GEDANKENFABRIK @ SXSW SYDNEY

Wow – what a week! It’s a wrap! How can you sum up five intense days in just a few lines? From our point of view, the premiere of SXSW Sydney was definitely worth a visit. The topics ranged from Advertising & Marketing, Design, Games, AI & Robotics, Climate & Sustainability, and so on to Web3, XR and of course Metaverse.

As usual, the SXSW is less about discovering THE one future trend, but rather about putting together the many impulses like a puzzle piece. And it is by far not only the lectures impart new knowledge – it is also the exchange with people from all over the world who often face the same challenges and are interested in finding solutions.

This leads us to a for now small conclusion:

🌐 AI, the elephant in the room. This has become a whole herd of elephants. It became clear on the first day that AI will be the dominant theme of SXSW Sydney – whether it’s logistics, urban planning, health, food or business management in general.

👥 The focus on people. Especially in times of AI, soft skills, creative abilities, and genuine interaction are becoming increasingly important. The more AI will change our (working & everyday) lives, the more important real, interpersonal interaction will become. The “human factor” is becoming increasingly important in any aspect.

🔀 Convergence of emerging technologies. Everywhere, it was noticeable how technologies converge and create something new. Be it competitive companies or the most diverse industries, which apparently have nothing to do with each other, collaborate, or the influence of e.g. gaming on technological innovations. Side note: It’s exciting to see that VR is experiencing a small renaissance and has made another huge leap forward technically. We have not yet experienced many VR experiences in this form – state of the art!

🔮 Convergence requires collaboration. There is so much knowledge and data that it makes sense to work together to solve problems, especially in the burning area of sustainability. So, sharing is caring!

🏠 Culture & Heritage: In times of increasing digitalization, cultural aspects should not be overlooked. What can we learn from the past, how can we include our heritage, art, and culture more in our decisions for a more liveable future?

By the way: Each of the almost 1,000 sessions began with an acknowledgment about the original owners of the land we are on.

The week was a rollercoaster ride. Or, to stay with the GEDANKENFABRIK, a ride on the Reinvention Wheel: #Rethink, #Rebuild, #Reimagine, #Reshape, #Relearn at its best.

PS: For our German readers: Read about our final impressions and résumé in an exclusive W&V article (attention: Paywall).

See you in 2024!