March at the Austin Convention Center is Busy with
5 Conventions, 3 consumer Shows, and 4 Sporting Events
SXSW Returns to the Austin Convention Center for 10 days in March
March, 2009. Austin, Texas - South by Southwest, the music festival that has become a staple event in the music industry calendar, dominates the middle of the month at the Austin Convention Center, March 13-22. The Center’s calendar of events, which also includes four other conventions, three consumer shows and four sporting events, will bring over 55,000 to the facility during the month.
The South by Southwest international convention, in its 23rd year, actually includes three separate events: SXSW Interactive Festival, March 13-17; SXSW Film Conference and Festival, March 13-21; and SXSW Music and Media Conference, March 18-22.
The SXSW Music and Media Conference is a legendary festival showcasing more than 1,800 musical acts of all genres from around the world on over 80 stages in downtown Austin. By day, the Austin Convention Center comes alive with conference registrants doing business in the Trade Show and partaking of a full agenda of informative panel discussions featuring hundreds of speakers of international stature.
The SXSW Film Conference and Festival explores all aspects of the art and business of independent filmmaking. The Conference hosts a five-day adventure in the latest filmmaking trends and new technology, featuring distinguished speakers and mentors. The nine-day Festival boasts some of the most wide ranging programming of any US event of its kind, from provocative documentaries to subversive Hollywood comedies, with a special focus on emerging talents.
The SXSW Interactive Festival celebrates the creativity and passion behind new media technologies. In addition to panel sessions that cover everything from web design to bootstrapping to social networks, attendees make new business connections at the three-day Trade Show & Exhibition. The newest element of the event is ScreenBurn at SXSW, which adds specific gaming industry programming, as well as a three-day Arcade, to the mix.
The four other conventions include: Texas PTA, Feb. 27-March 1; SHARE Winter Meeting, Feb. 28-March 6; Business Professionals of America – Texas Chapter Leadership Conference, March 4-7; and American Academy of Hospice & Palliative Medicine, March 25-28. Consumer shows include the Austin Green Living & Home Products Expo, Feb. 27-March 1; DeafNation Expo, March 7, and the Austin RV Expo, March 26-29. The Austin Toros play a home basketball game on March 10, and the TXRD Lonestar Rollergirls have matches on March 8 and 29.
About 6.3 million people have attended over 2,700 events, including over 600 conventions, at the Austin Convention Center since it opened in 1992. Events at both the Austin Convention Center and the Palmer Events Center, and their websites, can be accessed at www.austinconventioncenter.com.
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For more information, contact:
Terri McBride, Public Information Officer/Media Relations, Austin Convention Center Department
512.404.4020 or terri.mcbride@ci.austin.tx.us
