SXSWi: A Decidedly Unretro Retrospective.

SXSW is sadly over for another year. Minds were blown, gadgets tinkered with, innumerable barbecued meals consumed, icons and heroes adored from a moderate distance: all in all, we’d chalk that down as a success.

So with absolutely no trace of jealousy whatsoever, we cornered the lucky folks from Naked Communications and The Leading Edge who attended the event, to ask about their experiences and memories from the geekiest festival out there.

Joining us for this Q&A are: Matt Houltham, managing partner at Naked NY; Tom Ward, managing director at Naked Melbourne; Rob Meldrum, innovation director at Naked London; Jess Jordan, global talent manager at Naked; Asher Stamell, strategist at Naked NY; David Hartmann, planning director at BMF; Nigel Marsh, chairman at The Leading Edge; and Chris Paxton, managing director at The Leading Edge.

Let us begin!

Sum up SXSW in six words or less.

Matt: “Inspirational, overwhelming, frantic, welcoming, opportunity.”
Jess: “Intense, exhilarating, continual consumption.”
Nigel: “An orgy for the mind.”

Was this your first time at SXSW? If so, was it anything like you expected?

Asher: “This was my first year at SXSW. I knew the sessions were going to be insightful but I had no idea they would be so collaborative. The Q&A’s were often the most fascinating part.”
Rob: “I was a SXSW virgin. It was nothing like I expected. I thought it was going to be far more geeky: it seems that tech is the new rock ‘n’ roll.”
Tom: “Yes, I popped my SXSW cherry this year. I didn’t expect the scale – it’s truly massive now. I did expect there to be a swarm of Google Glass wearers, and I wasn’t disappointed.”

What was your overall highlight from SXSW?

Chris: “The inspiring argument from Chase Jarvis that Creativity is as important as literacy – amazing talk and amazing passion.”
David: “The IDEO & MIT talk. Will never forget that. ”
Asher: “One afternoon I had a serendipitous run in with one of my favorite writers, Rembert Browne. We spoke about New York, young adult life, and CULTURE. He gave me his email. I almost fainted.”
Tom: “Meeting Arya from Game of Thrones in the hotel lift.”

What surprised you the most about SXSW?

Chris: “The diversity of the speakers and the quality of their content. In fact, content is unfair, it was their unwavering points of view that inspired me the most.”
Jess: “The city – it was so well set up for such a massive influx of people.”
Rob: “The level of creativity and questioning. I wasn’t expecting to come back so enthused about life and the possibilities around me.”

What tech or idea are you most excited about after seeing it at SXSW?

David: “Skin sensors to quickly pick up fascinating data about a persons health and mood is really interesting.”
Rob: “Embeddables: Nano-technology inside your body. It’s the new wearables.”
Tom: “Rather than one specific piece of tech, I was blown away particularly by the way technology is creating a seamless, interconnected world. A world where your fridge talks to your watch which measures your heartbeat and tells you what level of fat you can take in your milk. Amazing.”

What big trends did you spot at the show?

Nigel: “Data. Data. And Data.The next generation of data. The increasing amounts of it being collected in a hyper connected world. How do we effectively use a diverse number of data sets in a linked way? Who has the right to use your data?”
Tom: “It felt to me like the biggest theme was how we adapt to a world where everything can be measured – from the possibilities and application of the technology that’s meaning we can measure more and more, to the acceptable limits of what should be measured.”
David: “1) Human purpose behind the tech – remember your brand can do amazing things for the world if you ask it to. 2) Collaboration and partnerships (with consumers, clients, staff and other partner companies). Very different to the standard way Agencies work. 3) Authenticity through everything. 4). Viral is a nonsense concept. 5). Advocacy is an un-tapped opportunity. 5). Go live in everything.”

What was your essential SXSW survival gear?

Tom: “An iPhone charging cable. Wall sockets were the most valuable commodity in Austin for the week of SXSW.”
Matt: “Anker charger – small enough to fit in pocket and do two full phone charges. Comfortable shoes.”
Chris: “Phone charger, SXSW App, water, iPad and wristbands that ensure free drinks!”

Where there many Google Glass wearers? How do you feel about the tech?

Rob: “I was really excited after seeing my first pair. One hour later and I’d seen 15. I was less excited after that. But, I still want some for myself.”
Nigel: “Hundreds. I felt they looked like idiots. And that I was an idiot for feeling they looked like idiots.”
Tom: “So many they just blended in. I felt ok about them - but I drew the line at the bloke wearing them at 2am at the Mashable party. I’m just not sure they’re required party wear.”

What tips would you give any SXSW newbies for 2015?

Tom: “Wear comfortable shoes. Never miss an opportunity to recharge. And get in training for a diet of pure barbecued meat.”
David: “Don’t worry about following others to the same talks. Divide and conquer and then meet and share. Hang around the conference center (it’s generally great there). See anything with IDEO or MIT in it!”
Chris: “Plan before you go – there’s so much to see and do that you need to have started thinking about it before you go. More importantly, don’t try to be too rational about the talks you see – on day one I was like “what will have most impact on my day to day role?”. By the end I was being inspired by people that made me look at the world in a totally different way.”