As most of you know the SXSW Music + Film + Interactive Festivals and Conferences are fast approaching. This week, I have provided you with 5 different daily tips in various areas (lodging, driving, getting around Austin, etc.) that will hopefully help you maximize your trip based on my own personal experiences.
My focus has been mainly be on the Music and Media Conferences (March 17-21), but many of my tips and advice have been general enough that you can apply them towards any part of SXSW.
For Monday’s 5 Tips on Lodging click here
For Tuesday’s 5 Tips on Driving to Austin click here
For Wednesday’s 5 Tips on Getting Around Austin click here
Today’s tips are 5 General Tips for Your Trip to SXSW
Ok, so now that I’ve shared with you some personal experiences and tips from my own arsenal for SXSW in the areas of lodging, driving to Austin, and getting around Austin the time has come to give some advice that would probably be in line with the kind of advice that a parental figure might bestow upon you. However, since I am still in my 20’s, I hope it will be better received by you than if issued by someone who appears to be more far removed from the experiences you are currently encountering and making a part of your own personal trajectory.
These next 5 tips essentially stem from the one quality that I for better or worse possess an atypically high level of, common sense. It is this quality that has probably kept me out of trouble and drama free for most of my life. I, like the rest of you, may not always put it to good use, but it’s always there if I need to fall back on it.
With that said, here are 5 General Tips for Your Trip to SXSW
1. Carry Business Cards – Don’t forget to pack your business cards. If you don’t have any, you might want to consider printing some out on your own (you still have some time) or if you have some time (time is running out) use cheap printers like Vista Print or Got Print (they are located in Burbank where you can pick up your order personally) They don’t have to be fancy, they just have to have your current contact information. It’s not the best feeling in the world to have someone ask you for your card and you have to make up some excuse every time. This is one time in your life when you really should have them, as you will meet lots of people and you’ll want them to be able to locate you once you are all back in the “real post-SXSW world.” Most people won’t be bothered with searching for pens and paper to write down your number, and being as how you just met (and you might be one of tens, twenties, or hundreds) they probably won’t want to plug your info into their phone just yet (you’d be surprised how many people have never made it into my phone). The information on the business card is also what they’ll probably use to not only contact you with, but also research you with. So make sure that you provide the info (tools if you will) for what you actually want found on you.
Bonus Tip: When it comes to business cards, you actually may already have some from a company that you are employed by. You may be fine with using these, not wanting to take on the additional expense of getting new ones printed. However, take a minute to think if you will want all of those people that you meet randomly on the streets of Austin (some of who may not be legitimately in the business they say they are) contacting you at your place of employment. For example, I tend to constantly embark upon and take on new projects that allow me full control and the ability to exercise my creativity. However, I usually try to keep my personal endeavors separate from my professional ones as typically I have been employed by big
name entertainment companies that sometimes make people see stars (or at least think they will be getting closer to fulfilling some dreams by getting to know me better…or stalking me). For the most part, I would not want random people contacting me on my direct line while I am in the midst of a time crunch trying to make deadlines or seeing projects through.
For this reason, I always have business cards for my creative projects (front and back of my TRAffIK business card pictured left–sorry, had to blackout my cell phone number), so that I can be selective about whom I give which to. For most LA residents that attend SXSW this is their world as well. So I would suggest that you think twice before you hand out your professional business card to every person you meet.
2. Safety in Numbers – This saying is true, there is a reason why this statement has survived countless generations. It is most true in cities 
you aren’t familiar with when most of your partying is done at night. Overall you are pretty safe if you stay in the downtown area in well lit and well populated sections. If at all possible you should always have a friend with you, especially if you are a girl. Most of the SXSW partiers are all music and film enthusiasts there to catch some good live shows and have a good time, but every now and then you get some of those same idiots that can be found anywhere, you know every good party has one or two. I’ve had a few annoying experiences, both at night almost getting a guy friend into a fight during one of them. Sometimes intoxicated band and label guys (they don’t necessarily have to be from those worlds that was just my own experience) develop a sense of entitlement thinking they can have everything they want when they want it. Sometimes you are able to awkwardly laugh (I get what my friends have identified as the nervous giggle) your way out of these situations. Regardless, every time I was glad to have had friends (particularly guy friends) around to either rescue me or to keep the situation from escalating, and as most of you know I’m not one of those silly drunk girls that usually needs rescuing, but it happens. As I said, his isn’t a typical occurrence so you shouldn’t be paranoid– but you should be aware that situations like this could arise and yes you are safer in larger groups or at least sticking with a friend or two at all times.
3. Set a Meeting Place – If you do make the trip with friends and if at all possible you should set an end of night/day meeting place. A check-in call or text would be great as well except for the common occurrence of cell phones losing their battery charge each day if you aren’t able to make it back to your hotel to charge it. A meeting place is insurance that everyone is still safe and alive and not in trouble.
The first year I went to SXSW this was a lifesaver as we went with a bunch of people and we all kept going our own separate ways, we would end our nights by meeting at the Four Seasons lobby (thank you LJ Scott for setting this precedence) and then going off somewhere else all together. Other years we’d end the night at certain bars. I think this is great for bands as well.
We know it’s not always feasible nor do you want to go to your meeting place if you are far away from it and enjoying yourself at this other location, if you can’t make it you should text or call someone to let them know you won’t be making it. If you don’t want to set up a daily end of night meeting place, maybe set a time to meet in your hotel lobby on your final day.
I don’t know if this would’ve helped this particular situation, but during one of my trips where we drove to Austin, while on the way back to LA I got a phone call and panicked text from the member of a band asking if I’d seen their guitarist explaining that he’d never made it to the hotel that night and they couldn’t locate him. You know that feeling that your stomach gets during the freefalls on a rollercoaster? Yeah, that’s how I felt. I told the bassist that I hadn’t seen him since the night before when they’d played a showcase and then I hung out with them briefly after that before we headed off to other parties. When we’d last left him he was hanging out with some guys in other fairly well known LA based bands. We didn’t know if he was lost, in jail, or dead. Most everyone was headed back home that day so we sent off mass texts to all of the various members of bands and other friends that knew him that had made the trip to Austin as well hoping to locate him. He was eventually located much later in good health, but it was one scary experience feeling so helpless.
I’m sure that thanks to the entertaining game that the Austin policemen play called “let’s fill the drunk tank,” many people have had their friends go missing and have had to undergo their own variation of the missing person search that we went through. Heck, I remember even the lead singer of The Walkmen ended up in the drunk tank during one of our years at SXSW.
So do your self a favor and set a meeting place, this way if you do find that someone is missing you can act quickly and in turn help to avoid a potentially bad situation/outcome.
4. Pretend You Don’t Have a Cell Phone – Archaic, I know, do you even remember what that’s like? I’m serious though if possible (I’m not sure what would make this impossible) take pen to paper (a small post-it would work) and jot down the phone numbers of your friends that are traveling with you. At one point or another during your trip your cell phone will lose probably lose its battery charge. Or even worse, you might lose your cell phone. A nightmare I know, but it’s true. I don’t know about you, but the only phone numbers I can still remember would not help me if I were in any type of trouble (trouble not requiring 911), especially not in Texas. Thanks to having their numbers saved, I haven’t dialed any of my friend’s phone numbers in ages. I think it’s a good idea to write down the numbers for your traveling companions and take them with you just in case you need them.
5. Lose the Heels – This is for the girls, and should go without saying, but I did see a few girls taking painful steps at the end of the night/day. Now I’m sure you’re all laughing that I would be the one giving this advice as most of you have never seen me wearing shoes that don’t have at least a 3 inch heel (UNLESS you’ve been to Austin, Disneyland or any other amusement park, or NY with me) and as much as I love high-heeled shoes and wedges it’s kind of ridiculous to assume you are going to be able to walk in these for 8-16 hours. If you can you are my new hero and you must share your secrets with me immediately!!!!
It’s not like I’m enforcing a ban on dresses (let’s not get crazy here people, that would just be preposterous!), but heels shouldn’t really even be a consideration. The partiers that come to SXSW could care less about what your footwear is and will probably only comment on it if it’s cute or different.
For the guys, just make sure whatever shoes you pack can endure a lot of walking and a lot of standing around. A good gauge of footwear to select would be what shoes would you want to be stuck wearing if you had to walk from the 6th street vicinity to your hotel (this could potentially happen).
Check back tomorrow for your final 5 Tips for SXSW
Buddy system photo originally published here
