During Meeting Professionals International (MPI)'s 2016 World Education Congress (WEC), held in Atlantic City in June, Successful Meetings had the chance to sit down with Mike Shea, executive director at South by Southwest (SXSW). The lead planner of Austin's highest profile event since 1990, Shea is arguably the city's most famous planner as well.
Although Bruce Springsteen, Lady Gaga, Pete Townsend, Pharrell Williams, Prince, and Little Richard have all performed at SXSW, Shea is quick to point out that there is much more than just music -- SXSW is a conference, trade show, and festival for creative industry professionals offering a unique convergence of original music, films, and emerging technologies attracting close to 100,000 from 85 countries and injecting $317.2 million into the Austin economy in 2016.
Shea is asked time and time again if SXSW has gotten too big. He says no matter how big you get, you can maintain the same experience by identifying "tribes," and by facilitating ways for different tribes to find each other -- with room for serendipity along the way.
It's just as difficult to plan a meeting for 100 people as it is for 1,000, Shea admits. All the same elements are in place and it's really just the scale that changes.
Shea's foresight is credited for creating an environment where innovation can occur. But he doesn't stray away from the basic premise as to why people attend meetings: to garner information, learn about new products, and to network.