SkyscraperPage Forum - SXSW Thread

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I figured I would make a SXSW thread to stick SXSW news and stuff in. I know there are some other posters from other cities who will be coming to Austin next month for it, so maybe if they have questions before they come they can look here too.

I was hoping to get out of Austin this year before the chose ensued, but my boss just told me today I will be needed in Austin to help out that week. So looks like I'm being thrown in the chaos again this year. lol. Oh, well it is always fun!

Here is a couple quick YouTubes to get started.

The Intro Video

• Video Link

The 3 Min Update (I'll try to keep this up each time they do a new one)

• Video Link

Films - http://sxsw.com/film/screenings/film_lineup

Bands - 2,000 this year. ~800 international bands. Here are some Showcase Bands

Cool. I'll be there, SXSW is a monster!

Always my favorite time of year. Such a wonderful vibe and electricity in the air in this city during SXSW it can get overwhelming. For about 4 days I barely get any sleep and im a walking zombie by the last day of SXSW but its always a fun time with great memories.

I moved here in August, so this'll be my first time here during SXSW. I doubt I'll make it to any events or shows, but I'm excited nonetheless.

Quote:

Originally Posted by haux (Post 5591978)

I moved here in August, so this'll be my first time here during SXSW. I doubt I'll make it to any events or shows, but I'm excited nonetheless.

It's fun just to roam around.... so just get out and experience the freak show! ( And I mean that is a good way! )

Thanks for starting up this thread BevoLJ. I won't be anywhere near able to attend but at least I'll be able to follow up on it from this forum's perspective. This is the start of an amazing year for Austin, holy sh*%!

SxSW is a really unique wonderful multi-festival that is great for Austin and music/film/technology. With that said I'm very happy that I will off work during the music portion and will not have to drive to my downtown job on those days.

Ah.... SXSW, the time of year when many Austinites can't do business because all of the streets are blocked off, sit in traffic three times as long trying to get home and lose customers because they are suffering the same plight.... Ahhhhhhhhhhh........... But it is FUN!

Well its worth it when you consider the amount of money the city brings in from SXSW.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jdawgboy (Post 5597123)

Well its worth it when you consider the amount of money the city brings in from SXSW.

City does take a lot in. I'd like to see a study on how much non-bar-non-hotel-not-food bizes lose. It would be interesting.

Quote:

Originally Posted by JAM (Post 5597152)

City does take a lot in. I'd like to see a study on how much non-bar-non-hotel-not-food bizes lose. It would be interesting.

I would think SXSW would be a net gain for just about every business in town. In a lot of cases its the 10 days of the year that save a business from going under. The only severe traffic jams occur downtown between Cesar Chavez and 15th Street.... and the vast majority of the businesses located there are food, hotel, and bar related.

Quote:

Originally Posted by East7thStreet (Post 5597245)

Could be. Would be very interesting to see a independent, non-partisan study to confirm. I do know that our condo usually loses money during the event. There is usually extra repairs and other issues that need to be handled due to its presence.

I'd like to see a independent, non-partisan study on how many major companies, artist, and entire large sectors of the Austin economy have grown out of it. South by has done far far FAR more good than bad to Austin, and to even for one second think other wise is absolutely absurd.

Music and hospitality- SXSW is our entertainment sector of our economy. The days before digital, and the internet, where SRV or Willy or any musician could just go into the studio and make a record to make a living are gone. Today with out such event like SXSW musicians and all those associated with music can't survive. They have to have shows. The shows and events like SXSW are far more important than they were in the past. Furthermore, there is no shot at getting those two 1,000 room plus convention hotels that are about to break ground, as well as the thousands of construction jobs, plus thousand of permanent jobs that the hotels will have. And that is just those two hotels. Think of the thousands of other jobs from musicians to stage hands to everything else that has been brought to Austin because of South By.

Film, South by is one of the biggest film fest in the world. And it does go a long way to help support our local film industry, and the film school at UT.

Tech, here is the big one. I would love to see a study on how many tech companies have grown out of South by. And not just little ones. Quite a few huge ones with 500+ employees (all very high paying jobs) and IPO's in the $100s of millions. Like HomeAway.

Oh, and if it is really driving you that crazy then take a free vacation. Speaking of HomeAway, do what a lot of my friends do, and what I was going to do until my boss made me stay to help out. Rent out your place on HomeAway and take a vacation fully paid by those who stayed at your place. I know many people who go on cruises and such and make more from renting their house online during SXSW because of the huge demand for places to stay in Austin, than the cruise cost them.

Edit: But most of all, nothing else has done half of what SXSW has done to put Austin on the world stage. SXSW seriously is what introduced Austin to the rest of the world. Before SXSW the only thing anyone outside the US knew about Austin was, "it was the place that crazy guy went to the top of some tower at some university and shot a bunch of people right?" lol

Quote:

Originally Posted by JAM (Post 5597296)

What would we gain from such a study? Seriously??? That sounds like something an ANTI-SXSW person would say and would do no good except bring out the same people that were talking smack last year that brought about the whole move SXSW to SA crap. SXSW brings far more benefits than negatives. Anybody can see that even people who may not exactly be fond of it can see that.

I agree with BevoLJ in that Austin would not be what it is today without SXSW to even consider a study to basically point out the negatives would just be unproductive and cause a lot of un-needed debate. This city has way too many people who love to debate over mute points as it is to have yet more.

Fact is each year the city hires an independent, non-partisan group to study the impacts of SXSW and each year the numbers are nothing but good news in the amount of tourists, money that comes into the city that is directly impacted from SXSW as well as money that comes indirectly. If you want to take a look at it Ill post the link up.

http://greyhill.com/blog/2011/8/23/2...ct-report.html

And as far as traffic congestion goes, the worst of the traffic is around the Downtown area during the day, area freeways are a little more clogged than usual but then again they are clogged quite a bit these days for any event or non event. By night you can easily drive into downtown. Best way to work around this problem is to take mass transportation, taxi's or ride a bike, or as I did last year had somebody drop me off at the South 1st street bridge and I just walked into Downtown from there. There are ways to get around just got to think outside the box.

And last but not least many companies, especially ones in the Downtown area have found ways to work around SXSW either by having employees work from home in some cases during that time like Hill Country mentioned he will be doing, or to have staggered work hours to keep traffic congestion a bit less than on a typical week day morning or evening. Some companies that don't have anything to do with SXSW let employees have a vacation from work or if they have unused sick time they can use that.

It's not anti- sxsw. It's just about knowing the true cost of something. Everything as an upside for someone, and a downside for someone else. So questioning the cost of something is not advocating the abolition of it. Just look at transportation funding in roads versus public transport, factory conditions in workers versus cheap products, or industrial farming in animal conditions versus food for people. Everything has a cost. Sxsw has costs. Lots of benefits, but not for everyone. It's better to know that than to pretend they're not there. My barber is downtown. He has to close for the majority of sxsw because his customers can't get to him or they perceive that they can't get to him. He loses more than a week's business every year. He deals with it. Should sxsw be closed down because of the cost of his lost revenue that week? No. But we should know that not everyone benefits from sxsw. It does cost some people and businesses a lot, and has no benefits to them. It's looking at the world we exist in with a rational thought process.

"rational thought process," says the man riding a bike in the nude or close to it lol (not judging btw). Both Jdawg and you are right but I would think that most of the local businesses would benefit. For example, the barber you speak of. Wouldn't some visitors from out of town need a haircut too? It may not be the normal clientele but business is business. If I remeber right JAM has a business downtown, maybe it is a business that has no way to make money during that time maybe just because of the nature of his business...

Calm down there fella's. No one said anything about being ANTI-SXSW or said it was bad for Austin. How does that old saying go" The only exercise we get around here is JUMPING to conclusions, RIDING other peoples backs, ..... :)

Would just interested in all the facts, that's all. I don't leave, I like it. However, I do know people who make it a point to leave town during that time. It drives them crazy. And there is a hidden cost to others in the city, there is no denying that. But yes, overall it is definitely beneficial, no arguments there.

Thanks for pointing out the study, Jdawgboy. I don't see any of the negatives taken under consideration, that would be a truely non-biased study. The city is not about to point that out or want to hear it or have someone present it to them, that would be plain stupid.