Entertainment, technology and creativity industries joined forces in Austin.

Music, movies, video games, technology and creativity joined forces in Austin from March 8 to 17th at the South by Southwest (SXSM) festival, gathering almost half a million attendees to the wide array of events including conferences, concerts, movies and networking opportunities.

SXSW is considered the scenario where creative minds come together to engage in problem solving around tech, entertainment and culture. The diversity of ideas, and those that bring them to SXSW, creates unimagined opportunities like the exploration of the potential of AI in the film industry and blockchain technology’s impact.

The event featured a variety of tracks that allowed attendees to explore what’s next in the world of film, culture, music and technology. Some of the most significant ones were conquering an era of digital distrust, job design and the future of work, the value of human touch in music curation and the evolution of transportation and delivery.

At the crux of each day’s SXSW Conference programming, attendees joined hour-long keynotes by some of the creative and tech industries most inspired thinkers. John Boehner, board member of Acreage Holding, the US largest cannabis operator, Jessica Brillhart, director and writer, Bozoma Saint John, Chief Marketing Officer at Unilever were only some of them.

Networking was another key element of SXSW, as the ability to establish meaningful connections is one of the main reasons why digital creatives come to the event. The organizers provided several different forums for registrants to meet and mingle, such as meet ups focused on specific topics, multi-day lounges and parties.

The event is run every year by the company SXSW, which organizes conferences, trade shows, festivals, and other events. In addition to the South by Southwest festivals, the company runs other conferences: SXSW EDU, a conference on educational innovation and the me Convention, held in Frankfurt, Germany, in collaboration with Mercedes-Benz.

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