As many of you are beginning to plan what panels to see at the 2012 SXSW Interactive Festival, we'd like to help make the process easier and remind you that all programming will occur at 13 thoughtfully-themed campuses in and around downtown Austin. If you're interested in Government or Global Issues and Health and Education, then you'll find all related programming at the AT&T Conference Hotel (1900 University Avenue).

One session I'm excited to see within the "Goverment & Global Issues" theme is titled "Deploying Social Media to Share the Army Story". Staff Sergeant Levi Peffer (pictured), a Drill Sergeant in the U.S. Army, will offer Interactive attendees insight as an Army Strong Stories blogger and active social media user, sharing his depth of knowledge of Army events, partnerships and the Army's blogger engagement program. Attendees will see how soldiers utilize social media to connect with the public and what type of restrictions and security guidelines they deal with. SSG Peffer is joined by Greg Swan (U.S. Army/Weber Shandwick), 1LT Kayley Nammari (U.S. Army Reserve), MAJ Benjamin Grimes (U.S. Army).

Other "Goverment & Global Issues" sessions I'm looking forward to include A License to RHoK, Africa, Tech & Women: The New Faces of Development, Election 2012: Campaigns, Coverage & The Internet, Fixing Broke(n) Government Through Serious Games, Honey, We Shrunk the Economy, How Mexico's Drug Traffickers Harness Social Media and Worldchanging 2.0: Evaluating Inspiration. See a more complete list of the "Goverment & Global Issues" and "Health & Education" panels at the AT&T Conference Hotel by clicking here.
While most of these hotels are located within a few blocks from the Austin Convention Center, the AT&T Conference Hotel is a longer walk from downtown (1.6 miles or 34 min. walk). We definitely encourage you to save time and take the free Interactive Campus Shuttle to and from this location.

Contributed by Kelly Krause, photo of Staff Sergeant Levi Peffer, courtesy of the U.S. Army