Convergence is Everywhere – 2018 SXSW Programming Trends

Each year, different trends emerge from SXSW programming and act as identifiers for where we’re at and where we’re headed. From the 12 significant trends identified by the SXSW Programming Team for the 2018 event, Convergence is Everywhere emphasizes how we can achieve new levels of creative collaboration if we are willing to see past conventional boundaries and explore different industries and ways of thinking. Get to know this trend and related-SXSW sessions below that we think will dominate discussions this March.

Convergence is Everywhere Trend

As people, our ability to adapt is what allows us to advance and thrive. Actively challenging our own ideals yields personal growth, and integrating outside perspectives prompts collaboration and the potential for innovation. There’s a new world of possibility beyond the limits of how we define ourselves, joined by a new wave of thought-leaders coming forth to drive the future of creativity.

Learn from Amber Thomas of Polygraph, as well as Liz Manashil and Jess Feselier in the session, More Than Numbers: Data Analysis for Storytellers, as they bridge the gap between art and business and discuss how storytellers can revolutionize their audience reach with data analytics. Attend The Emotional Life of Your Autonomous Car, led by Pamela Pavliscak of Change Sciences, to explore the blurring line between human and machine.

Embracing disruptive technological trends is imperative to sustaining an environment that values flexibility over rigidity. Hear from Evernote’s Anirban Kundu on the potential of artificial intelligence in the session Sci-Fi to Reality: Evolution of AI in the Workplace and learn about the changing relationship between performance and tech in the session Breaking the 4th Wall: Drone Swarms in Art, led by Verity Studios AG speakers Philippe Labouchere, Léa Pereyre, and others.

Discover how today’s thought-leaders are uniting industries from all over the world and add these sessions to your 2018 SXSW Schedule. Stay tuned for more programming announcements through March.

Convergence is Everywhere Session Highlights

• More Than Numbers: Data Analysis for Storytellers
• The Emotional Life of Your Autonomous Car
• Sci-Fi to Reality: Evolution of AI in the Workplace
• Branded Cities: Can We Avoid an Urban Dystopia?
• Breaking the 4th Wall: Drone Swarms in Art

Join Us for SXSW 2018

The SXSW Conference includes 24 programming tracks divided amongst Interactive, Film, Music, and Convergence. Each March, some of the world's most creative minds come together in Austin, Texas to discover, learn, network, brainstorm and collaborate.

Explore new opportunities during 10 days of sessions, screenings, showcases, exhibitions, networking, and beyond from March 9-18 at SXSW 2018. Save big when you register to attend before Friday, February 9.

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Teaser Photo by David Zacek