With Love…at South by Southwest Interactive!

Hello Darlings,

Spending ten days in Texas was fantastic. And I am very proud to announce that I did it all with only a carry-on As for those curious as to “Why Texas ?”… well, the answer is South by Southwest Interactive and the Maple Leaf Digital Lounge, which showcased some of the best in Canadian digital medial technology.

An opportunity to visit one of the leading social and digital medial conference’s in the world presented itself and I was just too eager to hop on it Geek meets chic indeed…

For those that are not familiar with South by Southwest, this is it…

South by Southwest (“SXSW”) is one of world’s largest Music, Film, and Interactive festivals attracting over 17,000 registrants to Austin, Texas each year. SXSW runs from March 11 through the 20^th and is the place to discover new creative content and emerging technologies. Each year, hundreds to thousands of musicians, film makers, start-up companies, and industry leaders attend the event, heavy on the social media, networking events, and awesome parties.

To understand its importance, know that Twitter and Foursquare were both launched at SXSW in recent years. This year there has been talk of big brands luring bloggers out to Austin with free travel and other paid expenses to cover the event—it’s that big!

There are three separate Conferences / Festivals over successive weekends: SXSW Music and Media Conference, SXSW Film Festival, SXSW Interactive Festival. SXSW Interactive is the one that I attended, which is 5 days of emerging technology, networking events and parties, new video games, wireless applications, digital mash-ups, and innovation. (Information by Touchstone Research)

To prepare for my trip, I found this International Traveler 21 inch carry-on luggage that is light and roomy. This one fit about 25% more than my old luggage, and I also focused on eliminating as much unessential items for my packing. The majority of the trip required semi-formal attire that would take me from day to late afternoon greet-and-meet drinks; and of course a selection of evening wear that would look appropriate and simple for late night dinners and parties. Being a smart packer is definitely a skill that is worth learning. When you’re trying to make a great first impression, it’s definitely an intimidating dilemma being sure you have all that you need for a variety of events.

I ended up bringing:

• three pairs of jeans: skinny in dark wash; flares; and white (that I purchased)
• three silk dresses
• two skirts
• four silk blouses
• three t-shirt
• a suede blazer
• a leather jacket (that I wore on the plane)
• two cashmere cardigans and one cashmere sweater
• two dressy tops for parties
• two pairs of ballerina
• one pair of black heels
• two pairs of sunglasses
• a pair of classic shorts
• small evening clutch
• a large purse
• a watch

Wishing Everyone a Beautiful Day!!!

With Love…

Marta