If you've ever wished you could pick the line-up and schedule at a festival like South by Southwest (SXSW), then you'll be stoked to know that you in fact, CAN.
Yes, Sydney's second-ever iteration of South by Southwest (SXSW) is happening again later this year - and today, voting has opened for the 'Session Select' programming. Session Select allows people to submit proposals for programming ideas that can then be voted on by the SXSW Sydney community.
SXSW Sydney’s Managing Director Colin Daniels said, "Our creative community has exceeded even my most optimistic expectations – the quality of the submissions we have received is outstanding. Thanks to all the dreamers, doers and innovators out there. The inquiring minds and provocative thinkers SXSW Sydney attract are what makes this event so exhilarating and satisfying. Our programming team has its work cut out!”
Here's everything you need to know about SXSW and how to vote for your pick in Session Select.
Who can I vote for?
For this year's program, more than 1,000 thought leaders and innovators have registered for Session Select – from across 35 countries and organisations like Google, Meta, Leonardo.ai, Canva, Xero, Linktree, Qantas, Virgin Australia, Atlassian, Reddit, Tourism Australia, McKinsey, Culture Amp, TikTok, Accenture, Amazon Web Services, Tenmile, Coinbase, WPP, Dentsu, DDB Sydney, Intrepid Travel, PWC, KPMG, Deloitte and Getty Images.
There are also a bunch of institutions on the voting sheet, like UTS, The University of Sydney, QUT, UNSW, UQ, Harvard, UC Berkeley, Monash, Western Sydney University, Swinburne, Garvan Institute of Medical Research and the Australian Human Rights Commission.
How can I vote?
We're big on democracy here at RUSSH. You can vote on the SXSW Sydney website as of today.
When will official programming be announced?
After public voting and programmer review, speakers will be announced from April.
When is SXSW Sydney?
This year's program will take place between 14-20 October 2024.
What's on the SXSW Sydney 2024 program?
This year, conference tracks have continued to diversify – AI will dominate the conversation across all 23 tracks and will filter into domains including Lifestyle, Food, Sustainability and Data.
Last year, more than 250,000 attendees headed to festival, which took over multiple venues across the city, and we expect this year's will be even bigger.
How can I attend SXSW Sydney in 2024?
To attend SXSW Sydney you'll need to buy a ticket, which they call a 'badge'. You can opt to purchase different badge tiers, which will allow you different levels of access to special events and programming.
You can buy a badge for a specific pillar of the festival – like the a Games badge or a Music badge – or you can opt to purchase a Platinum badge, which will give you access to it all.
If you're debating which to choose, it's good to keep in mind that Platinum badge holders also get some extra-special perks, like:
- an invitation to the SXSW Sydney opening night party
- access to a dedicated co-workign space on-site
- access to the new Platinum Lounge area
- express passes to help secure your seats at in-demand conference sessions
- primary access to extended programming of networking events and meet-ups.
Badges are already available to purchase at early bird rates on the SXSW Sydney website.
What is SXSW?
SXSW a creative organisation that bridges technology, film, music, media and culture. As a nexus point that connects professional development and networking, SXSW is dedicated to the live practice of connection. With origins in Austin, United States, SXSW is synonymous with idea-generation. Their people-first approach have homogenised community outreach with career up-skilling across many fields. And today is the day: SXSW's full line-up and conference badges have gone live for sale.
