Community: Austin thought leaderships apart from SXSW

Last week the energy in Austin kicked up to 11 with the launch of our city’s annual SXSW festival. And with more activations and events over the coming weeks, that energy is sure to continue as locals and visitors from around the U.S. and globe converge converge downtown.

An Onion article (Note: Yes, we read the Onion) about this year’s SXSW claimed that the word “innovate” was said 650,000 times during the first week. Hyperbole aside, innovation has always been the core of SXSW. It is a mecca of leaders and trailblazers opening a dialogue about the future of their industries.

BUT Austin has grown in its own right as a hub for thought leadership beyond these two weeks of camaraderie. A recent case in point is the U.S. Army establishing its Futures Command downtown.

Apart from serving our clients, we at Bingham Group are constantly engaging with community and business leaders about how to best share expertise, ideas and connections. When SXSW draws to a close and the crowds disperse, we must remember that the Instagramable exhibits and impressive speakers are not the only source of innovation in this city. Austin is home to many driven individuals blazing a path in their industries. And we are excited to work with them the other 50 weeks of the year.