0000

I would also say leave the laptop at your hotel. There’s web kiosks everywhere, people with iPhones, and other people who have a laptop that will probably let you use it for two second to check email. Just like the giant camera, a laptop can get cumbersome. Be old school and use pen/notepad (moleskines are popular) to take notes.