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I’ve decided not to accept any official funding to go to SXSW Interactive in Austin, Texas this March. As the application processes went on it became apparent that what they wanted to fund and what I wanted to do were pretty incompatible and the requirements not worth my while. I’m definitely going to SXSWi though. Last March was an amazing experience which directly informed all my subsequent work in the social media realm. Considering I went completely unprepared and with no plan of action the potential of going this year knowing what to expect and how to get the most from it is pretty mindboggling. So I’ll go even if I have to charge my credit card to the max and live on beans for a month.
Although I’d rather not do that, obviously.
When I went in 2008 it was part of a delegation funded by the now defunct Digital Central, the agency charged with developing the digital industries in the region (amongst other things). I’ve often found the idea of people being paid to go to conferences around the world by taxpayers to be mildly distasteful. Yes, there’s a sincere and important business development case but if The People are paying for the trip then The People deserve to benefit from the trip. So when I found out I was being paid by the taxpayer to go have fun in Austin for a week I was determined that everything I learned would be broadcast. The West Midlands as a whole had stumped up the cash so the West Midlands as a whole should get to see it through my eyes. This seems like a total no-brainer to me. Maybe I’m naive, I dunno, but it’s the only way I can function in these situations.
Now I find myself in a situation where that self-imposed obligation to share has been removed, and yet doing the sharing, both during and after, was an integral part of why SXSWi was such a success for me. In fact I’d say if you attend and don’t share then you might as well not bother attending. This is a conference were someone can state that you should give away 90% of your ideas and by doing so reap huge rewards, and no-one will bat an eyelid. SXSWi is about learning and teaching and it’s infectious. So I’ll be sharing everything I learn again. I just can’t help it. (I also should clarify that accepting funding from regional bodies would not have prevented me sharing everything. That would be absurd.)
Here’s where you come in. I’m looking for support. There’s a Paypal button in this post and on the sidebar of the blog. But it’s not simply a donation drive. Here’s some suggested sums and what you’ll get if you reach them.
£25
This is the suggested minimum donation. If you’re happy reading the blog and processing my output yourself this is for you. Other than an optional “thank you” link on my blog this gets you no specific favours but I will pay more attention to your comments and questions. Needless to say you can give more or less – it’s up to you.
£75
For this I’ll distribute your schwag. There are plenty of places at SXSWi to leave stickers, badges, leaflets, etc. and they tend to be popular. If you want me take some of yours with you and keep the piles replenished throughout the week I can do that. (Tip – people like entertaining stickers for their laptops and neat pin badges. The Birmingham: It’s Not Shit badges went down really well last year!)
£200 or more
Here you get something a little more tailored. I’ve got a number of ideas here but am open to others. You could have:
- Access to me via Instant Messenger during SXSWi.
- A report based on some criteria. Something like “what’s the future of online video”. I’ll go to a couple of talks related to that and keep it in mind when talking to people. At the end I’ll write up 1500 words or so which you can use on your own blog or whatnot.
- Grilling session. When I get back you can lock me in a room for a couple of hours and suck all the knowledge out of my brain. (Birmingham only.)
- Something else. You know what you’ll need from this more than I can predict. Get in touch. We’ll work it out.
£500 or more
This will be similar to the above but with more contact before and after. I’d suggest a short discussion before I go and a longer meeting afterwards. With this option I’m particularly interested in looking at how your social media strategy can be improved and developed through the prism of SXSWi. I’ll only take on two or three of these so as not to spread myself too thinly.
With the latter two options the more you pay the more you get.
My budget for SXSWi, including accreditation, flight, hotel and sustenance, is £1,000. I’m hoping to bring that down a bit by sharing a hotel room and getting a really cheap flight but that’s my comfort zone. If I can get a few hundred from this then I’ll be happy.
If you’d like to talk to me in more depth about the latter two options feel free to call on 07775 690 106.
Over the next month I’m going to write more about SXSWi, looking back at March 2008 and reflecting on how it informed my ideas and projects. Hopefully this will give you a sense of why supporting me going to SXSWi is worthwhile. And if it doesn’t, hell, that’s fine. Happy to have you along for the ride anyway.