[SXSW Interactive 2014] A constant state of #FOMO

One of the things they all mentioned was, "don't worry about #FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out), this is unavoidable, just try plan your day as much as possible and make the most of it."

Well, their advice was very true, every day was a constant state of #FOMO, it wasn't just the amazing talks that one might miss out on, but it is everything else that happens during SXSW. Experiences like meeting Nicolas Cage, seeing Snoop Dog, watching Cold Play & Imagine Dragons perform live, meeting Grumpy Cat or Justin Bieber performing one song at a random venue (not that this would be a #FOMO experience for me, I'm not the biggest Bieber fan).

So many talks, not enough time

The streets are full of different queues of people waiting for some unique experience, so in your mind your are always thinking, "Why are they queuing? Should I be queuing? Am I missing out?".

It sounds easy to just plan one day, but it really isn't. With over 800 talks it became nearly impossible. For every time slot there were usually over five talks at the same time that I would want to attend, then while attending one talk you would check Twitter out and see an even better talk going on just down the road (hence why you always had to have a back-up).

I also had the best intentions of covering my experience at the end of each day (very ambitious, I know) and write an article summarizing some of the most interesting talks, but this was just not possible, one literally doesn't stop from 7am to after 12am. It is overwhelming.

Part of the experience

This is however all part of the experience I guess. It is also about the people you meet, I have made some incredible friends during my time at SXSW and I am sure I will be in touch with them for many years to come.

SXSW is not a conference, an Expo or even a festival, the best way to describe it is as an experience, a truly unforgettable experience.

As they say, better late than never and because I have now caught up on the craziness at work, the jet lag and the SXSW lag, I will be unpacking some of the most interesting talks that I attended over the next couple of weeks.