February 26th, 2013 
Planning your trip to South by Southwest and thinking about what to pack? Or just a local and not sure what to head out with you every morning since each day will be so unique and different?
We have a few suggestions:
Keynote Speakers Ray Kurzweil & Lev Grossman at 2012 SXSW (Photo Credit: Sean Mathis)
1.) Comfortable shoes- whether you are trying to drive into downtown, or just walking from a close by apartment or hotel, there will be lots of walking. All over the convention center for those attending sessions, and from Rainey and back to West 6th for those just heading to parties and concerts. I recommend bringing a pair to change into to wear to events, and an easy, comfortable pair for all of that walking.
2.) Laptop or iPad- if you are attending sessions chances are you will want to take notes, and for those writing articles from SXSW, the sooner you can get them online the better. Some people like taking notes in notebooks, I’m definitely one of those people. But since I’m going to be writing about sessions, it will be easier for me to personally write up sessions in my iPad so I can transfer to my computer and the Miss A site faster.
3.) Sunglasses and sunscreen- call me a nerd (well I guess the sunglass part isn’t nerdy) but expect warm weather here in Texas. If nothing else, at least make sure you have some SPF on your face for all the walking between parties and sessions.
4.) Phone charger- there will be a plethora of charging stations throughout the Convention Center and at lots of the lounges. Even if you have an amazing battery, I still foresee lots of email checking, note taking on phones, picture taking and texting, so be sure to have your chord to juice up before the nighttime events start.
Author with Adam Duritz at 2012 SXSW (Photo Credit: Leslie Silver)
5.) A real camera- I’m one of the few who still love having my real camera for extra special events- weddings, vacations and SXSW! Sure, phone cameras are great, but if by chance I get an opportunity to snap a pic with Al Gore, or any good local celebs or those coming to town for festivities (last year I had a pic with Jared Leto and Adam Duritz from the Counting Crows) I want them to be on my real authentic camera.
6.) Spare purse/tote bag- Particularly for the interactive portion of SX, swag is a huge part of what we all come to love. I’m talking really soft cotton tees, cozies, tote bags, stuffed animals, snacks, etc, etc. Don’t forget a sizeable bag to carry these goodies around with you (and you can put your comfy shoes in the bag too!).
7.) Business cards- This one shouldn’t really need to be mentioned, but if you are in the industry, and the people that attend the different portions of SXSW are in just about every industry you can imagine, don’t forget a Ton of business cards! You are going to be meeting people everywhere you go and while not all of them might be potential new clients or partners, several could have great connections, or just be new friends so make sure you have contact info to easily share with them.
