South by Southwest Returns in Mid-March for Spectacular Innovation Festival

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In recent years, Austin’s become known as a hub for innovation. Tech companies like Tesla and Apple have flocked to the city, giving it a reputation as the site of Texas’ Silicon Valley. The University of Texas, one of the state’s premier academic institutions and learning centers, is located in the city. And South by Southwest, or SXSW, brings thousands of the biggest innovators across industries to the city every year. SXSW is an annual festival encompassing everything from music and media to innovation and business. It is where some of the biggest trailblazers and creatives gather and share, and it is set to return to Austin in March of 2022.

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In 2020 and 2021, the festival was not held in person. SXSW is such a massive event for the Austin area, bringing thousands of out-of-state visitors and industry leaders to the city. Losing one of the city’s biggest events was a big blow for Austin. But looking ahead to March of 2022, SXSW is seemingly set to return. From March 11th to the 20th, the various aspects of this hugely significant event will take place.

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There are multiple different components to SXSW. There is a music festival, which brings big and trendy artists to the Austin stage. There is a comedy festival with many of the biggest stand-up comics. There is a film festival featuring many of Hollywood’s brightest stars. There are conferences and exhibitions that showcase businesses’ new technology and innovations and speeches from some of the most important global thought leaders.

While much of the festival is yet to be announced, some aspects are already set in stone and should get attendees excited for this world-renowned event. The event’s focus is future-facing, with various themes that lead the discussion. Some of the themes for the speeches and conferences this year are the power of inclusivity, the evolving media landscape, we’re all connected, built for the future, and discovering the undiscovered. With these broad themes, SXSW has announced a huge variety of featured speakers to spark interesting conversations.

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Reggie Fils-Aimé, the first African-American CEO of Nintendo America, is one of the keynote speakers. Alexis McGill Johnson, the president, and CEO of Planned Parenthood, is another one of the keynote speakers. Other featured speakers will be Tyler “Ninja” Blevins, the world’s most popular video game influencer, CEO of Dell Technologies Michael Dell, and the Chairman and CEO of Pfizer, Dr. Albert Bourla. It is an eclectic group of leaders, innovators, and visionaries sure to spark insightful conversations.

One of the biggest draws of SXSW is the various expositions. These encompass everything from creative industries and arts to technology, gaming, virtual reality, and wellness.  There will be new product unveilings, incredible showcases of top artistic talent, and dramatic mixed-reality displays that show our future direction.

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One of the reasons SXSW has become such a massively important festival and one of the best-known in the country is the sheer diversity of offerings. There are conferences surrounding climate change, musical performances from the next generation of indie talent, film festivals where Hollywood films are first screened, and audio-visual storytelling displays that use revolutionary Virtual Reality technologies. It has something for everyone.

The conferences this year encompass a wide range of topics. There are conferences surrounding civic engagement, the future of music, combating climate change, startups, movie and film creation, and much more. Each of these conferences will have some of the brightest and most experienced industry leaders giving speeches and leading panels. It is an opportunity to learn from and listen to some of the most dynamic professionals in the country. It is also a great place to meet and network with like-minded individuals.

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Regardless of if you are heading to SXSW to learn and meet other people in the same industry or just want to have a blast and see exciting and cool things, you’ll find something to do. There are incredible art displays that push the boundaries of different mediums, a great film and comedy festival, music shows from up-and-coming stars, and so much more. It is truly an experience unlike anything else in the world, a uniquely Austin event that brings tens of thousands to the various festivals, shows, and parties that dot the city every year. After two years of a virtual event, the hope remains that this year will bring SXSW back to where it belongs.