Based in 1987 in Austin, Texas, South by Southwest (SXSW) is an annual convention that brings collectively greater than 300,000 professionals within the movie, TV, music, schooling, and tech industries.
In 2024 alone, featured audio system embody embody Jane Fonda, Dwyane Wade, Alex Cooper, and Daisy Ridley.
All of which is to say: It‘s an enormous occasion centered round numerous inventive verticals. So who higher to talk on creativity than SXSW’s Co-President, Hugh Forrest?
As Forrest places it, “Our north star has all the time been creativity. I have been with the occasion for over 30 years, and the occasion has modified loads over that point interval … However what hasn’t modified is our concentrate on creativity.”
Let‘s dive into a few of Hugh’s high suggestions for injecting creativity into any occasion planning course of. All in favour of listening to the complete interview? Test it out on the Hustle Every day present.
Learn how to Inject Creativity Into Your Subsequent Excessive-Attendance Occasion
1. Enable creatives to study from different creatives.
One of many greatest advantages of large-scale occasions is the chance to community with professionals exterior of your vertical.
As a marketer, I‘m not all the time focused on studying from different entrepreneurs. Typically, I’ve discovered essentially the most inspiration in conversations with script-writers, educators, or social media creators.
Hugh Forrest believes wholeheartedly within the energy of interdisciplinary networking.
He says, “Particularly, we have seen how totally different sorts of inventive folks can study from one another. In the event you’re a musician, you’ll be able to study loads from connecting with different musicians … However you’ll be able to study much more from connecting with an innovator within the meals area, or an athlete, or somebody who’s doing a tech startup.”
In case your occasion is overly-siloed, it is going to be tough to foster the kind of collaboration and creativity that your attendees crave. As a substitute, think about the way you would possibly merge seemingly-opposite teams of pros to work together and study from one another.
2. Keep targeted in your neighborhood and what issues to them.
Forrest says that SXSW has all the time mirrored the creativity in Austin, Texas.
When SXSW first started in 1987, they completely targeted on music — after which, in 1994 when Austin grew to become a burgeoning movie scene, SXSW tailored and added movie and multimedia.
Extra not too long ago, when the College of Texas added a medical faculty, SXSW launched well being and medical expertise into their content material lineup.
As Austin expands and shifts its pursuits, so does SXSW. Finally, Forrest has found one vital element of long-term success within the occasion trade: Keep on-top of what issues to your viewers, and discover methods to pivot when acceptable.
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As he places it, “I imply, if we’re related, if we’re compelling, if we’re bettering, a lot of that’s as a result of we’re very in contact with our neighborhood or the assorted communities we serve—whether or not that is bands and filmmakers for the movie and TV pageant, or entrepreneurs, innovators, and creators. The occasion has thrived for 35 years due to this concentrate on large creativity in all its many varieties.”
He provides, “If Austin continues to push into AI and turns into this world heart for AI innovation, we’ll push much more into AI at South by Southwest. If Austin turns into the sneaker capital of the world, then we’ll see much more sneaker stuff in Austin.”
Equally, when you think about testing out new content material at your subsequent occasion, maintain your neighborhood on the forefront.
AI is a trending matter proper now, however are you positive your neighborhood cares about it? Or are they extra focused on studying the best way to develop their TikTok following? Leaning into the content material that applies to your neighborhood shall be key to creating a satisfying and high-attended occasion.
3. AI is more and more vital … however do not under-appreciate the face-to-face element that lets creativity shine.
“One of many themes that we all the time rediscover at SXSW is on the one hand, we’re an occasion about expertise and have fun new methods for folks to attach,” Forrest says.
He provides, “However however, a very powerful expertise is face-to-face interplay. And that hasn’t modified. Bringing folks with numerous concepts collectively in a metropolis that has all the time cultivated and celebrated creativity — in a time of yr when you might have the manifestation of rebirth and creativity (i.e. springtime) — has turned out to be a really sturdy method for good issues to occur.”
AI is all the fad proper now. However essentially the most compelling cause folks buy tickets to conferences and occasions is the in-person providing. With 65% of employees preferring a totally distant setup, face-to-face interactions are uncommon.
When given the possibility, folks wish to soar on the chance to attach in-person.
So, whereas it may be tempting (and cost-effective) to create a wholly digital occasion, you would possibly wish to think about providing attendees the chance to interact in actual life — even when that simply means an non-obligatory meet-and-greet after the principle occasion.
As Forrest places it, “Creativity is what makes us human. And in 2024, as we see increasingly machines taking on, we actually must lean into our humanity.”
