Making lemonade in the bottom of the 9th.
We just found out today that our SXSW Interactive session on sports metaphors is scheduled for the VERY LAST POSSIBLE slot on the conference calendar — the bottom of the 9th, if you will.
Sure, this sounds bad. Won’t everybody be heading to the airport to fly home? Or at least heading out to the bars on 6th Street?
Maybe. But since we don’t have any choice about it, I decided instead to come up with a list of benefits from having the last available slot:
- It’s the easiest slot of the whole conference to remember — 5 p.m. on the last day.
- When we’re telling people about it, we can joke about “saving the best for last” and how we’re “the grand finale.”
- The audience should be loose — even a little punchy — after four hard days of conferencing (and, ahem, carousing after hours), so they should be prepared to play along with the kind of fun, totally un-stuffy session we have planned.
- The sports metaphors abound: “bottom off the ninth,” “the 18th hole at Augusta,” “sudden-death overtime,” . . .
I’m sure there are more, and that’s where I’d like your help:
How should we capitalize on having the very last slot on the SXSW Interactive schedule?
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Photo by Jill Clardy, used under a CC-Share Alike license.
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How about creating a little game that people could play over the course of the conference, something like conference bingo, where they tweet every time they hear someone use a sports metaphor, adding your session hashtag? You’d get involvement, advertising and data too– triple play? Even if only a few die-hards did it (you and other panelists, even) it might generate some energy… and then you could give out some groovy prize at the session itself….
cv
Hey, that’s a fabulous idea, CV — thanks!
Play to your audience… as you mention, a lot of people that might otherwise have attended will be on their way to the airport or in a bar on 6th St. Give them a way to be part of the session without being there – during the session. Use Qik to bring people into the room, set up a session unique hashtag (part of CVs suggestion) to set your panel apart from the SXSW tag. Play a game during the session that includes those following along from afar (maybe buzz word bingo)?
You might also want to see if you can get a local celebrity sports fan or player to show up for the session. That could bolster your attendance. I wonder if Mark Cuban would be will to join in the fun?
Jim | @jimstorer
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