SXSW 2008: INTERACTIVE

SXSW Interactive back and booming, much like the Web

Facebook founder will give keynote address, gaming and social networking are big part of this year's offerings

By Omar L. Gallaga
AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF
Thursday, March 06, 2008

If you wanted any more evidence that the dot-com boom is having its second coming, you need only look to this year's South by Southwest Interactive Festival, which starts Friday and runs through Tuesday.

The event, which brings together Web designers, video game developers, online marketers and other "digital creatives," is expected to have its largest attendance yet this year, topping 2007's estimated 6,300 attendees. It's been experiencing a rebound after several lean festival years in the early '00s when, like the flailing online industry, SXSW Interactive was in scale-down mode.

Hugh Forrest, the longtime frontman for the fest, says Interactive's growth over the past few years mirrors the boom in Web 2.0. Interactive's organizers are trying to keep a traditionally loose and friendly fest feeling intimate.

"The big challenge for 2008 is to make smaller events within this event and to make it easier for people to network and meet other people with like interests," Forrest said. Interactive 2008 includes more evening networking events and parties.

With the aid of the "Panel-Picker," an online application that has allowed past and future attendees to submit panel suggestions and feedback, Interactive has expanded its business, design and social networking tracks. Last year, about 300 ideas were submitted for Interactive panels. This year, the number grew to 750 submissions.

There's also an increased emphasis on the nearly $19 billion video game industry. The ScreenBurn Arcade Festival will include presentations from Virtual Worlds creators and one of the talents behind the popular "Guitar Hero" series. The Screenburn Arcade, which includes booths and tournaments on the first floor of the Austin Convention Center, will run from noon to 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday; it's free and open to the public.

But the most anticipated event at the fest might be a Sunday keynote from Facebook founder and chief executive Mark Zuckerberg. The 23-year-old billionaire is a tech-industry darling, and his company's Web site is among the most popular and influential Web sites.

Forrest said it wasn't difficult to get Zuckerberg to commit to the fest and that Facebook — which launched in 2004 as a networking tool for students — is a natural fit for Interactive. "Facebook is trying to make a big push with developers and these digital creatives who attend," Forrest said. "It'll be great to hear what he says and what his vision for the company will be."

Zuckerberg won't be jetting off after the keynote: He plans to stick around for the music festival, Forrest said.

Timed as it is with the film and music fests, Interactive has always been about cross-pollination and convergence among these media. Multiple panels cover the impact of new media on film and music, and one question that always seems to hover around the festival: how people can make money on interactive entertainment and multimedia? (One Saturday Film/Interactive panel is called, "Quit Your Day Job and Vlog.")

Many who come to the fest are looking for inspiration from people who have made their marks online or to catch a glimpse of a hot new technology that might spread after the fest. In its history, South by Southwest Interactive has been instrumental in the birth of Blogger, last year's fest favorite Twitter.com and the trend of video blogging.

ogallaga@statesman.com; 445-3672

SOUTH BY SOUTHWEST INTERACTIVE

When: Friday through Tuesday

Where:Austin Convention Center, 500 E. Cesar Chavez St.

Cost: Walk-up registration is $450

Information: sxsw.com/interactive

ScreenBurn Arcade

When: Noon to 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday

Where: First floor, Austin Convention Center

Cost: Free and open to the public