“I pay my mortgage with the French Fries.”
Probably not what I would have predicted to be the most memorable quote from my quick trip to SXSW Intercative this weekend. But it was.
The speaker of those words was an audience member during a session on Food Festivals, part of the new SouthBites track at SXSW. Last year’s new SX add-on was sports. This year Food received the nod.
It made for a dizzying conference for me personally. I attended some Sports sessions, some Social sessions, some Start-up sessions, some Maker sessions, and some Agency sessions. Plus the aforementioned tasty food festival panel.
The speaker was referring to her business of being a food vendor at festivals and events. Her comments were part of a discussion regarding the surge in healthier and sustainable food choices at events. Despite all the noise about eating better and more responsibly….the bottom line is French Fries still lead at the till.
Her words define what SXSW is really all about. It started as a music festival. It as exploded into a cultural Olympics of film, marketing, technology, and entrepreneursim. But the common thread is simple.
It’s all about money.
People come to Southby looking for funders, clients, and customers. The parties are great. The presenters are passionate. The city one of my new favourites. But this conference is bottom line focused.
Southby built its brand being the launching pad for darling tech startups. That brand attracts governmental delegations from around the world, celebrities from all walks of life, and business powerhouses.
Every square inch of downtown Austin is transformed into a commercial stage. On any given corner you can be courted by a global brand, pitched by a startup, or even by French Fries.
I’m not sure what the hot tech trend the experts saw coming out of SXSW in 2015. But for me, it’s definitely the fries.