The days we spent in Austin for SxSW were a success!

Thank you to everyone who took a chance to stop by our booth. We met a number of super talented individuals who are making contributions in the technology realm!

Of the many highlights of SxSW, here are my top 7 memories:

1. The ENERGY! – There was no way around it – people were excited to be at SxSW.  Whether you were walking through the convention center, observing the various booths or strolling through the Hilton lobby, it was hard to miss.  Hundreds of people congregating with a common thread of interest… the energy was palpable. While our primary goal as a team was to meet and get to know the community, we did manage to start up some great conversations with potential Rackers.
2. The Rackspace tattoo sleeves – I’ve secretly wondered how people would approach me if I had a full sleeve of tattoos.  Thanks to the fake tattoo sleeves given out at the Rackspace booth, I was able to find out.  They were a big hit and a lot of fun to wear!
3. The Foursquare Buzz – Apparently Foursquare has passed 500,000 users and intends to pass 600,000 by next month.  While Twitter was still in full force, it was quite evident that geo-social systems are on the rise and were all the buzz at SxSW.
4. Ruby On Rails TweetUp – A number of people attended the Ruby On Rails TweetUp on Monday afternoon at Buffalo Billiards.  Our very own Oren David attended and plans to write up an overview soon.
5. Rackspace Revolution party – This deserves an entire post, but as a teaser… there were break dancers, an 80’s rock cover band, a cigar roller, a tattoo artist, a big graffiti wall and plenty of smiles to go around.  Excellent party!
6. The Sessions – I attended a number of sessions while at the conference – some better than others.  My favorite was a session called Smarter Social Media which featured Todd Watson (AKA TurboTodd) from IBM.  Among many other interesting stats, he mentioned that IBM has over 220,000 employees on LinkedIn – that’s a lot of people!
7. #GR2L – A handful of Rackers, including Paul Norman and I, attended an event hosted by Chris Brogan and sponsored by Blue Clover and a number of other companies.  Dennis Crowley from Foursquare spoke about the future of the service and the additional features in the works.  The conversation left my mind buzzing with ideas.  Do a Twitter Search for #GR2L to see the larger conversation.

Overall, SxSW was a success for our team and we are grateful for the many new contacts and unique experiences.

Thanks again to everyone who came out!  It was excellent meeting you!

What was your most memorable experience from the conference?

Pictured above is Robert Taylor – The Tweeter behind @Rackspace on Twitter.  You can also connect with Robert (Robot as we call him) on his personal Twitter account.

In 2010, Michael joined Rackspace Hosting in San Antonio, TX to head up global employment branding initiatives.  Since becoming a “Racker,” Michael launched RackerTalent.com and has brought together internal bloggers from five continents to share the authentic culture of the organization.

Michael is a graduate of Georgetown University with a degree in International Relations. He has lived multiple years abroad in both Guatemala and Argentina. In his spare time, Michael enjoys guitar, photography and exploring the social web.

Tweet