Is SXSWi in danger of being ruined by the influx of marketers to the conference? Coming off of SXSWi 2010, Jolie O'Dell struck a cord with her post WHY SXSW SUCKS "Too many people, not enough tech... dodging and evading these shallow douchebags... only to find swarms of douchebags showing up an hour or so after the location is made known..." We're bringing some smart, caring minds together to move the chatter in the halls into the light of a focused panel. Can SXSWi adapt, or will it be overrun? Has the conference jumped the shark? Voices for both the tech/creator side and the marketer side make up the panel. We're aiming to land on solutions - this isn't meant to be bitch session. How can we address the challenges of a changing audience and optimize the conference for interactions that are valuable? Are some social ground rules called for? What will the audience for SXSWi 2015 look like? Can we envision how it could kick ass? This isn't a challenge unique to SXSW. Most communities struggle similarly to adapt and build value. How can we learn from their mistakes and solutions? The SXSW conference is as resilient as its participants — show up and help #saveSXSW.
Creative strategy at iris worldwide. Idea-peddling, world-watching, chart-mongering for his friends at adidas, Coke, Sony Ericsson and Reckitt Benckiser across the US and Latin America.
Ben's at SXSW to help technologists and marketing douchebags work together in peace and harmony.
Emily Gannett is co-founder of IRL Productions a cross-platform event and promotion agency based in New York. Prior to IRL, Emily co-founded KlickableTV, an interactive online video platform where she held the position of chief business development officer. Emily began her career in the studio system working for the New York based film studios including: Miramax, Focus Features and Rogue Pictures, a division of Universal Pictures. In 2007 she left her full time position at Focus Features and began her own consultancy agency helping producers of feature-length films, television series and online media optimize their brand integration and product placement opportunities. In December, Emily was named to 2008 “30 Under 30″ by DMNews.
Emily graduated from New York University’s Tisch School for the Arts with a degree in Cinema Studies. She is the co-founder of Change The Ratio, which promotes visibility, access and opportunity for women in new media and tech. She sits on the Board of Advisors at Green Owl Records, an environmentally friendly independent music label under the Warner Music Group banner and is a founding member of SoundCtrl & the Advisory Board for Social Media Week New York. Emily is an avid skier and runner and recently completed her fifth New York City Marathon to support at-risk kids in the Bronx through the charity CampInteractive.
With over 12 years experience in innovating marketing technologies through four successful startups to date, Nihal Mehta, is a noted expert in the emerging adoption of mobile technologies for media properties and consumer brands. Named a top 10 NYC 'game changer' in the 2010 New York Enterprise Report, one of twenty RCR Wireless News 'mobile movers and shakers' in 2008, a BusinessWeek 'M-Commerce Baron' in 2006 and named one of AdAge's 'top 20 marketers in their 20s' in 2005, Nihal is currently CEO and co-founder of buzzd, Inc. which is currently launching the platform “LocalResponse,” to help brands reach consumers across aggregate location-based services. Prior to buzzd, Nihal founded ipsh!, one of the first full-service mobile marketing agencies in 2001, which he sold to Omnicom (NYSE: OMC) in 2005. Nihal graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a BA in Philosophy and a BSE in Computer Science.
Ryan Daume is a longtime member of the online media industry and attendee of the last 4 years of SXSW. As a native Texan with time spent in both Silicon Valley and Silicon Alley, Ryan is a lover of all things Austin, all things internet and all things music.
Creative strategy at iris worldwide. Focused on emerging tech and platforms, mobile, and social. One foot firmly in the marketing realm with another in the NY Tech and startup world. Interested in solving consumer problems with a balance of tech, creative, and community.
