So Many SXSW Speaker Proposal Fails

Conference content is an ever-evolving landscape — When you enter your speaking proposal in the SXSW PanelPicker interface, you will be asked to choose a track in which this idea belongs. For 2023, we have added several new options to this track list. These new track options include: Energy (distribution, equity and alternative sources) Food (what, why and…

Such a powerful tool for connecting with our audience! — In my first and second post about the 2023 PanelPicker process, I’ve somehow avoided the most important question of all. Why does SXSW use this interface to pull together so much of its Conference-related content? The answer to this question is simple: Community. The PanelPicker allows us to better understand…

Get Your 2023 Speaking Idea Into the Mix Before July 24! — The SXSW PanelPicker speaking proposal process has now opened. Click here to visit this interface and learn more about how you can showcase your voice and your ideas in March 2023 in Austin. Remember that you have a month to enter your speaking proposal — the final submission deadline is…

The Forrest Four-Cast: June 21, 2022 — The last time that I posted the Forrest Four-Cast to Medium was November 17, 2020. I’ve been silent since then because the daily writing habits I had developed pre-pandemic just couldn’t keep pace with the rate of societal change during COVID. But I’m trying to get back into a regular…

The Forrest Files: November 17, 2020 Janice Omadeke is the CEO and Founder of The Mentor Method, an enterprise platform helping companies keep and develop their diverse talent using the proven power of mentorship. Using a double-blind algorithm, The Mentor Method is closing the opportunity equity gap in the workplace. …

The Forrest Files: October 29, 2020 — Doreen Lorenzo is a successful leader of global creative firms and has advised Fortune 100 companies on design and innovation issues for decades. …

The Forrest Files: October 27, 2020 — Jessica Shortall is an advocate, author, and speaker, focusing on the economic and human case for people being able to bring their whole selves to work and their communities. She runs Texas Competes, a coalition of more than 1,450 Texas employers making the economic case for Texas to be welcoming…

The Forrest Files: October 23, 2020 — Danielle Barnes is the CEO of Women Talk Design, where she works with hundreds of speakers and event organizers to get a more diverse group of speakers on stage and to inspire more women and nonbinary folks to raise their hands to speak. She also co-founded and co-organizes Austin Design…