Kimberly Bryant of Black Girls Code is the 2019 SXSW Hall of Fame Honoree

10 New Things For SXSW 2019

The Forrest Four-Cast: March 2, 2019

Over the course of its 30 year history, SXSW has morphed, changed, evolved and transitioned many many times. Ten new elements for the 2019 event (which kicks off Friday, March 8 in Austin) are as follows:

1. New Blockchain & Cryptocurrency Track. These sessions explore the ideas, investors, leaders, policies, and tokens that will be impacting global economics and business over the next few years. This track is scheduled March 14–16 at the Hilton Austin Downtown.
2. New Candidate-Focused Content at ACL. On March 9 and March 10, enjoy “Conversations About America’s Future” at Austin City Limits Live at the Moody Theater. such as Senator Elizabeth Warren, Senator Amy Klobouchar, Governor John Kasich, Governor Bill Weld and many others.
3. New Cannabusinesss Track. Scheduled March 14–16, these three days of sessions cover all the new entrepreneurial activities in the fast-changing cannabis industry. Don’t miss the keynote speech from former Speaker of the House John Boehner on Friday, March 15.
4. New Day and Time for Community Service Awards. For 2019, the SXSW Community Services Awards moves to 10:00 am on Sunday, March 10 at the Line Hotel (111 Cesar Chavez). This heart-warming celebration of doing better is free free free — no badge needed to attend.
5. New Day for Bruce Sterling Talk. There’s no better way to understand the zeitgeist of the connected world than listening to Bruce Sterling’s annual analysis of the technology industry. For 2019, this presentation moves to 5:00 pm on Wednesday, March 13 at the Hilton Austin Downtown.
6. New Days for the SXSW Gaming Exposition. This year’s SXSW Gaming Exposition moves to March 15 through March 17 (giving attendees both Saturday and Sunday to enjoy this action-packed arcade). Free entry for all SXSW badgeholders or click here to buy a ticket or a wristband.
7. New Hilton Footbridge. Moving between two of the main Conference venues (the Austin Convention Center and the Hilton Austin Downtown) will be easier than ever with the recently completed footbridge connecting these two buildings.
8. New Location for Registration and Badge Pickup. For the last several years, attendees have picked up their credentials at Exhibit Hall 5 in the Austin Convention Center. This year the location moves to Ballroom B at the southeast corner of the building. Learn more about badge pickup by visiting the Attendee Services Hub.
9. New SXSW Interactive Innovation Awards Date. Honor some of the world’s most incredible digital projects at the SXSW Interactive Innovation Awards. For 2019, this ceremony moves to the evening of Monday, March 11. Part of the ceremony is devoted to the 2019 SXSW Hall of Fame inductee Kimberly Bryant of Black Girls Code (pictured above).
10. New SXXpress for Conference Access. Badgeholders will now be able to reserve front-of-the-line access for at least two sessions per day using the SXXpress system. Signup begins Thursday, March 7. Please read this page for complete details on how this system works.

Browse the online schedule to learn more about all the new content at SXSW 2019. Attend all this incredible programming and take advantage of all the amazing networking opportunities by purchasing a badge.

Hugh Forrest serves as Chief Programming Officer at SXSW, the world’s most unique gathering of creative professionals. He also tries to write at least four paragraphs per day on Medium. These posts often cover tech-related trends; other times they focus on books, pop culture, sports and other current events.