Comments on: Thoughts on SXSW

By: Scott T.

Scott T. — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 22:13:29 +0000

@Jinal — it’s true that a panel can actually be great, however in my experience that any randomly selected one or two person talk at SXSW is invariably higher quality than any randomly selected panel.

This year, I attended a few panels, most with really smart, amazing people and all but one were duds. The only panel I attended that I felt was worth my time was “Designers & Developers” lead by Liz Danico. I think the moderator really makes the difference. She did a great job managing her (smart, amazing) panelists and the involving the audience.

By: Jinal Shah

Jinal Shah — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 21:03:17 +0000

I hear a lot of people share similar sentiments on panel discussions – but believe it or not, I actually find them more valuable and interesting than single-person talks.
A terrific panel discussion only happens when there is the right mix of people with different point-of-views and most importantly, a moderator who is able to bring out simply the best out of each and every panelist.

At a one-person speaker, I am wary of becoming too enchanted by a single dominating thought that they are selling. I actually enjoy the agreements/ disagreements and dynamism at panels.

However, I can see why it is so easy to go wrong with panels. Panels are like an orchestra – the panelists are the players and the moderator is the conductor. The wrong mix and I can totally see why people would stop enjoying panels :)

By: Desiree Sturdevant

Desiree Sturdevant — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 11:23:06 +0000

Hey there: Thanks so much for including me in your blog post!! Definitely let me know if you want any accessibility tips and tricks from us at Knowbility! Enjoyed reading your other observations about SxSW.

By: Zana Fauzi

Zana Fauzi — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 02:23:28 +0000

A brilliant write-up. I’m currently reading Desiree’s blog and I am amazed.

By: amber of TheAmberShow

amber of TheAmberShow — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 19:18:50 +0000

I’m with you on the badge design. For what we paid to be there, I expected something nicer, or even just neatly formatted. Very disappointing.

By: Stephen Coles

Stephen Coles — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 16:51:25 +0000

The eternal struggle with nametag design involves dealing with a variety of name lengths. The solution, of course, is to use type large enough to see, but small enough to fit a majority of names. Names that are too long can be set with slightly smaller type. But this requires an automated badge printing system that will handle the size changes. Most conferences only invest in a simple template. More on badge design.

By: joey

joey — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 16:46:41 +0000

I do agree about nametags for events like this. I am always frustrated at the idea of tasks like creating name tags being given to people without a sense of design….the name tag is what stirs conversations and engages participates to what to meet one another. I am going to host 60 invited guests to our work studio next month and will most definately keep factors like size and location in mind!
Ps. Swissmiss, is that your sketchbook that is shown above?

By: Ned Schwartz

Ned Schwartz — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 16:34:55 +0000

Your idea about putting the speakers down on the floor in the middle of the conference room reminds me of the old democratizing hardcore setup of playing in the middle of the audience. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L46V7X7DILU You can see how well it works!

By: Julian

Julian — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 16:32:26 +0000

Definitely great insights, Tina. I’d just like to point out that Carsonified’s conferenced have always done badges right for me. They’re clear, large, and lately economical.

This badge is from Future of Web Apps in London last year:

http://fruda.com/g/a946fea27311786486f51368e279704a.png

…and here is one from Miami, this February (this is actually a shot of the back of the badge, which had a fold-out conference schedule on it, which I think is not only great, but saves paper and resources as well):

http://fruda.com/g/4ffd4aa783ff2465ea23686b34299fbe.png

By: Alta Berri

Alta Berri — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 16:00:40 +0000

Off topic – Did you use a helvetica moleskine as your notepad? Mine is behind a glass case.

By: Casey

Casey — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 15:40:41 +0000

Glad you had fun. what was the outcome of the CMS Showdown?

By: Scott T.

Scott T. — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 15:40:04 +0000

Tina, was nice to finally meet you. Would love to chat with you &/or John in NYC some time soon. And ++ on all your feedback — good insights!

By: Khoi

Khoi — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 15:38:43 +0000

A great write-up. You already know that I agree wholeheartedly on Leah Buley’s presentation, and might know that I also agree wholeheartedly on the ineffectiveness of panels. But you make a great point on how SXSW could be a bit more creatively presented, too; I hadn’t thought that one through but you’re completely right.