5 reasons why SXSW still matters

Hugh Forrest sounded like he just did a spit-take on the phone. I was telling him how I wanted to explore South by Southwest Conference (SXSW), the music, film and interactive event that kicks off March 10 in Austin, Texas, in a fresh way. Imagine, I explained, a guy walking up to you on the streets of Austin and saying, “Why does SXSW still matter, man?”

Forrest, who has long served as SXSW’s chief programming officer, collected himself and quickly rattled off five big-picture reasons why the long-running conference that sometimes seems over-stuffed with brand activations cans still pack a punch. Read more...