SXSW Sydney announces first bands and keynote speakers for inaugural conference

South By Southwest (SXSW) have shared details of the upcoming SXSW Sydney conference, set to take place in Australia for the first time this coming October.

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Organisers have revealed the first bands to perform as part of the SXSW Sydney Music Festival, including the UK’s Connie Constance and Los Bitchos and Japan’s Otoboke Beaver. Among the first announcement of speakers that will appear at the conference is the news . Amy Webb will deliver a keynote. SXSW Sydney is set to take place from October 15 to 22. The full lists are available below.

Organisers have also shared the so-called “events precinct”, which will implement spaces such as the Lansdowne Hotel, the recently-reopened Abercrombie Hotel, the International Convention Centre and Central Park Mall.

In addition to music, SXSW Sydney will focus on elements such as gaming, film and television, technology and culture. They have also announced the SXSW Sydney Gaming Festival, which will – according to a press release – “celebrate the future of the industry and embrace the power and potential of games”.

In a press statement, SXSW Sydney chairman Geoff Jones promised that the conference “will be a complete game-changer for Sydney and the Asia Pacific”. “It will facilitate a special connection between creative industries and businesses in the region – the kind that can lead to collaboration and innovation on a global scale, he said. “I can’t wait to see the opportunities flow on from October this year.”

Additionally, Colin Daniels – the festival’s managing director – noted that today’s announcement was “simply the first port in a voyage of discovery”.

“Over the next eight months we will reveal more speakers, more music, more screen and more gaming content from Australia, the Asia Pacific and from around the world,” he said.

View a trailer for the conference below:

The conference have also shared their specific ticketing, referred to as “badges”. A “Platinum Badge” will grant owners access to the entire festival, as well as “VIP meet-ups and networking invitations”. Alternatively, people can purchase “badges” specific to their field: a “Tech & Innovation Badge”, a “Gaming Badge”, a “Music Badge” and a “Screen Badge”. Information and pricing is available here.

With today’s announcement has also come a call-out to bands, filmmakers and those hoping to put on presentations, workshops and mentoring sessions as part of the week-long conference. Music Festival performance applications can be found here, Screen Festival applications can be found here and Session Select applications can be found here.

SXSW Sydney’s first bands announcement is:

Connie Constance
Ekkstasy
Los Bitchos
Otoboke Beaver
Redveil

SXSW Sydney’s first speakers announcement is:

Andrew Pask
Ben Lamm
Guy Kawasaki
Jack Reis
Kyas Hepworth
Larissa Behrendt
Manal Al-sharif
Michael J. Biercuk
Per Sundin
Que Minh Luu
Robyn Denholm
Rohit Bhargava
Sam Barlow
Sean Miyashiro
Sheila Nguyen
Ung-eun Youn
Tom Verrilli
Yiying Lu
Yoomin Yang

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