It's going to be impossible to dig through my notes from SXSW, as the overwhelming nature of the five day event has my brain firing in multiple directions on possibilities and pitches. While unable to see everything I wanted to, the interconnected maelstrom that was the recruiting and marketing community let me talk to dozens of people I respect from reading online, and another hundred I've just met and now follow.
While a number of reports will talk about how crowded and big SXSW got, I found it possible to connect one-on-one with a lot of people. Must be a recruiting trait - I spoke with people on elevators, in line at coffee, standing around at parties, and even in the shuttles back and forth.
I'll be writing out a lot of my notes and trying to link those I met, both here, at StlRecruiting, and at the Brandstorming Blog, in an attempt to pass on the knowledge I received and to give some link love to those I met.
In the meantime, keep this nugget of wisdom close to you for future SXSW and conferences in general.
Most people who go to events like SXSW don't know a lot of people there. Even those who do, can often find themselves on the outside when they attend a new kind of panel or a party that their friends haven't shown up to. These people are not only happy to speak with you, they're grateful to have someone to speak with. Ask them questions, like any good recruiter, about where they're from, what they do, and what they hope to get out of the conference.
We had a product and a company to sell at SXSW, but we weren't there to get leads. I was there to find out where the world was going and what it currently looked like from the highly-connected. Sure, Craig and I talked about the company when it was appropriate (except once, when I had too much Red Bull and got excited, but that's another story for another time), but other times we jut sat back and listened.
The online network can seem big, but it's really just a series of subconnected groups and individuals. It's the same thing as being onsite at large conferences. There is a lot to learn if you can focus on the people around you and what they have to teach.
More to come.
