I’ve been traveling a ton, so it’s an unexpected pleasure to find some time to sit and write.

And now for the conclusion of my SXSW Lessons:

Lesson 1: Parties

Wow. The parties at SXSW are insane.

What I’ve pieced together is that the people who attend SXSW Interactive are viewed as “influencers.” The idea is that if you can persuade influencers to speak and write positively about your brand, sales and awareness will increase. As a result, tons of companies throw crazy parties in a very respectable attempt to weaken the judgment of influencers. They do a good job.

Lesson 2: Transportation

The SXSW shuttles suck. It doesn’t matter whether they are convention shuttles, or R&R Limousine shuttles (between hotels & the convention center), they are pretty bad.

Plan on 45 – 60 minutes of travel time if you require transportation. I missed Ray Kurzweil’s keynote because of the shuttles. It’s my only regret of the week.

Lesson 3: Hell For Recovering Alcoholics

There’s free, quality alcohol EVERYWHERE. If you can’t be around alcohol, you probably should steer clear of SXSW.

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