Commentary

SXSW: Between A Rock And Hard Place

It’s nail-biting time for the folks who run SXSW, a for-profit group that has spent millions over the past year planning for and putting together this year’s festival that is scheduled to start in Austin, Texas on March 13 and run for 10 days. 

Over 200,000 people attended last year’s event. 

Major companies have been pulling out left and right — citing the Covid-19 crisis — like Apple, Netflix, IBM and Warner Media. No word yet on the major Adland holding companies, which say such decisions are typically left up to individual agencies. That could change at any moment, of course, given the very atypical situation wrought by the virus. 

It’s possible that health officials could step in and order the event cancelled, but so far that has not happened. 

The Austin Statesman has a good piece spelling out what’s at stake for the players involved and the unenviable position the event’s organizers are in right now, which you can read here.

 

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