My First SXSW

The tweet above was sent from my account one year ago, expressing my longing to make the pilgrimage to Austin, TX from my college house bedroom. Then, I knew this conference as the birthplace of Twitter, and a hub where everyone in touch technology and/or digital marketing landed for a week of mingling, ideation, and discovery. I remember following the #SXSW hashtag, enjoying the week vicariously through Instagrams, tweets and posts.

One year later, I’m attempting to process the most intense and insightful string of days in my recent memory. SXSW manages to concentrate a strangely large amount of learning, networking, working, and team-bonding into a very short period of time.

I was sent down to Austin to provide some support for Pizza Hut’s latest campaign — WANTED: Manager of Digital Greatness. Pizza Hut is looking for a new lead to take their social and digital channels for the next level. Naturally, they established a presence at SXSW during interactive week, where all of the best candidates were likely to be. Here’s the kicker: each interview only lasts 140 seconds.

While the camera crew was setting up, and Pizza Hut executives finalizing their interviewing questions, I set out for the streets to get the word out at hotspots throughout the conference.

We managed to get some stellar talent in the door for Pizza Hut, and the lightning round style of questions proved to be a fun way to conduct an interview. “What do you think about EdgeRank?” one interviewee was asked, to which he replied “A drink? Sure, I’d love a drink!”

The warm climate and laid-back culture in Austin also lended itself to the free pedicab rides Zeno Group sponsored. Over the weekend, our team tracked down fun SXSW attendees on Twitter and offered free rides around the city in return for their answers to ten quirky questions. We took some awesome video content from the pedicab rides, and managed to have fun while we promoted the agency.

When our team wasn’t tracking people down for pedicab rides, working onsite for a client activation, or juggling our everyday client duties, we were diving into research for new business opportunities. That’s not to say that we didn’t take a few breaks to blow off some steam. Our little group had a blast at Speakeasy for the Mashable party.

I have the lovely city of Austin, our great client Pizza Hut and my stellar team here at Zeno Group to thank for a truly unforgettable SXSW experience. Until next time, cheers!