700+ Sessions and Special Blockchain Programming Announced for SXSW 2018
We're excited to introduce the lion's share of SXSW Conference programming with over 700 sessions announced as well as the launch of the 2018 SXSW Schedule.
Today’s announcement features speakers from organizations as varied as Google, Facebook, IDEO, Frog, Meow Wolf, NASA, Universal Music Group, Spotify, The New York Times, Marvel Entertainment, National Geographic, and more, with the majority of sessions coming from the SXSW community via PanelPicker®.
A new addition for the 2018 lineup, SXSW will present a series of sessions on blockchain – the technology that powers cryptocurrency like Bitcoin and is anticipated to revolutionize all data-driven transactional systems. Scheduled March 14-15, two days of sessions in the Startup & Tech Sectors Track will explore how blockchain technology has the potential to impact entertainment, finance, mobility, and a variety of industries in fundamental ways. Attend these panels and presentations to learn from top innovators in this exciting new space.
Before you dive into the hundreds of sessions announced today, familiarize yourself with our 24 programming tracks divided between Interactive, Film, Music, and Convergence. We've also added a few session highlights below to get you started on browsing the online schedule and curating your own SXSW adventure.
Gain access to these exciting sessions and more when you register today and book your hotel for the best available rates. The Platinum Badge remains your best bet with primary access to all of SXSW. Attendees will receive primary entry to programming associated with their badge type, in addition to enjoying secondary access to most other SXSW events. Convergence Tracks are primary access for all. Not sure which badge to buy? Take our Tracks Quiz.
Stay tuned for more Keynotes and Featured Speakers to be announced in November.
2018 Session Highlights
Interactive Tracks
Brands & Marketing
Explore new ways that marketing professionals are creating and communicating new ideas.
- Facebook Take: The 5 Marketing Shifts Shaping 2020
- What Does It Take to Change People's Minds?
- We Help Politicians Persuade. We’ll Help You, Too
Code & Programming
Insight, instruction, and inspiration for engineers, developers, coders, and programmers.
- Regulating AI: How to Control the Unexplainable
- Back-end to the Future: A/B Testing What Counts
- Code is Creative: Treat Your Developers as Artists
Design
How design and design thinking shapes the way we interact with technology and our world.
- Death and Legacy in the Digital Age
- Letting Go: Designing for AI You Can't Control
- Choice Architects: Design for Humanity's Best Self
Health
New technology and innovation to improve health in the communities where we live, work, and play.
- Sequence Me (Again)! Living a Step Ahead of Cancer
- Not Only the Lonely: How We Can All Be Happier
- Designing VR Rx
Intelligent Future
AI and new technologies embody the realm of possibilities where intelligence empowers and enables technology while sparking legitimate concerns about its uses.
- Binding Emotion & Memory: Science, Story & Scent
- Face Recognition: Please Search Responsibly
- What Will the Webb Telescope Discover First?
Style
A platform for creatives in the fashion and tech industries to connect and innovate.
- Reinventing the Retail Space to STRIIIKE a Chord
- Fashion Retail and Social Justice in a Red State
- Transforming Luxury, Fashion, and Beauty
Workplace
Engage in topics about the ever-changing workplace in and out of the office environment.
- Generous Parental Leave: A Liberty or A Luxury?
- Frozen: Why College Gender Gap Spurs Egg Freezing
- Sci-Fi to Reality: Evolution of AI in the Workplace
Film Tracks
Entertainment Influencers
High-profile speakers from the entertainment, film, and television industries.
Film & TV Industry
Learn about the inner workings of the film and TV industries with a focus on business.
- The Female Gaze: Alternate Fact or Actual Movement
- Sex & Text: Breaking Down Movie Stereotypes w/ AI
- Film + Storytelling in a Politically-Charged Era
Making Film & Episodics
Everything you need to know about film, from writing to post-production and beyond.
- Superhero Science
- Setting the Visual Language of VR Storytelling
- Bitch Better Have My Money: Financing Indie Films
Music Tracks
Making & Promoting Music
New distribution models, promotional platforms, and release strategies are changing the game for indie and major artists.
- Music and the Brain: How Sounds Become Pleasurable
- From Obscurity to Infamy: The Modern Reissue Boon
- A Holistic Approach To China's Music Industry
Music Culture & Stories
The culture of music including worldwide and local scenes, genres, fashion, and more.
- Exploring Music Through the Lens of Neurodiversity
- Striking a Chord with Today’s Music Fans
- Preservation & Appreciation of Album Art Today
Music Industry
Navigate the multifaceted and global music industry with help from experts and leaders.
- Mo' Data Mo' Problems: Music in the Age of Data
- Maximize Your ROA - Turning Likes into Dollars
- Barriers to Innovation for New Music Experiences
Sync, Stream & License
Hear from major players about the future of these crucial pieces of the music revenue puzzle.
Touring & Live Experience
Discover the newest innovations and sage advice on touring and festival industry.
- It's a Fan's World: The Life of Superfans
- Verified Fan-Demonium: How To Put Your Fans First
- Become an Electronic Artist Using Media & Touring
Convergence Tracks
Experiential Storytelling
Investigate how new technology has opened up exciting avenues for storytelling.
- Provocative Adult Coloring Books
- Life Underground: Meet Subway Riders of the World
- Making the Invisible Visible
Food
Explore ways in which technology can be leveraged to transform the industry.
- Artificial Intelligence, It’s What’s for Dinner
- The Restaurant of the Future
- Taking Mass Extinction Off the Seafood Menu
Government
Examining privacy issues, as well as all levels of government policy, in the wake of continued technological disruption.
- Don’t Judge a Book by its (under)Cover: Librarians at the CIA
- Tech Under Trump: A 2017/2018 Scorecard
- Prototyping the Future With Science Fiction
News & Journalism
Explore how news, journalism and analysis is dispersed, how it will be impacted by the future of technology and how this content will continue to inform and engage.
- Trust in "the Media:" What Do News Consumers Want?
- Prototyping the Future of Public Media
- Reality But Better: Augmenting the World with News
Social Impact
Take a deep dive into innovative ideas that contribute to a better and more equitable world.
- Reimagining Gun Violence Prevention
- Don't Just March or Tweet - Run for Something
- Selling Science (Before The World Melts Down)
Sports
Tackle the future of sports in all its forms, from a cultural and technological perspective.
- How to Create a Mixed Reality Fan Experience
- Race and Equity - The Trail Blazers Journey
- The Connected Future of Sports and eSports
Startup & Tech Sectors
These sessions focus on US-based innovation as well as forward-thinking companies and technology ecosystems from around the globe.
- The Next Generation of Elon Musks Take on Space
- The Need for Blockchain
- Improving Diversity and Reducing Harassment in VC
VR/AR
Discover new technologies and the ways they enhance how we experience the world.
- Illusion Design, Story Craft, and Virtual Worlds
- Making it Real: Tangible Worlds of Storytelling
- Mixed Reality for Superheroes, Zombies and Jedi
Browse Sessions on the SXSW Schedule
Use the online schedule to browse through all confirmed programming for the 2018 SXSW Conference & Festivals – including recently announced SXSW Keynote Darren Aronofsky, more Keynotes, Featured Speakers, the first round of Showcasing Artists, and 700+ sessions.
As you explore the continuously updated list of SXSW programming, add events to your personal schedule by clicking the star next to the event’s name. All marked events will appear in the My Schedule tab located in the drop-down menu in the upper right-hand side of the online schedule.
Coming later this fall, the SXSW Schedule will include dates, times, and venue details. As this information becomes available it will automatically show up for that event on your personal schedule. Sign in now to start planning your 2018 SXSW experience.
Join Us March 9-18, 2018
Experience mind-expanding presentations from some of the biggest and brightest names of our time and more during the 2018 SXSW Conference & Festivals from March 9-18 in Austin, TX. Register to attend by Friday, October 20 to save.
Book your hotel early to get the best available housing rates and selections – great downtown accommodations are still available. If your ideal choice of hotel is not available the SXSW Hotel Waitlist could be a great option for you.
Take the Tracks Quiz to select SXSW Conference programming tracks and festivals that most interest you to discover which badge fits your needs, and what date you should plan to arrive in Austin, TX come March.
Stay tuned to SXSW News and sign up for Event Updates to keep up with the latest SXSW happenings including exciting programming announcements... with more big announcements coming in November.
2017 SXSW Conference Session, Beyond the Screens: the Ubiquity of Connectivity – Photo by Errich Petersen
All speakers subject to change.
10/16/2017
