Networking at SxSW
SxSW 2015 was an experience I will never forget. I attended the conference partially blind being it was my first time attending, and I hadn't known anyone personally to register. That said, I acquired the badge which gave full access to the conference, festival, and tradeshow events associated with the music portion.
Equipped with 100-plus hard copies of my mixtape I soon realized that even that was not enough considering the high volume of music lovers and contributors that were all around. So, instead of quickly distributing my CDs, I kept them on reserve for any influential people I encountered. In short, the CD served as my business card. Using the lessons I learned from last year's conference, I printed actual business cards for this year. These cards are also flyers to promote my social media accounts and newly created website.
Unlike my first rodeo, this time I will reduce cost, distribute more, and travel lighter. A secondary benefit is it will be easier for people to accept and retain my paraphernalia. With so much going on it can be awfully easy to get lost in the shuffle. I have seen this from the perspective of an artist and a fan during this massive event. So, the big question is: how do you get remembered? There is no perfect answer to this, but I plan to try my luck with this new method of mine. SxSW, here I come..