City leaders in Austin Texas, have welcomed the opening of SXSW in its 40th anniversary. The festival which for many years expanded from about 700 attendees at the first event in 1987 is now cut back from 10 to seven days for 2026, as attendances have slipped from 345,000 in 2023, to 208,000 in 2024 and to 203,000 last year. Numbers are said to have been hit also by rising costs all round.
The event still has significant scale and influence with approximately 28% of attendees are international, travelling from 95 countries. With the the Austin Convention Center, which has traditionally provided the hub for the festival, now closed for redevelopment, SXSW is now spread over may venues across Austin. The result is less of a corporate feel and a system of ‘ Clubhouses’ has been designed to operate as a home base and cultural hotspots. Programming inside the spaces has been synchronised with the wider festival schedule.
SXSW chief commercial officer Peter Lewis said: “[The Clubhouses] give our partners meaningful ways to show up and engage, and they give badgeholders spaces designed for connection, collaboration, and momentum… It’s a smarter, more focused footprint that reflects where SXSW is headed.”
The Clubhouse concept emerged from collaborative work between SXSW and WINK, an experiential studio from Amsterdam that is also working in New York and which has produced brand activations for companies such as Budweiser and Corona, including work tied to the Winter Olympics and the upcoming FIFA World Cup.
Aeorema Communications’ brand experience agency, Cheerful Twentyfirst, is another agency delivering a major new project at SXSW – the agency’s first activation at the event.
Cheerful Twentyfirst is supporting the delivery of an after-hours brand experience for a media company which will welcome guests into a ‘90s-inspired after-party. Georgina Burrows, global strategy director at Cheerful Twentyfirst, commented: “This was a fantastic brief and an opportunity to create something truly distinctive. Our client had a clear vision from the outset and we are delighted to help them deliver a creative differentiator within Austin’s highly experiential landscape.”
Steve Quah, CEO of Aeorema Communications plc, added: “We have a wonderful creative synergy with this client. We started working together at Cannes Lions… The project marks another significant step in the Group’s US growth strategy, reinforcing our expanding footprint and continued momentum in the market.”
