This entirely depends on what you’re looking to get out of your time at SxSW, how long you’ll be there, and what type of badge you have.
The schedule is available here:
There are a few different badges[1] that will get you into the official events being run during SxSWi.
Or, you can get the free Guest Pass, which gets you in to some limited “official” things.
One strategy that you can do is forego the official badges entirely and simply go the party route.
There’s a great service to help you with this called RSVPster. Parties pop up at the last minute, and for $30, this app will check you in to all of them and let you know where they are.
If you don’t want them to do it for you, you can check out http://2016.do512.com/ and Austin Sxsw Events and do it manually. Some events charge.
Then, of course, you can reach out to people on Social Media. Check out the Hashtags #sxsw, #sxsw2016, #sxswi (you get the point…) and connect with anyone who looks interesting to connect.
But keep in mind that SxSW is an on-the-ground event where anything can happen at a moment’s notice (and will.) Be prepared to change your plans three hundred times before breakfast.
And if you’re looking for a particular recommendation – you can always come to see me during my mentor session on Monday, March 14th at the JW Marriott. 🙂
Footnotes
[1] Welcome to the Official SXSW Cart
Originally Posted: https://www.quora.com/SXSW-What-events-at-SXSWi-should-I-NOT-miss-out-on-in-2016
Originally Posted On: 2016-02-29