5 Can’t-Miss SXSWi Panels for the Local-Obsessed

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The South by Southwest Interactive Festival has traditionally been a great place for location-based companies to debut their offerings. Three years ago, Foursquare launched at the conference, building up buzz with a crowd of very-early-adopters; this year, passive location-sharing app Highlight seems to be the darling of the festival.

In addition to launches, there’s plenty of content about hyperlocal in the festival’s programming as well. For the local-obsessed, here’s a little rundown of relevant panels on taking place at the festival:

1) SoLoMo Redifined
Friday, March 9, 3:30-4:30 p.m, Hilton Austin Downtown (Salon FG)
This is a panel on what’s coming for the next generation of SoLoMo. This panel will discuss new technologies being developed, how those technologies will enable content and user control and share experiences on how to leverage data and advice to keep costumers loyal and engaged. They will discuss all the channels available to leverage SoLoMo, discuss pit-falls and success, and display brands that are innovating how businesses target consumers and provide content in the world of SoLoMo.
Presenters: Chris Messina (Google), Jeff Rohrs (ExactTarget), Matt Galligan (Circa) and Scott Kveton (Urban Airship)

2) Discover The New Frontier of the Glocal Internet
Saturday, March 10, 12:30-1:30 p.m., Hilton Austin Downtown (Salon B)
Panelists from Foursquare, Spotify and more discuss how trends like SoLoMo can be used to leverage the opportunities of the New Internet. People all over the world are using location and social media to connect and businesses are becoming hyper-personalized to attract costumers. These panelists discuss the tools, advantages and challenges of this New Internet and what it could mean for business.
Presenters: Adrian McDermott (Zendesk), Christine Lagorio (Inc.com), Dave Altarescu (Spotify), Holger Luedorf (Foursquare) and Jack Welde (Smartling)

3) The Local Backbone of the SoLoMo Revolution
Saturday, March 10, 3:30-4:30, Hilton Gardin Inn (Rio Grande)
This panel is a case study on how two community leaders set-up SoLoMo programs for business owners and costumers in Destin, Florida and Memphis, Tennessee. This panel won’t talk about data or advertising, it’s a success story. This panel will discuss challenges and advice on education small business owners on the potential of SoLoMo and show how it can be used set-up and leveraged for success in a community.
Presenters: Dave Barger (LunaWeb Inc) and Julio Fernandez (Ogilvy)

4) Socal, Mobile, Location-Based Games
Sunday, March 11, 5:00-6:00 p.m, Palmer Events Center (Room 1-2)
This panel features developers discussing how they are using mobile’s built-in features to create social and location-based game experiences. These panelists will talk about the new technology and strategies they are using to get to help people connect with each other through global, social learning games. They will offer advice and tips on what works best, how to get people to connect and setting up location-based game platforms.
Presenters: Andrew Hsu (Airy Labs), Gregory Trefry (Gigantic Mechanic), Heather Sorenson (Plugged In PR), Mike Ouye (Red Robot) and Pete Hawley (Red Robot Labs)

5)  What’s the Holy Grail of Social/Mobile/Local?
Monday March 12, 5:00-6:00 p.m, Sheraton Austin (Capital View North)
This panel will discuss how to deliver rich, personalized content and services that will both engage users and get them to interact with each other and a business. The panel will provide insight into how to deliver a social/mobile/local service, how to manage and provide content, and how to best serve costumers, even when they aren’t sure what they want. The panel will examine consumer behavior and technologies that are changing the world of social/mobile/local, especially how content providers are thinking, the decisions and investments they’re making, and what could come next.
Presenters: Dan Heaf (BBC Worldwide) and Matt Goldberg (Lonely Planet)

 Isa Jones is an intern at Street Fight.

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