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SXSW 2024: The XP Recap

The XP Land team descended on Austin for SXSW 2024, and we immediately immersed ourselves in the controlled chaos. For us, it was an opportunity to connect with fellow experiential creatives, brands and experience makers. There was also more XP industry content on the agenda than ever before.  The event kicked off March 4-7 with SXSW EDU and then rolled into the festival (interactive, culture and film, followed by music) from March 8-16. It’s a lot, y’all — hundreds of speakers and sessions, official and unofficial brands blanketing the city, and a lifetime’s worth of BBQ and tech bros.  It seems like every year someone declares South-By “dead” or having “jumped the shark.” We disagree. For a 37-year-old festival, SXSW continues to evolve and experiment in pretty remarkable ways. At the very least, we can’t help marveling at XLISTER Hugh Forrest and his team’s massive feat in the sheer amount of official SXSW programming around the city. We did, of course, come back with a few trends and outstanding tidbits to share with our fellow experiential architects.  THE VIBE: AUSTIN FTW Without a doubt, Austin has always been a character in the play that is SXSW. The festival is primarily...