AUSTIN, Texas — South by Southwest (SXSW) will allow free admission to all visitors and attendees for Austin Industry Day on March 15.
SXSW announced that one day of the largest exposition will have free admission for the first-time ever for anyone who would like to attend.
The Creative Industries Expo, which will take placed at the Austin Convention Center from March 12-15, allows hundreds of exhibitors to showcase the best and brightest in technology, health, wellness, design and more in one space.
"I think there's an importance and a need to sort of showcase a little bit of what South by Southwest can offer people here locally. I think this is a good and easy way that kind of gives back to the community and allows the community the opportunity to have a bit of a taste of what South By is, all about without having to, you know, take the plunge and buy a full registration for the first time," said Peter Lewis, chief partnerships officer for SXSW.
On the last day of the expo, anyone who wants to attend can with or without a badge. The event goes from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and will be in exhibition halls two, three and four.
Across the 247,052 square feet of the convention center, attendees can expect all kinds of exhibits, from life-size holograms to demonstrations of new products. There will be multiple "areas of interest," where attendees can go to panels, meet up with friends, lounge on couches and charge their phones and more.
"The exhibition has over 231 different exhibitors. About 23% of those are from outside the United States representing 22 different countries. There's, I think, about 50,000 square feet of booth space. And then there's a number of additional amenities on the floor as well," said Lewis.
Additionally, there will be five "pavilions," which surround the five main themes of the expo. The pavilions will be:
- Innovation: focuses on "diverse and dynamic trends" that will be seen in the future
- Global: explores "the full spectrum of worldwide initiatives, trends, creators and tastemakers"
- Social Impact: concentrates on "businesses that have implemented or built initiatives to secure a most positive impact" on society
- Entertainment: highlights designers, developers, artists and coders that "continue to capture the attention of the masses"
- Health and Wellness: focuses on "companies looking to improve a person's quality of life"'
Find out more and plan your Austin Industry Day through SXSW's event calendar.