This October, Sydney will host SXSW, the famed Austin, Texas innovation conference and cultural festival, expanding the iconic event outside North America for the first time in its 37-year history.
Today SXSW Sydney has announced the appointment of four agency partners to support the next chapter of the SXSW brand in Sydney – Australia’s capital of arts, culture, and tech innovation, with a thriving 24-hour economy.
Collaborating with the festival since the initial Australian announcement last year, Present Company take the lead on brand, creative and social, while Thinking Loud are managing the PR across culture, music, and gaming media. Organic Pacific are working in conjunction with Thinking Loud, and are responsible for Australian screen, business, and technology media. Globally, Organic international teams will manage domestic US and European communications, with Red Havas Singapore acting as the PR lead for the Asian markets.
Managing director of SXSW Sydney, Colin Daniels, said: “SXSW has a 37-year history as the unmissable industry conference and showcase for innovators and creative leaders. In October the event will land in Sydney, Australia for the first of what will be a vibrant annual event for the harbour city. The undertaking of producing an event of the cultural importance of SXSW Sydney, and the global scale, requires an international team of experts, and we couldn’t ask for better partners than the pros at Present Company, Thinking Loud, Organic and Red Havas to support our goals.”
Marty Wirth, founder of Present Company, said: “SXSW has been the pinnacle of music and creative events for over three decades. It is a thrill to provide our design, brand, creative and digital teams the opportunity to launch SXSW Sydney and be a small part of an event that will represent and connect APAC’s creative industries into the future.”
“Having attended SXSW in Austin and working with many of the SXSW Sydney team over the years, Thinking Loud were excited to be involved from the initial announcement last year. Our PR team is proud to work on this future-focused event, and we’re looking forward to seeing the value it brings to our community,” added Aniela Swiatek, PR director, Thinking Loud.
“With our international network of entertainment comms specialists across Australia, US and Europe, backed by the expertise of our Havas partners in Red Havas Singapore, Organic is uniquely positioned to support the highly anticipated arrival of SXSW Sydney to the Asian Pacific region and represent this legendary brand on the local and global stages,” said Annabelle Gigliotti, Managing Partner, Organic Australia. SXSW Sydney is a week-long event (October 15th – 22nd 2023) where the Tech and Innovation, Games, Music, and Screen industries will converge with culture for unexpected discoveries. From a grassroots start in Austin Texas in 1987 to a new, second home in Sydney, SXSW Sydney is set to be a phenomenal experience.
SXSW Sydney is supported by the NSW Government through its tourism and major events agency Destination NSW.
