Every year, professionals across sectors gather in Austin, Texas, for South by Southwest, a “destination for discovery” for music, film and technology.
“South by Southwest, in our best moments, is about using technology, using creativity, using innovation to help people out who need help, to help level the playing field between the haves and have nots,” Hugh Forrest, chief programming officer for SXSW, said at the Community Service Awards Monday.
The ceremony — celebrating technology in service of humanity — draws a smaller crowd than many of the talks, concerts and parties sprinkled around town, but it brings the conference “back to its roots,” says Forrest.