How to make the most of SXSW 2023

Business networking conferences can be a great way to connect with other professionals in your industry, learn about new trends and technologies, and even land new clients or customers. 

What is SXSW?

South by Southwest (SXSW) is a world-renowned festival that brings together individuals from various industries such as music, film, technology, and more. It is a fantastic opportunity to network and build meaningful relationships with other professionals in your field. However, with so many people attending, it can be challenging to manage everything that is going on and to fully capitalize on the experience. Here is a guide of what is going on and how and some tips to help you maximize your networking efforts during SXSW.

What are the biggest SXSW events?

From startups, to TV, to music, there is more than you may be able going on at SXSW. Below a quick guide of events you should be aware of:

1. The Film and TV Festival: celebrates raw innovation and emerging talent from behind and in front of the camera. Featuring provocative dramas, documentaries, comedies, genre standouts and more, the festival is known for its high caliber and diverse program of film, TV and XR, as well as its smart, enthusiastic audiences.
2. The Music Festival: New, developing, and established Showcasing Artists enhance their careers by reaching new audiences and attendees at theSXSW Music Festival each year. Showcases are curated by South By Southwest® in collaboration with record labels, booking agencies, management and PR firms, export offices, publishers, media outlets, lifestyle brands, festivals, and more.
3. The Comedy Festival: introduces the next wave of groundbreaking comedic talent to the entertainment industry and creative community at SXSW. All SXSW Badges (Platinum, Interactive, Music, and Film & TV) are welcome to all SXSW Comedy showcases and conference sessions.
4. The Startup & tech tracks: at the Startup track (March 10-14) enjoy of new products, new markets, new ideas, new business models, new approaches to funding, new strategies for inclusiveness, and new entrepreneurial hotspots. The Tech industry track (March 10-19) is only accessible by Platinum and interactive badges, and features topics around AI/ML, blockchain, cryptocurrency, security and privacy, XR, social media platforms, enterprise solutions, hardware, software, chip manufacturing, wearables, robots, IOT, edge computing, data ethics, voice technology innovation, and accessibility.

How to prepare for the next SXSW

Attending a conference can be overwhelming, and it's easy to leave feeling like you didn't make the most of your time there. Here are a few tips to help you get the most out of your next business networking conference.

1. Plan ahead

Before you attend SXSW, make a list of the events and people you want to meet. Research the individuals or companies that you are interested in connecting with and try to find out if they will be attending the festival. This will help you prioritize your time and ensure that you make the most out of your networking efforts.

2. Utilize Social Media

Social media is a powerful tool that can help you connect with other professionals at SXSW. Follow the official SXSW account on Twitter, Facebook, and other platforms and use relevant hashtags to stay up-to-date on the latest events and news. Additionally, reach out to people you want to meet on LinkedIn or Twitter and ask if they would be interested in meeting during the festival.

3. Attend networking events

SXSW has a range of networking events, from small gatherings to large parties, that provide an opportunity to meet new people and make connections. Attend as many of these events as you can, and don’t be afraid to strike up a conversation with someone new. Capital factory offers a series of events for entrepreneurs, but there are many other free events happening in Austin during the festival.

4. Come prepared. Bring your digital business card

You'll be meeting a lot of new people at the conference, and it's important to have a way for them to contact you after the event. Make sure to bring your digital business card (not your paper one!). There is more to a Digital Business Card than contact information. There are many different digital business card providers in the market. Solutions like KADO allow you to:

• Have a very professional design, for you and your company
• Share your contact info
• Capture your prospects’ information
• Add notes and tasks on-the-go
• Connect with your CRM, email, calendar
• Download your contacts’ LinkedIn profile

Remember(!):  after sharing your digital business card, make sure you don't forget to capture your prospects' contact information for appropriate follow up. Advanced solutions like KADO offer lead generation forms that pop up when you share your profile and capture the other party's data.

For easier and faster networking, even consider adding your card's QR as a widget on your phone

5. Take notes

You'll be hearing a lot of information at the conference, and it's easy to forget important details. Take notes during the presentations and during your conversations with other attendees. This will help you remember what you learned and make it easier to follow up with the people you met.

Look out for small personal details and comments that may help with your relationship over time. Did they mention any hobbies, kids, personal or fun facts that you should remember next time you meet?

Make sure you record all this information promptly while it is still fresh.

Use your KADO app to enhance your networking experience, KADO helps you record notes and voice notes instantaneously so you don't waste time scribbling paper notes that will eventually get lost. 

6. Follow up

After the conference, make sure to follow up with the people you met. Send them an email or connect with them on LinkedIn. This will help you stay connected and build relationships with the people you met at the conference.

24 hours is the ideal timeframe within which you should be following up with your potential client. Once the lead cools down, they may reconsider your services, product or find certain caveats they hadn't thought of before.

After recording your notes, use your KADO app to create follow up tasks for the day after. Make sure to include any details regarding:

• Who should be included in the follow up
• Attachments
• Information extracted from the notes that you may want to refer to in the follow up for a warmer communication

Check out this example video on how John used KADO at last year's SXSW!

By following these tips, you'll be able to make the most of your time at a networking conference. You'll leave the event with new connections, new ideas, and a renewed sense of motivation and inspiration.

If you are interested in other industry events, check out this commercial real estate events article.

About KADO

Overall, digital business cards offer many benefits over traditional paper business cards. With the increasing use of smartphones and mobile devices, digital business cards are quickly becoming the preferred method for networking and sharing contact information.

KADO is one of the leading digital business cards and relationship managers for dealmakers, used by small to Fortune 500 companies. 

With KADO, set yourself up success via our digital business card options that are customizable on both Android and Apple devices. You’ll never need to dig through your pockets or bags again—your clients and recipients already have your info! 

KADO’s advanced note-taking capabilities and powerful integrations will ensure you don’t forget any other important detail and that you are able to fully track your relationships while keeping your CRM always up to date.

Want to learn more? Book a demo with us here: Request Demo