So, my very trusting bosses, John and Christine handed me the credit card and sent me off to SxSW.  This geek version of spring break brings all the brightest minds in digital media together to paint the town red in Austin, TX.

I have attended several sessions which vary from growing communities to becoming a better manager, of which I did attend ( for John and Christine’s peace of mind).  Many of the sessions I attended lacked the meat that I was hoping but I’m also trying to avoid the run of the mill topics that we’re all sick of hearing of.  SxSW does offer a great mixture of novice, intermediate and advanced sessions and organizes in such a way that you can focus on certain tracks to get the most value.

Sunday evening I was invited to Co-Host a party SE@SX which was sponsored by PGi.  Sloane Berrent put on a fantastic event and gave an opportunity for the local leadership of Charlotte, Atlanta, Orlando, Raleigh and New Orleans a chance to network and share their experiences about being a Southerner in the tech industry.  It’s pretty incredible the events and growth that are happening in the South and I encourage you to check out the Louisiana Economic Development initiative and the start-up community in Raleigh, North Carolina aka The Triangle.   I fortunately had Dave Delaney standing next to me to represent Nashville and we highlighted our PodCamp, BarCamp, Geek Breakfast and of course, Social Media Club Nashville.  I walked away from this event being so inspired to make stronger connections with the S.E. cities who are truly doing amazing things that I want to be apart of.

The absolute best part of SxSW has been the networking and connections made offline.  I was lucky enough to meet some big names in the game and look forward to growing those relationships which will hopefully, help the Nashville community.  I will always bring it back home!

Nearly every company in the Technology space is well represented here in Austin and I have to say, Microsoft and TechSet has hosted the best Blogger’s Lounge in the Austin Convention Center.  I earned the Mayorship of the Blogger’s Lounge on Foursquare for just over 4 hours before someone swiped it from me….grrr…..

Considering SxSW next year?  Here are some things you must do…

1. Play the Foursquare game outside the Austin Convention Center with the Foursquare crew and win buttons.
2. Eat as much Ironworks and Salt Lick BBQ – no words to explain this and you will thank me.
3. Stop for injured Bicyclists and call 911.  I like to think I saved a guys life.
4. Bring an umbrella for the one day it rains, silly me.
5. Get on every VIP list possible because it’s not fun standing in line = Free drinks. =)
6. Don’t go there with expectations, just have a good time and the opportunities will come.  Promise.

If you were not able to attend SxSW and want to capture the main takeaways here in Nashville, come to SxSW Nashville on Wednesday, March 24th.

Also, check out my Flickr Pictures to see what it was really like at SxSW!

Did I miss anything in Austin that you suggest I should check out next year?

Ok, ok really it goes something like this…

The JTMarCom team recently did some work for the Dunkin Donuts Franchisee in Memphis, TN so after a very successful day at work, John, Christine and Alex decided to take me out to the famous Blues scene in Memphis which is most notably located on Beale Street.  I grabbed a few drinks (3 shots of Jameson Irish Whiskey for me) while the others ate and we met some really interesting people at the restaurant who were in town for a Blues festival.  After leaving the restaurant, we lollygagged around to a few shops on the street and came upon Tater Reds, a local shop with crappy tourist stuff that appeals to drunk people.  After being mesmerized by all the autographed drum heads on the ceiling, I discovered who would soon become my new bestest bestest friend.

Travelocity is running a campaign in Memphis; they’ve stashed their famous Gnomes around the city and if you find one, snap a silly picture and submit it to their website/FB page and win a weekend stay in Memphis.  Alex and I snapped away and had a good ole’ time until……He fell down and broke his crown!

The store owner, Tater, was not amused and after a few minutes of staring at the ground in confusion, I decided I always wanted a Travelocity Gnome and it was only fate that this Gnome came into my life.  Again, after a few drinks this was a GREAT idea!  Tater insisted he’d be in big trouble with Travelocity (Did you know you can purchase the same Gnome I have on QVC for just over $30 w/ shipping & handling? http://bit.ly/5SPZPi )  and they would be charging him an arm, leg and crown for the loss so there was nothing else he could do but push this cost onto us.  I very happily obliged because this little Gnome didn’t deserve to be thrown away, he needed a good Gnome…oops, I mean home.

I tweeted “http://twitpic.com/yzbes – Alex & I paid $100 for the Travelocity Gnome we broke at Tater Reds just now. But who else has a GNOME?!?!?”

I received a response from the Travelocity Twitter account who passed along the email address of Joel Frey who is a big guy with Travelocity and after telling me it was one of the strangest Gnome related emails he’s ever received, he was more than happy to resolve the situation.

Tater received his Gnome from Travelocity corporate office but will not accept it as a replacement because it was a 9’’ Gnome instead of a 13’’ Gnome and it was wearing a sombrero and maracas..I say beggars can’t be choosers buddy so give me my $100 back!

If you ever check out Beale Street, I highly recommend you NOT drink Jameson Whiskey and get creative with Gnomes.

I hope this post makes my Grandma proud!