SXSW festival

Austin, Texas, USA

A place where thousands congregate

Thought leaders with plenty to say

 

Upon arriving at the conference

We were unsure what to expect

But with official programmes in our hands

We cracked on, deciding what sessions to select

 

The first talks we attended,

Set the bar extremely high

“3D printing transforming transplantation surgery”

“How to predict pandemics using AI”

 

The speakers were inspiring

They were all trying to save lives

Using ingenious new technologies

It simply blew our minds

 

Big topics were debated

Like “Can we live forever?”

“Will block chain change the healthcare industry?”

“Can we reverse this turbulent weather?”

 

We learnt new ways to harness creativity

Utilising nature, meditation and more

We were only half way through the week

What else did SXSW have in store?

 

The keynotes were thought provoking,

It’s not like we got bored

But how to tell stories in new exciting ways

That’s next what we explored

 

Off to the exhibitions we went

Discovering the latest advancements in VR

The rapid improvement in this industry

Drove home the power of 360 cinema

 

Next up, the film festival

And entry to a global film premiere

We were in touching distance of Matthew McConaughey

He asked us politely not to stare

 

We researched the art of podcasting

And why it’s rapidly on the rise

It made us think about the work we do

How can we absorb people in stories, without them using their eyes?

 

A big highlight for the both of us

Was the programme of animated shorts

9 of the world’s best animation directors

Telling stories in the purest of form

 

The whole week was inspiring

It gave us many ideas to ponder 

At the Havas Lynx Group, we’re the storytellers of our industry

That’s a pretty special honour

 

We hope this gives you some insight

We could ramble on for days

But in summary, our take home message from SXSW is

Let’s keep telling stories in different ways 

 

Find out more about their experience of SXSW 2019 here.