--- title: "Friday Buzz: SXSW, a Year After Tragedy" id: "27575" type: "post" slug: "friday-buzz-sxsw-a-year-after-tragedy" published_at: "2015-03-13T21:32:25+00:00" modified_at: "2026-11-09T17:52:11+00:00" url: "https://associationsnow.com/2015/03/13/friday-buzz-sxsw-a-year-after-tragedy/" markdown_url: "https://associationsnow.com/2015/03/13/friday-buzz-sxsw-a-year-after-tragedy.md" excerpt: "The festivities will go on in Austin, Texas this year—365 days after a deadly crash raised questions about the festival’s organization—but expect SXSW to be toned down this year. Also: Let’s talk about your IT maturity score." taxonomy_category: - "Meetings / Events" taxonomy_post_tag: - "AssociationsNow" - "festivals" - "Live Events" - "Meetings" - "Safety" taxonomy_content_format: - "Article" taxonomy_role: - "Association CEO / Executive Director" - "C-Level" - "Executive Team" taxonomy_persona: - "Association Professionals" --- [Home](https://associationsnow.com/) » [Articles](https://associationsnow.com/format/article/) » Friday Buzz: SXSW, a Year After Tragedy Last year, one of the country’s hottest events took a tragic turn. The 2014 edition of the SXSW festival—which covers topics in music, film, and interactive technology—was thrown into disarray after a driver fleeing police ran into a crowd of revelers. Four people were killed; nearly two dozen others were seriously injured. “And for each specific memory of the pain, there is a matching remembrance of good, an opposite and equal reaction to the night’s horrors: the bystander who laid her sweater on a victim, or who started CPR, or used his shirt for a tourniquet, or knelt near the head of an injured man to hold his neck until medical help arrived,” the *Austin American-Statesman*‘s Eric Dexheimer [wrote in a feature piece (opens in a new tab)](http://projects.statesman.com/news/sxsw-then-now/) . The man who was behind the wheel of the car, Rashad Owens, remains in jail a year after the accident. Meanwhile, organizers of the festival, along with city officials, are looking to take the lessons of the tragedy and build a safer environment for attendees. The city announced that it would cut down on the number of approved special-event permits, and some of the biggest brands at last year’s event are staying home amid criticism over unauthorized open-air parties. Those who are holding parties are toning back their events. “It’s a very fine balancing act,” SXSW Interactive head Hugh Forrest [told USA Today (opens in a new tab)](http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2015/03/12/sxsw-austin-changes-parties/24368891/) . “Our top priority is having a safe and user-friendly event for all our registrants.” ### Webinar to Watch > What’s your association’s IT maturity score? Join us & [@dcoriale (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/dcoriale?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) > to find out [http://t.co/EbsKIRuvd3 (opens in a new tab)](http://t.co/EbsKIRuvd3) > [#assnchat (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/hashtag/assnchat?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) > [pic.twitter.com/C8fXPnmtkw (opens in a new tab)](http://t.co/C8fXPnmtkw) > > — ACGI Software (@ACGISoftware) [March 13, 2015 (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/ACGISoftware/status/576416451294314496?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) **How do you ensure**that your technology matches your needs? Tech firms DelCor and ACGI Software say [the IT Maturity Model (opens in a new tab)](http://www.delcor.com/maturity/) can help. The companies will host a free webinar about the value of a solid IT Maturity Score on March 31 at 1:30 EDT. [Learn more over this way (opens in a new tab)](http://www.acgisoftware.com/company/webinars-news-and-events/webinars/associations-maturity-score-matters/) . ### Other Links of Note **Why you shouldn’t use a USB drive** owned by someone you don’t trust: [It can destroy your computer (opens in a new tab)](http://techcrunch.com/2015/03/12/this-usb-drive-can-nuke-a-computer/) . **If someone donates to your nonprofit,** what should you do? Lori Finch of Care2 [offers a step-by-step guide (opens in a new tab)](http://www.frogloop.com/care2blog/2015/3/12/9-things-to-do-after-a-donor-donates.html) on the right way to react. **Cool community startup of the day:** The Portland-based community app Switchboard [wants to make it dead simple to start an online community (opens in a new tab)](http://switchboardhq.com/) for any reason. (Ahson Wardak/Flickr) [Ernie Smith](https://associationsnow.com/author/ernie-smith/) Ernie Smith is a former senior editor for Associations Now. 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