South by Southwest Director on Building the World’s Buzziest Business Event
Photo Credit: Stephanie Agresta (L), digital marketing consultant, and Hugh Forrest, director of SXSW Interactive. Skift
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While the presence of big name headliners and breakout technologies drive a lot of exposure around SXSW, it's still the face time among speakers, exhibitors, and attendees from different industries that drives the event's success.
President Obama gave the opening keynote at the 30th annual South by Southwest (SXSW) Music, Film & Interactive conference in Austin last week, capping a process that was 10 years in the making.
Hugh Forrest, director of SXSW Interactive, was responsible for bringing Obama to the media and tech industry event to speak about citizen engagement. In his position since 1994, Forrest has witnessed many signature sessions over the years, ranging from Twitter's coming out party in 2007 to Meerkat last year.
A decade ago, he made a personal connection during SXSW with someone who eventually moved into an influential government role with access to the president. That connection led to Obama's conversation at this year's event with Evan Smith, editor-in-chief of The Texas Tribune.
Click here for the full video of the exchange.
However, while the presence of the president provided unprecedented media coverage for SXSW, Forrest says that the high-profile programming is not�
