Tomorrow is my first FOWD talk on “Getting Your Designs Approved: 12 Simple Rules” - can’t wait! I met some very cool people at the opening party tonight but rather than cover geek talk, I figured my adventure today was much more unappealing… so I HAD to share.
This morning, I thought I was a swell idea to visit the famous wax museum, Madam Tussauds and well - it’s NOT my favorite spot. It was okay, I guess… IF you love GIANORMOUS crowds and people stepping right in front of your camera.
When I walked in, I saw some kid with NASTY nosebleed and there was blood everywhere. Yum… Sorry no photos of that.
Otherwise, I quickly made my way through the huge masses of bodies. Cat is really mad. I totally forgot to get his photo with Brad and Angelina. He refuses to talk to me anymore. (Sorry Cat, hope you can find it in your furry heart to forgive me.)
Here’s some pix from Madam Tussauds. You can view more here.
I have been wandering around London for the last 3 days - here a bit early for FOWD. Whoo hoo! I’ve done a bit of sight seeing and I’ve added over 150 photos to flickr. View the slideshow to see them all.
I think I walked more in the last 3 days than I have in the last year. I saw Soho, Covent Garden, St. James Park, Green Park, Buckingham Palace, Wellington Arch, The National Gallery and more…
Oh, before you ask… I brought a toy cat along with me to keep me company and he enjoyed all of the sites very much.
Here’s a few of my favorite photos / videos: (View here)
I will leave tomorrow with an incredible amount of inspiration. I feel honored to have mingled with so many whom inspire not only myself — but the industry as a whole.
SoDA (Society of Digital Agencies) was introduced at our panel and I’m looking forward to the future of our industry and the overall improvements for everyone. SoDA is being established as a voice of the interactive industry worldwide, with a mission to advance the profession through knowledge sharing, advocacy and learning. SoDA holds some of the most influential minds in the digital world and strives to improve the digital landscape for everyone.
SoDA will set guidelines for the betterment of our industry when it comes to business practices, education and much more.
I leave SXSWi feeling invigorated and can’t wait to tackle tomorrow with my favorite people from Anet. Love you guys. :) And I <3 my readers. Thanks for your support!
Saturday night was a fun night. The 16 bit party was awesome and I met my favorite Blogger: Dooce. I did the total fan thing and was like “OMG, Can I get a photo with you? I’m a HUGE fan.” Heather is awesome. She was very nice and Maggie Mason of MightyGirl was a blast as well. It made my night!
Yesterday was our panel (Awards: Do we lose by winning?). In prepping for it, I wasn’t able to go to many other panels yesterday. I’m happy to say it went very well and was a lot of fun and a total honor.
On the panel was:
So, I decided to not lug my 7LB laptop around all day like I had done in previous years. While I was itching to recap all of the great panels I went to in detail, I don’t miss fighting for open floor space to sit next to an outlet so I can keep the battery charged. I felt very disconneted without email. I don’t have an iPhone and I’m probably one of the few people here who doesn’t. And yes, I am jealous - I want one now.
This year is proving to be pretty exciting but for me it’s different than it was the 3 years ago when I first attended (by myself). I’m happy to have fellow AgencyNetters around to discuss the panels and share a good brew with.
I have a gold badge this year which gets me into both Film and Interactive events. And it also gets me these heavy canvas bags filled with crap stuff. I’m very disappointed with all the flyers and “junk” in the give-away bags. It seems like such a waste. Most of it just gets tossed. When you think about the fact that this is an “interactive” festival and that flyer’s seem somewhat antiquated, I have to ask… Isn’t there a better way? At least to target people who are actually interested in that specific flyer or business?
I don’t have time to go into much detail about what I took away from each session as the night events are gearing up and it’s time to go. For photos check out El Sanchez on Flickr.
