Update: SXSW Interactive 2013 Proposal-Based Programming Trends

With this updated report, we deliver on what we set out to do and that’s exciting. A big HUGE accomplishment and I hope you all gain smarts, like I have, on SXSW Interactive 2013 proposal-based programming trends.

I enjoyed every bit of it. My favorite part was creating ‘the perfect SXSW Interactive 2013 proposal title’:

“End the sport of live science mind war and rise to read Death of Art in Creativity; your brain will want to publish this prototype in long tweet voice.”

Check out page 14 in the updated report for the Word Bank. If you’d like to give it your go, please do! If you’d like to share your word putting together skills, please send your title to me and I’ll post it here with your name.

New insights can be found on pages 12, 13, 14, 17, and 18. The updated report shares high and low probability title words from all 3,256 proposals and high propensity words with the selected proposal-based programming. It’s all very interesting.  I found the following worthy of calling out here:

  • Future, Health, and Technology index significantly higher (+19%) when compared to proposal word analysis, suggesting SXSW Interactive 2013 heavy-upped on programming with these title words.
  • Art, Big, Data, Hack, Make, Open, Science, Source, and World also index significantly higher (+8%) suggesting a ‘heavy-up’ on programming using these title words as well.

And, my professional opinion as promised:

  • The SXSW Interactive programming people really did a good job of representing proposed upon content with actual programming content. The analysis did not show major skews of proposal based content to selected proposal content. There are some skews, but I’d need more time as I’ve maxed free time for this study.
  • It is still my opinion that the festival failed to give ‘upstream’ strategic planning a place at the table. My professional inner voice says that if we’re over supplying with programmed content surrounding future, health, technology, and big data, then strategy or the how (to connect with consumers) and why (benefits of connection) should be tapped. Perhaps next year…