Thursday Buzz: How SXSW Convinced the Obamas to Speak

It took years to pull off, but it all came together this year: President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama will show up at the South by Southwest  (opens in a new tab) (SXSW) festival in Austin, Texas, later this month.

Barack Obama will headline the Interactive  (opens in a new tab) on March 11, while Michelle Obama will be the opening keynote speaker for SXSW Music  (opens in a new tab) on March 16. Both will be sitting down for interviews.

“This marks the first time in the 30-year history of SXSW that a sitting president and the first lady have participated in the event,” the SXSW news release said  (opens in a new tab).

SXSW Interactive Director Hugh Forrest told Adweek  (opens in a new tab) that the process wasn’t easy.

The conference had previously hosted senior Obama administration officials in the past few years, and it decided to make a speaker request for President Obama in late fall. It was entirely about building a relationship with the White House, taking a chance, and then following through.

Eventually, the conference got a response, which was a bit of a surprise: The White House made both the president and first lady available.

“I had been holding my breath on this for quite a while because we’d been down this path before, and then something would happen,” Forrest said.

“We’ve had contact in previous years about whether this would work for ‘senior officials’ to come down to Austin, and there was interest—but the timing wasn’t ever quite right,” he shared about their relationship with the administration. “Fortunately, the timing has worked out for 2016, and we are excited about this.”

He says SXSW will work with the Secret Service at the venue and will soon release information on a live-stream feed for the event.

Meetings Tip Of The Day

“”Experts” as Speakers – a Cautionary Tale” via MeetingsNet https://t.co/VCGBMGRGmn  (opens in a new tab) #eventprofs  (opens in a new tab)

— Marcel: A Parody of Myself 🇿🇦🇺🇦 🇵🇸🏆🏆🏆🏆🏉 (@Marcel_Perform) March 2, 2016  (opens in a new tab)

Are experts really expert speakers? Experts may have industry know-how, but are they going to connect with the audience?

Dianne Goodman, president and founder of the Goodman Speakers Bureau and GSB Speaker Management, writes at MeetingsNet  (opens in a new tab) about the tedious search and steps needed to verify that experts will be effective and entertaining speakers at your event.

Links for Your Day

Watch out for stealth protesters at events. A man dressed as a mechanic walked onstage during a speech by a Volkswagen board member to protest the automaker’s recent emissions scandal. No kidding  (opens in a new tab).

How to best leverage conferences. Callie Walker at MemberClicks shares  (opens in a new tab) a handy infographic to help you maximize your conference lineup.

Try standing up at your next meeting. Lifehacker’s Alan Henry shares  (opens in a new tab) an In59Seconds video showcasing how productive it is to stand through a meeting.

(Win McNamee/Getty Images)