@SXSW 2015 Key Themes & Insights

Now in its 22nd year, SXSW is one of the world’s most important music, technology and film festivals. !In under two-weeks, the Texan capital welcomed 51,000 people to over 800 conferences, seminars and workshops, covering everything from emerging music acts to alien invasions and all that’s in between. !With such a diverse programme, and so much information to be cultivated, we sent a crack team of Maxus employees to report back on the top trends and key findings from the festival, identifying what we can expect to be hot topics in technology and media in the year ahead.

“Tech is adapting to fit our lives in more human, intelligent ways”Technology  is  developing  at  an  alarming  rate,  but  beyond  basic  consumerism,  it  is  also  being  used  as  an  overwhelming  force  for  good.    !“Tracking  murder  cases  amongst  Native  Americans;  mapping  deforestation  in  Brazil;  keeping  disparate  communities  of  Hispanics  connected;  highlighting  the  plight  of  endangered  species;  making  intelligent  prosthetic  limbs.  Big,  important,  lasting  stuff.”    Tom  Dunn

Stand out sessionExtreme  Bionics:    The  end  of  disability  Hugh  Herr,  co-­‐director  of  the  Center  for  Extreme  Bionics  at  MIT  Media  Lab,  spoke  of  developments  in  electromechanics  that  by  his  predictions,  could  lead  to  the  end  of  disability  within  the  next  100  years.

Maxus Blog Post:‘That  puts  it  all  into  perspective’

“No amount of technology is going to make a bad story good” Developers  have    brought  to  life  technologies  that  once  seemed  inconceivable,  but  it’s  now  time  for  them  to  hand  it  over  to  the  creatives  to  decide  what  to  do  with  it.  !Designers,  artists,  musicians  and  producers  were  all  equal  participants  in  the  conversation  around  tech  advancements  and  how  they  are  adapting  them  to  make  improvements  in  their  field.  !Where  we  previously  saw  a  focus  on  the  functionality  and  tech  of  wearables,  we  are  now  seeing  marriages  between  tech  and  fashion  brands,  making  wearables  desirables.  

See  THEUNSEEN  !“The  beautifully  crafted  garments  and  accessories  from  THEUNSEEN,  a  group  out  of  London  that  blends  biological  and  chemical  matter  into  materials;  combining  science  with  art,  design  and  performance.”  

Stand out session

Maxus Blog Post:‘Treat  your  consumers  as  protagonists  in  their  own  story’

“Virtual Reality is very ready”

It  featured  in  Samsung  and  Google’s  major  activations  and  whole  floors  of  the  convention  centre  were  dedicated  to  it.  From  1980’s  sci-­‐fi  films  to  our  living  rooms,  virtual  reality  is  gearing  up  to  enter  the  mainstream.  !With  accessible  consumer  &  professional  cameras/software,  and  Youtube  360  adding  ease  and  scale,  VR  is  now  available  to  the  masses  and  pioneering  brands  like  Red  Bull  and  Volvo  have  paved  the  road  for  others  to  follow  close  behind.  !

Stand out sessionExplore  the  future  of  Virtual  Reality  with  Oculus

“VR  helps  us  to  create  presence  in  a  world  of  high-­‐tech  sensory  overload.  Tools  like  Oculus  confine  us  to  the  here  and  now  –  and  allow  us  to  experience  it  fully  in  hyper-­‐reality.”  

Maxus Blog Post:‘On  being  present’

“Big brands vs Start-ups”Traditionally,  SXSW  has  focused  on  offering  a  platform  for  start-­‐ups  and  pioneers  to  showcase  their  ideas,  but  with  an  audience  of  over  50,000  engaged  media,  technology  and  entertainment  professionals,  big  brands  have  decided  they  want  a  piece  of  the  action.  !Our  team  noted  that  this  years  festival  felt  a  shift  from  entrepreneurial  to  corporate,  with  the  McDonald’s  food  truck  sitting  among  the  authentic  street  food  vendors  a  controversial  arrival  and  poignant  example  of  the  increasing  concentration  of  brands  at  the  festival.  !!!!

‘Playing  Major  when  you’re  Minor’

Maxus Blog Post:

Stand out sessionThe  In-­‐Stadium  Fan  Experience  in  MLS  !“As  a  relatively  small  player  in  the  US  sport  scene,  soccer  and  MLS  have  thrown  down  the  gauntlet  in  sport  with  a  David  marketing  mentality  in  an  industry  of  Goliaths.”  

“Bringing together, not breaking out”Unlike  other  technology  festivals,  SXSW  is  not  about  the  stand-­‐out  product  launch  or  individual  breakouts  in  technology,  it’s  a  meeting  of  creativity  and  ideas.    !Networking  events  and  workshops  are  often  more  valuable  than  keynote  speeches,  it’s  the  conversations  that  happen  around  each  topic  that  can  inspire  new  ideas,  offer  feedback  on  current  developments  and  reinstall  passion  for  technology  and  how  it  affects  our  everyday  lives.    !!! Maxus Blog Post:

‘SXSW  is  about  breaking  in,  not  breaking  out’

Stand out session

There  isn’t  one…  “SXSW  is  not  about  what's  breaking  out  -­‐  it  is  about  ways  of  thinking,  movements  and  point  of  views  that  are  gaining  traction,  and  breaking  in.  And  for  this  reason  it  is  exciting,  inspiring  and  highly  tangible.”  Angela  Jones

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