DEPARTMENT: Economic Development
DEPARTMENT HEAD: Alejandra Lopez
COUNCIL DISTRICTS IMPACTED: City-wide
SUBJECT: Briefing and possible action on "#GoSATX - A Day in San Antonio for International Business Leaders and Entrepreneurs".
SUMMARY:
As part of the South by Southwest Festival (SXSW) that takes place annually in Austin, Texas, the Economic Development Department (EDD) will be hosting "#GoSATX - A Day in San Antonio for International Business Leaders and Entrepreneurs" on March 13 to foster relationships with international visitors who plan to attend SXSW.
BACKGROUND:
SXSW is an annual music, film, and interactive festival that takes place in Austin, Texas and attracts large audiences with interest in innovation, entrepreneurship, technology, arts, and culture. Due to the festival's large international attendance, alignment in interests, and proximity, the festival is a prime opportunity to showcase San Antonio to global entrepreneurs.
During 2016-2017, the City supported different community organizations to facilitate a San Antonio presence at SXSW with varying outcomes. In preparation for SXSW 2018, EDD engaged stakeholders including Tech Bloc, the San Antonio Economic Development Foundation (SAEDF), Visit San Antonio (VSA), Bexar County, Geekdom, San Antonio Chamber, and the Office of Innovation to gather feedback on past and future SXSW activations. The stakeholders determined that a phased-in approach to a San Antonio presence at SXSW would be most effective.
In 2018, based on community feedback, San Antonio sponsored a booth at the SXSW Job Market, organized by Tech Bloc. In 2019, the City sponsored two initiatives: (1) a booth at the SXSW Job Market organized by Tech Bloc, wherein Tech Bloc collected resumes from job seekers and sold and promoted San Antonio as a city of choice for tech employment and investment; and (2) a pre-SXSW Startup Day event in San Antonio for international businesses aimed at showcasing San Antonio as a soft-landing ...
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