Get Ready For SXSW 2016!

Are you ready for the myriad of events that are about to occur as SXSW storms Austin in just a few days? WP Engine has a ton going on throughout the annual two-week event. Here’s a roundup of what WP Engine has up its sleeve for SXSW Interactive 2016, along with some of our top picks of the coolest events happening this year during SXSW Interactive.

Meet WP Engine at SXSW

Here’s where you can find the WP Engine team throughout SXSW 2016. Come say hello to our booth, and hear some of our top executives speak at these events.

March 10, 5-10 p.m.: The Pre-SXSW Startup Crawl

We love startups. In fact, WP Engine had its beginnings at the heart of Austin’s top tech incubator, the Capital Factory, which is hosting its bi-annual Startup Crawl as a preliminary event to kick off SXSW.

Stop by the WP Engine Startup Crawl booth on the first floor atrium level of the Omni Hotel in downtown Austin to celebrate Austin’s startup culture on Thursday, March 10 starting at 5 p.m.. Pop by, say hello, and chat with us about WordPress. And if you’re looking to join the team at one of Austin’s best companies to work for, we’ll have recruiters there as well.

March 13-15, all day: SXSW Interactive

Visit WP Engine’s booth at the Austin Convention Center during SXSW Interactive. We’ll be at booth No. 944 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily. Our best WordPress experts will be in attendance to answer any questions you might have about managed WordPress hosting, or WordPress in general.

BONUS: GIF-yourself at our photo booth and enter our special mystery giveaway. Also, be sure to pick up our downtown Austin culture cards, which contain the best recommendations from locals on what to do in Austin when you’re not busy with SXSW.

Here’s a cool time lapse video of the team setting up our SXSW booth:

Get your badge for SXSW Interactive

RSVP here

Sunday, MARCH 13, 1:00 P.m.-2:00 p.m.: find the WP Engine Street Team

The WP Engine Street Team will be out in full force handing out some awesome swag to lucky SXSW attendees. You can find us where the action is around downtown Austin and the Convention Center on Sunday, March 13 from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. This video will give you a taste of the awesomeness you can expect:

Friday, March 11, 11 a.m.-12 p.m.: UT Austin’s Best Undergrad Startups with Jason Cohen

Jason Cohen, founder and CTO of WP Engine will join a panel that will critique five of UT Austin’s best undergrad startups in this pitch event. Jason will be joined by Rick Timmins, Chairman at Central Texas Angel Network, and Tyson Tuttle, CEO at Silicon Labs.

The event takes place at the Hilton Austin Downtown in the Startup Village (Salon C).

See more info

Friday, March 11, 3:30-4:30 p.m.: Interactive Session – Austin Goes Global with April Downing

Join WP Engine CFO April Downing, who will join a lively panel discussing European startups that have expanded to Austin and Austin startups that have expanded into Europe. April will discuss how WP Engine has grown beyond its Austin headquarters to overseas.

April will join Dawn Winchester, CDO at Publicis; Fred Schmidt, Director of International Affairs at Capital Factory; Joel Eriksson Engvist, Investment Manager at Creandum; and John Erskine, Vice President of Publishing at Cloud Imperium Games.

The event takes place at the Hilton Austin Downtown in the Startup Village (Salon C).

See more info

Monday, March 14, 2:00 p.m.: Heather Brunner Speaks at The Great Britain House

The Great Britain House will take place downtown at Wanderlust Yoga Studio and will contain a variety of speakers for its Women in Tech Tea presentation touching on the topic of female leadership in technology. WP Engine’s CEO Heather Brunner will be presenting at 2:35 p.m., accompanied by Sara Brand of True Wealth Ventures, and Nadya Powell of The Sunshine Company.

RSVP here

Tuesday, March 15, 11AM-12 p.m.: Heather Brunner joins the Bazaarvoice Panel

WP Engine CEO Heather Brunner will participate in the panel Be Bold & Take No Sh*t: Thrive as an XX in an XY World, a discussion that touches on Silicon Valley’s dated view of gender equality and showcases how Austin’s growing tech scene and abundance of female executives can help solve the gender disparity issue and serve as an industry example.

Heather will join Julie Huls, President and CEO of the Austin Technology Council; Sara Spivey, Chief Marketing Officer at Bazaarvoice; and Aaron Burcell, Vice President of Growth and Product Marketing at Vevo to discuss on how companies can inspire change and take initiatives to address this challenge.

Don’t. Miss. This. (Other Notable SXSW Events)

We combed through the SXSW Interactive agenda and flagged a few events we think are worthy of your attention. Google cars? Yes please. Bot party? OK! Here are some of the highlights we think you might enjoy at SXSW 2016.

Friday, March 11

• Watch 10 cutting-edge companies compete in a pitch at this year’s ReleaseIt at SXSW. Hilton Austin Downtown, 11 a.m.-12 p.m.
• The Bot Party, a comedy showcase, will feature human performers improvising alongside real robots. Palmer Events Center, 12:30-1:30 p.m.
• See how self-driving cars can be both three and 30 years away in the featured session, Google Self-Driving Car Project. Austin Convention Center, 3:30 p.m.-4:30 p.m.
• Kick off SXSW with the SXSW Interactive Opening Party. Mellow Johnny’s, 8 p.m.-11 p.m.

Saturday, March 12

• Get complimentary doughnuts and coffee at this year’s SouthBites Coffee & Doughnut Break. Voodoo Doughnut, 7:30-9:00 a.m.
• Stop by Marketo’s Hydration Station for a refreshing, fruit-infused beverage and see how their Engagement Marketing Platform can benefit your marketing team. Hilton Austin Downtown, 9:30 a.m.-6:00 p.m.
• Reflections on the Austin Tech Scene Then and Now will discuss how today’s tech scene is largely a realization of what was envisioned during the 1980s. Hilton Austin Downtown, 9:30-10:30 a.m.
• Join NASA at the Space Meet Up to learn about the latest exploration of the planets and cutting edge technology research. JW Marriott, 11 a.m.-12 p.m.
• See what’s in store for the Internet of the future at this year’s Mashable House. The Main, 12-5 p.m.
• Join Airbnb at their session Designing Experiences Offline and Online to see how they design a coherent brand that is consistent at every stage of the user’s journey. JW Marriott, 12:30-1:30 p.m.
• Learn about how we define the future of visual commerce and the possibilities of visual commerce in the session Finding the World’s Most Valuable Instagram Photo. Hilton Austin Downtown, 2-3 p.m.
• Join Disney and others in their panel Designing Happiness for a peek into their secrets for designing happiness and tips for infusing more joy into the experiences you create. JW Marriott, 5-6 p.m.

Sunday, March 13

• Get free breakfast and see the latest emerging tech at TechBreakfast presented by Booz Allen Hamilton. Revival Public House, 9 a.m.-1 p.m.
• In the panel The Future of Open Source Content Management, hear about the digital transformation challenges and how this applies to any digital transformation strategy. Old School Bar, 9:30-10:30 a.m.
• Explore how the explosive growth of APIs is changing the way apps, services and business models are being developed in The API Economy: Develop, Innovate, Transform. Courtyard Marriott, 11 a.m.-12 p.m.
• The Mood Media Lounge. An Experience By Design. will take you through a breathtaking interactive journey, exploring earth, air, water and fire. Westin Austin Downtown, 11 a.m.-6 p.m.
• Get complimentary bites and brews at the Spark Haus by Cisco, while taking an interactive look at the next generation of tech. Frank Restaurant, 11 a.m.-5 p.m.
• Meet Pepper, the first social humanoid robot capable of understanding and reacting to human emotions in Your Future Life with Robots: Explained. Austin Convention Center, 11 a.m.-12 p.m.
• In Exhibitor Pitches: Data Visualization, hear from the SXSW exhibitors that excel in data visualization. Also participate in exciting demos, fun giveaways, and networking. Austin Convention Center, 2-3 p.m.
• Check out Anthony Bourdain as Interviewed by Nathan Thornburgh, for insights on the future of travel media. Austin Convention Center, 3:30-4:30 p.m.
• Go to the SXSW Accelerator Awards Ceremony at the Startup Village to find out this year’s winning startups in each SXSW Accelerator category. Hilton Austin Downtown, 7-9 p.m.

Monday, MARCH 14

• Learn the best methods for starting your day off right in What Successful People Do Before Breakfast. JW Marriott, 9:30-10:30 a.m.
• Explore the theme of Extension of Humanity, interact with robots, and eat free sushi at JAPAN HOUSE@SXSW 2016. Vulcan Gas Company, 10 a.m.-9 p.m.
• Swing by The Spotify House for musical performances, gaming, sound booths and more! 1501 E 6th St, 11:30 a.m.-7 p.m.
• Learn about the most forward-thinking projects from 2015 at the SXSW Interactive Innovation Awards Finalist Showcase. Hilton Austin Downtown, 12-3 p.m.
• Hear from several successful entrepreneurs who will reflect upon the hurdles they encountered on the path to success in Startup Success: Stories from Startup Veterans. Hilton Downtown Austin, 3:30-4:30 p.m.
• Checkout 20 of today’s hottest startups at Startup Spotlight. Hilton Austin Downtown, 4-6 p.m.
• End the day with a party, analytics-style with data-driven margaritas at SAP does data-margaritas the Patron way. Hotel Van Zandt, 6-9 p.m.

Tuesday, March 15

• Hear about how we could put humans on Mars in the next decade at the session Next for NASA: The Journey to Mars. Austin Convention Center, 12:30-1:30 p.m.
• Join Elliot Tebele, the founder of Jerry Media, among others in The Current State of Relevance to see what makes your content relatable and relevant. Austin Convention Center, 3:30-4:30 p.m.
• Take a peek at the good, the bad, and grotesque of 19th Century medicine in the book reading Dr. Mütter’s Marvels: Unmaking “Monsters”. Austin Convention Center, 3:30-4:30 p.m.
• Check out 20 of the best music startups at this year’s Music Startup Spotlight. Hilton Austin Downtown, 4-5 p.m.
• Witness the most exciting tech developments at this year’s 2016 Innovation Award Ceremony. Hilton Austin Downtown, 7 p.m.
• The SXSW Interactive Closing Party will wrap up SXSW Interactive with some massive musical guests. Stubbs, 9 p.m.-12 a.m.

Did we leave anything out? Let us know what events you’re most looking forward to attending this year at SXSW Interactive.

You can see all of our coverage from SXSW Interactive here.