Conference Essentials: 23 Must-Attend Sessions for SXSW 2025
From channeling authentic expression through the creative arts to the imitation of life depicted by AI, this year’s conference will run the gamut of the challenges and possibilities of our connected future.
Across multiple tracks of the SXSW Conference, we’ve collected 23 standout sessions directly from our Programming team. These sessions aim to highlight topics that are extremely relevant in our evolving world and to help our audience imagine future possibilities.
Examine the impact of immersive technologies and personal privacy. Discover innovative solutions in sustainability and mental health. Engage in empowering sessions about leadership, entrepreneurship, community, and beyond. Together, these conversations will inspire us to embrace our common values and strengthen our connections.
Don’t miss the top 23 essential sessions at the 2025 SXSW Conference! Sign in to the SXSW Schedule to add these sessions to your Favorites list as you read on.
Top 23 Can’t-Miss Sessions
2050 – Hi! I'm Future You: Cultivating Long-Term Wellbeing with AI
While many tech-focused thinkers are transfixed with AI, this session follows a team of researchers from MIT, Harvard, and UCLA and their innovative use of tools to examine potential applications in psychology.
Advertising & Brand Experience – Elevate Your Brand: The Rise of B2B Creators
Explore the emerging collaboration between influencers and B2B brands, highlighting a new frontier in influencer marketing that warrants further exploration.
Artificial Intelligence – Our AI-Driven World: A Utopian Dream or Dystopian Nightmare?
Does AI bring promise or peril? The session embodies the essence of the Artificial Intelligence track by exploring the promises and perils of AI, emphasizing that there is no definitive answer regarding its impact on society.
Climate & Sustainability – Extracting High-Value Molecules From the Waste Stream
The Plant, once a meat packing facility, has been transformed into a living laboratory that houses 19 small food businesses operating on a closed-loop system. This session, featuring the visionaries behind Bubbly Dynamics and The Plant in Chicago, exemplifies how climate technology can drive the development of a circular economy.
Creating Film & TV – Live, From Space! Visualizing the Future With NASA
For over six decades, NASA has offered a glimpse into our expansive universe. At the intersection of space and film, this panel will discuss non-traditional career opportunities for filmmakers and storytellers, promising an informative and out-of-this-world experience.
Creator Economy – Social Media Masterclass with Ex-YouTube & Instagram Insider
Great content starts with great ideas. In this fun and informative session with Jon Youshaei, gain practical advice on generating engaging content and building an audience, making it an excellent representation of the Creator Economy track as a whole.
Culture – Art in Protest: Fostering Democracy Through Creative Dissent
How can you harness creativity as a force for change? Hear from a remarkable lineup of international artists who use various media, including performance art, film, visual arts, and music, as a tool for peace.
Design – Hyperrealism in an Age of Visual Illiteracy
Explore the cultural shift toward digital perfection in this session, which examines how hyperrealistic visuals often prioritize seamlessness over the authenticity of flawed reality. By breaking or distorting 3D CGI, we might reintroduce the organic, emotional elements that help us reconnect with the messiness of real life.
Energy – A World Without Lithium: Next-Gen Battery Tech
From crushing rocks and batteries to create thermal storage, to using nickel-zinc batteries to improve energy grids, the session emphasizes the importance of continuously innovating and exploring eco-friendly solutions to meet our growing energy needs.
Fashion & Beauty – Fashion Innovation: NextGen Materials for Sustainable Future
Is the fashion industry ready to clean up its act? Highlighting the crucial need for sustainable fashion, this session addresses the industry's environmental impact, current challenges, and strategies for adopting a more sustainable future, aligning closely with our Climate & Sustainability track.
Film & TV Industry – Mastering Film Finance: Proven Funding Strategies for Short Films
Funding and financing feature-length films are recurring popular topics in the Film & TV Industry track. But how about the under 40 minutes crowd? Experts in this session will focus specifically on short films, offering valuable insights for indie filmmakers and serving as a strong representation of the track as a whole.
Food – The Evolution of CPG Brand Purpose: Necessity or Luxury?
Food has the ability to connect cultures and bridge the gap between communities across the globe. The session features entrepreneurs and innovators from leading CPG brands, exploring the significance of a brand's mission in today's competitive consumer marketplace.
Game Industry – Cultural Collision: Erupting Trends in Music & Gaming
Gaming trends are evolving and fostering a more inclusive and vibrant cultural landscape than ever before. Featuring a panel from Cxmmunity Media and XSET, this session appeals to a broad SXSW audience with its crossover content, making it the highlight of the Game Industry track.
Government & Civic Engagement – The Antidote to a Divided America
Functional government and civic engagement are imperative to ensure that everyone’s voices and needs are understood in today’s complicated societies. The session addresses perceptions of the current state of the nation while reminding us of our shared values and the importance of fostering meaningful connections.
Health & MedTech – Reconstructing the Human Brain in the Lab
Embark on a journey through the human brain, exploring its evolutionary pathways and potential contributions to humanity's future in space. This session looks at the cutting-edge intersection of neuroscience and space exploration, combining innovation and curiosity about what makes us human.
Music & Tech – From Data Deluge to Data Strategy: Get the Power of Insights
There's an overwhelming amount of data available for artists and their teams, but it’s only valuable if used effectively. This session will assist music professionals in leveraging data from DSPs, charts, and social media with real-world examples and applications.
Music Industry – The Future of Music: Building a Superfan-Centric Business
Superfans are a $4.2B market per Goldman Sachs' 2024 Music in The Air report. A diverse panel of music industry experts will discuss this highly relevant topic, ensuring it resonates with a broad audience of attendees.
Psychedelics – Beyond the Mind: Psychedelics to Heal the Body
It’s time we expand our understanding of the profound potential of psychoactive substances. In this session, leading clinical psychedelic researchers will discuss the potential benefits of psychedelics for chronic pain treatment, advancing the conversation on their role in mainstream healthcare.
Startups – Discovering What's Next: From Space to Climate Tech
Get an inside look at Jim Adler’s journey as the Founder and General Partner of Toyota Ventures, where he shares his vision for investing in early-stage startups that aim to transform our world and explores the pivotal moments that have shaped his career in frontier and climate tech.
Tech Industry – Reclaim, Reframe, Reimagine: AI Design for Human Agency
How do we design a new universe of possible technologies valuing human agency and creativity? The session offers a positive perspective on AI and design from experts at Google and the Electronic Frontier Foundation.
Transportation – Data-Driven Dreams: Is Your Car Your Friend or Big Brother?
Cars are evolving into data-gathering machines but at what cost? This session tackles pressing concerns about cybersecurity and personal privacy in the era of Software-Defined Vehicles (SDVs), connected mobility, and the future driver and passenger experience.
Workplace – Redefining Leadership: Humanity in a Digital Era
You don’t have to wait until you reach the top to become a leader! The session sparks an important discussion on how leaders can embrace authenticity amid rapid technological evolution, emphasizing that everyone can be a purposeful leader, regardless of their title.
XR – Future Visions: Extending the Worlds of Sports, Music & Film
With an expert-packed panel from ESPN, Meta, Mercury Studios, and Nexus Studios, this session highlights the integration of immersive technology across various industries and its role in shaping the future of entertainment.
Consider this an appetizer of the creative feast in store for the 2025 SXSW Conference from March 7–14. Dive into the main programming course of 450+ recently-announced sessions and build your own personalized SXSW Schedule. Stay tuned for more Keynotes, Featured Speakers, mentors, demo listening sessions, workshops, and much more from the SXSW Conference.
Join Us at SXSW 2025
Register early to secure your spot at hundreds of conference sessions and a myriad of professional development and networking opportunities this March! Plus, experience Film & TV Festival screenings, Music Festival showcases, world-class Exhibitions, tech competitions, and more at SXSW 2025.
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Photo by Patrick Quiring
10/23/2024
