by Mike Hanus
Every year, some of the brightest minds in journalism, advertising, business, technology, film and music get together to talk about the latest advancements and upcoming trends in their fields. South by Southwest is a massive combination of festivals, concerts, panels and keynote speeches that annually brings more than 250,000 visitors for 10 days to Austin, Texas.
More than anything, South by Southwest is a convergence of creators, researchers and organizations who are working on the future. For students looking to enter the workforce and understand the latest skills and trends, South by Southwest is the place to be.
At the College of Journalism and Mass Communications, we want our students to enter the workforce with all the most up-to-date knowledge that will help them succeed. South by Southwest seemed like the ideal place to give students a great experience and the chance to hear straight from top industry professionals.
I am an assistant professor of advertising and public relations and was sent as part of the CoJMC’s first dive into South by Southwest. It was my role to research and prepare the best possible way to make this a memorable student study-away experience. I have to say, it was better than anything I expected, and I think students would benefit immensely from attending.
The ability to be only a few seats away from award-winning professionals talking about their craft is invaluable for students. The atmosphere of South by Southwest is open and inviting; even the CEOs are willing to stay behind, give out cards and take questions after a talk. Students can also attend pitch competitions, where real start-up companies compete for funding in front of judges and an audience.
There is so much to do! On a given day, I could hear talks on virtual reality journalism, global interactive advertising, and crisis management through social media. If I wanted, I could pop into a talk on spotting trends from the fashion industry, or learn how artificial intelligence will shift the economy. Of course, there are also the keynote speakers: this year featured the likes of London Mayor Sadiq Khan, philanthropist Melinda Gates and Youtube’s Global Head of Music Lyor Cohen.
Beyond the panels and keynotes, the city of Austin is overflowing with activity. There are hundreds of concerts, stand-up comedy acts and film debuts. Brands and celebrities from all over the world come to South by Southwest to visit, make announcements and generate buzz.
South by Southwest is helpful for professors as well. I have already taken case studies talked about in panels and developed them into activities for my Strategic Writing class. South by Southwest has an entire video gaming conference and exhibition hall, and I posted my notes and questions online so the students in my Video Games & Society class could follow along and interact with me.
Now that we have a strong understanding of South by Southwest and the benefits it can bring to students, we plan to make this an annual trip for all the students in the College. Any major could gain a lot by attending, and I cannot wait until I can help guide students through this awesome experience.
