SXSW 2023 Convergence Tracks: Climate Change, Psychedelics, XR & More
A marvelous convergence of Interactive, Film & TV, and Music is what the SXSW Conference is all about. Gather 'round with other industry leaders and creatives during sessions in our Convergence tracks from March 10-17 to achieve the collaboration of your dreams.
Within our 25 tracks of Conference programming, you will find a plethora of categories that range from cannabis and psychedelics to the media industry and sports.
Dip into the Convergence tracks listed below and customize your SXSW Schedule to fit your SX needs.
Convergence Tracks
Cannabis
This March 10-12 explore the opportunities and challenges that cannabis businesses face today, while taking a deep dive into the companies, ideas and products that will drive the industry forward over the coming years.
Enter the delicious world of The Art of Cannabis and Food Pairings to enhance your senses and leave with actionable takeaways from Can the Union of Equity and Tech Save Cannabis? and No More Silos: Advancing Cannabis Social Equity. You’ll definitely want to pencil in these sessions and more in the Cannabis track schedule.
Civic Engagement
Some of the world’s most forward-thinking voices will gather March 10-13 to discuss programs and policy directions, as well as current political realities. This programming also covers activism and strategy for effecting change in the face of the destruction of political norms.
Tap into activism and ignite strategies with How to Write and Pass Your Own Law and You're Hired: The Impact of College in Prison, while Evolving Content Moderation: The Next 10 Years reveals what will happen in the future. Prepare and peruse the Civic Engagement sessions for your SX schedule.
Climate Change
From March 10-13, programming in the Climate Change track covers the consequences of soaring temperatures and rising oceans, while also showcasing the most promising efforts on mitigating the effects of global warming.
Ponder what solutions we need for the future of our planet with these explorative sessions on the Climate Change tracks like What if Someone Tries to Re-Engineer the Climate?, Life on a Reforested Planet, and Can Plastic-Eating Enzymes Save Our Planet? Check out the confirmed panels and sessions the Climate Change track schedule has to offer.
Culture
Dive in on March 13-17 for the Culture tracks sessions which highlight how humanities, arts and relationships help individuals and communities share their unique experiences. The Culture track includes fashion, dance, visual arts, sexuality, libraries, museums, and literature.
From tackling the uncomfortable in Periods on TikTok!? Using Content to Crush Stigmas and Who Do You Want To Be When You Die?, to exploring how creative industries can be more empowered for better representation in Disability Representation in Future Stories, sessions in the Culture track will be ones you won’t want to miss. Tap in and customize your SX experience around the Culture track schedule.
Food
Join the food world this March 10-12 to digest the ways that technology and policy can be leveraged to change how food can be grown, distributed, cooked, and experienced in healthier and more sustainable ways.
Reimagine the future of food with Futuring Food Systems: A Seat At the Chef’s Table, while AgroTech Innovators Tackling Africa’s Food Crisis and 2 Degrees From Disaster undertake the crises of food and hunger. Check the Food track schedule for more enticing sessions.
Game Industry
With a focus on the game industry’s continued ascent as a dominant entertainment platform, this programming will emphasize how music content and other media is increasingly migrating to these systems this March 12-14. They’ll also examine how other societal changes are reflected in what we play.
Reflect on the critical potential for thinking about community building as world building through Black Joy Within Gaming Culture, then look into what's next for gaming in The Future of Play: New Platforms, Games and Tech and discuss how to drive innovation spanning decades and media with Dungeons, Dragons, and Development Across Decades. Get into the gaming zone with the Gaming Industry track schedule.
Media Industry
Spotlighting the trends driving change, this programming March 10-12 covers the current media landscape, the need for societal changes to be reflected in the people who populate the newsroom, and the impact of new technologies such as artificial intelligence and deepfakes.
Discover the various sides to AI in Newsrooms: What’s the Impact on Journalism?, and indicate the fallacy of “objective journalism” with Building an Antiracist Newsroom, while The State of Journalism: Funding, Safety and Trust reveals insights into journalist sentiment and workload and challenges. Jot down Media Industry sessions you won’t want to miss.
Psychedelics
As therapeutic applications of psychedelics gain more traction in the mainstream consciousness, this March 10-12 explore how breakthrough research and a growing business environment will impact the future applications of these novel and traditional drugs.
Push boundaries and the innovation in mental healthcare with Psychedelics for the Frontlines, How We Changed Our Minds About Psychedelics, and Building an Equitable Psychedelic Medicines System. A trip you'll want to have planned out, build your schedule around the Psychedelics tracks.
Sports
On March 11-13 tackle the breakthroughs in technology, biometrics, data analysis, fan experiences and media that promise to reshape this global industry.
Discover how tech is being used to connect with the next generation of sport fans in New Tech Scores Big with the Next Gen Sports Fan, then find out why the time to invest in women’s sports is now with Why Women's Sports are Growing at an Insane Pace, and find out what the best path forward is for a new fan experience in Crafting a Post-Pandemic Fan Experience in Sports. Rally up and set the sessions you won't want to miss in the Sports track.
Startups
The brightest new entrepreneurial ideas can come from anything, anyone, and anywhere. This March 10-13, the Startups track covers the unexpected founders, funders, business plans, revenue models, success stories and epic fails that make up the addictive experience of launching a new venture.
Catch the advice you need from founders, mentors, and investors in Scaling Fast in Legacy Dominated Sectors and The Highs and Lows of Being a First-Time Founder, while you gain distinctive perspective from three black female powerhouses in VCs: Accelerate into a Downturn for Dividends. Don't skip out on scheduling in the Startups track.
Travel & Leisure
Lockdowns and travel restrictions reaffirmed how important it is for us to discover new surroundings. The Travel & Leisure track, March 13-17, uncovers the destinations and new ways of experiencing them that have become increasingly popular, as well as the challenges the industry continues to face.
Touch on all of the topics in the Travel & Leisure track from developing inclusive practices in Accessibility: The Next Big Thing in Tourism and finding out what’s next in Back to the Future of Travel: Short-Term Rentals to elevating experience whilst in a state of survival with Consumer Experience in a Recovering World. Plan out your SX adventure itinerary with the Travel & Leisure track.
Workplace Revolution
The pandemic accelerated radical transformations in the way we work. From March 10-14, This track focuses on how we continue to move forward, the societal impacts of the evolving workplace, and the changing relationship between employees and employers.
Discuss how to create the workplace of the future in Future Proof Workplace Through Digital Inclusion, Bypassing the College Degree, The Workforce Needs Financial Wellness, Not Snacks, and more. Jump into Workplace Revolution sessions.
XR & Metaverse
Covering the most exciting immersive experience breakthroughs from virtual and augmented realities to the intertwining of worlds through the metaverse, this content navigates the potential of these mind-bending technologies this March 12-14.
A Guide to XR Content Finance and Distribution will present real, practical and candid information to help producers build strategies while How XR is Revolutionizing the Music Industry and Live Performance in the Metaverse dabble in the augmented realities of the music world. Create your SXSW experience the right way and check out the the XR & Metaverse schedule.
SXSW Badge Access
All SXSW Badges are granted access to unparalleled discovery and learning opportunities via our compelling Convergence sessions, workshops, and more. Interactive, Film & TV, and Music Badges have primary access to Conference tracks associated with each badge type, Exhibitions, and Comedy Showcases. Plus, secondary access to all other tracks and a majority of festival programming.
All badges have primary access to Keynotes and Convergence track sessions as well as access to SXSW 2023’s online programming.
? Badge Tip: SXSW Platinum Badges receive primary access to all SXSW official events.
Not sure which badge is for you? Take the Badge Quiz to find out and then register early to save off the March walkup registration rate.
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SXSW 2022 – Photo by Aaron Rogosin
By Julia Pinto
01/2/2023