St. Louis will again have a presence at the upcoming South by Southwest (SXSW) Conference, with more than 45 individuals from the region taking part in events at the famed cultural festival.
Business group Greater St. Louis Inc. (GSL) is leading a delegation it says will showcase the region’s strengths in geospatial technology, agriculture technology, entrepreneurship, food and arts. SXSW is an annual event held in Austin, Texas, that includes a conference and festivals focused on technology, innovation, film, music and education. This year's SXSW runs from March 8-16.
This marks the second consecutive year that GSL has organized a delegation to attend SXSW.
“Last year was about introducing St. Louis to the global innovation community,” said Maggie Kost, GSL’s chief business attraction officer. “This year, we are taking down a bigger delegation that will show why St. Louis is the place where anyone can start up, stand out, and stay.”
GSL said St. Louis will be featured in two events taking place at SXSW’s main stage. A March 9 event, “Startup Hacks: Unleashing Innovation on a Shoestring Budget,” will include panelists Emily Lohse-Busch, executive director of the 39 North innovation district; Keisha Mabry Haymore, founder and owner of coworking space Heydays HQ; Akeem Shannon, founder and CEO of phone accessory startup FlipStik; and Mary Fernandes, president of agriculture technology firm Solis Agrisciences. A March 11 event, “Organoleptic Retailing: Using the Senses to Engage Customers,” will feature Tamara Keefe and Frank Uible of local ice cream chain Clementine’s Naughty and Nice Creamery.
The two panels on SXSW’s main stage were selected among more than 4,500 panel submissions for this year’s conference, according to GSL.
Other panels that will feature St. Louis include “Midwest Rendezvous: Bridging Art, Tech & Connections”; Let's Talk People: Strategies for Population Growth & Talent Attraction When You're Not on the Coasts; and AI Gateway: How One Midwestern City is Using AI to Solve Pressing Global Challenges. The latter two panels will be held March 10 at SXSW’s Midwest House, which seeks to showcase the U.S. Midwest. GSL said its STLMade initiative will “take over” the Midwest House on March 10 to showcase St. Louis.
St. Louis Mayor Tishaura Jones will be a panelist at a March 11 event titled “Policy Collision: Local Officials & Governors At Odds,” which will include focus on how elected officials “have navigated conflicting views” with governors. Other panelists include Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens; Christian Menefee, attorney for Harris County, Texas; and Cincinnati Mayor Aftab Pureval.
This year’s SXSW also overlaps with St. Louis City SC visiting Austin to play against Austin FC on March 9 at Austin’s Q2 Stadium.
