SXSW the sequel
SXSW Sydney’s second outing was smaller and less flashy than last year's debut. But it was also smoother — fixing some glaring issues and delivering a lineup of strong speakers.
The rationale behind movie sequels is that they need to be bigger, flashier, and with higher stakes than the original. Tech product iterations, on the other hand, tend to get smaller but more refined.
It’s fitting, then, that the second edition of SXSW Sydney was smaller but better. ‘South By’ began in Austin, Texas, to spotlight movies, music and art, but over the past 15 years, the tech crowd has taken over. Like a new iPhone, this year’s Sydney event wasn’t as flashy as the original, but it was more compact and ran much more smoothly.
Last year’s SXSW (which Capital Brief was one of the few outlets to cover) featured big names such as Tesla chair Robyn Denholm and Netflix’s local content director, Que Minh Luu. However, it came with all the teething problems of a 1.0 product launch — including a glitchy app that was nearly impossible to use.
Those wrinkles have been ironed out for the second go-around. The official schedule was navigable, and the bulk of the convention was contained to the International Convention Centre in Darling Harbour. Anecdotally, attendance seemed significantly lower than last year. Sessions with startup stars like Canva co-founder Melanie Perkins or mainstream celebrities like Hamish Blake were only about a third full.
