Go Big or Go Home – SXSW 2013

Oh dearest South by Southwest. I can’t say that I am sad to see you go. You were nothing but wonderful to us, but we sure did need some sleep, food, and to rest our vocal cords. The week leading into SXSW for us was HUGE; we announced The Next Generation of Bloomfire and our latest round of funding. If we weren’t already blown away with all of the positive feedback with those two announcements, we were really in for a treat with all that SXSW had to offer.

Day 1

We spent all day Friday piecing together our tradeshow booth that was paying homage to the old western bar theme that some Austin bars still encompass. As we added the final touches, we stepped back to soak in the awesomeness that was Booth 1335. We are fortunate to have an in-house designer who is a rock star (literally) creative mastermind ninja.

After successfully assembling the booth for the tradeshow on Sunday, our VP of Marketing and myself headed over to the Startup Spotlight at the Hilton where we had the opportunity to talk to crowds of people who were eager to learn more about Bloomfire. The crowd loved it so much that they dubbed us one of the most talked about Startups at the entire event.

Day 2

Saturday was the calm before the storm. Our CEO, Craig Malloy, spoke to a crowd of techies about Declaring War on IT Turnover in a SXSW Interactive Panel Discussion. The audience was engaged, eager to learn more, and asked some very interesting questions. Follow us to find the answers.

Day 3

Ah hah. Day one of the tradeshow was finally here. It was the day to show off what we have been working on for the last four months. The tradeshow opened right at 11am with an eager crowd busting down the doors. They wanted to witness the latest and greatest technologies first and Bloomfire didn’t disappoint. I don’t remember a single Bloomfire employee leaving the tradeshow floor the entire day and I am certain there wasn’t a moment of silence for anyone- which are good things! The crowd around the booth was generating excitement for everyone. All in all, day one of the tradeshow was a success.

Day 4

After a couple of days of having to answer the question, “Where are the free beer and tacos?” We were able to provide the eager patrons with both free beer and tacos Monday night at our launch party. Not only did we fuel them up with the nourishment of tacos and beer, we filled their ears with the wonderful sounds of a live band. The night was such a success we actually had to turn people away to keep the fire marshal happy. Thanks to everyone who attended!

Day 5

After Monday night the Bloomfire team was just about ready for the fun to end but they put on their fancy clothes and came out for the Interactive Awards Show on Tuesday night. Bloomfire was the sponsor for the evening so we got VIP treatment. And our CEO, Craig Malloy, presented Best in Show. It was a lovely way to end our SX journey.

The end!

I am not sure anyone at Bloomfire knew what to expect in return for our presence a SXSW this year, but I am certain everyone was more than surprised with all of the positive feedback. We received a great deal of positive feedback from Mashable, who mentioned us alongside Google, and Inc. who listed us at number one when talking about How to be Best in Show. Thank you SXSW for accepting us with open arms. See you next year!