10 Tips for Pitching to SXSW Sydney 2024 Conference

Think big, write tight, get it right the first time.

Those are just some of the tips for cracking the code to the SXSW Sydney 2024 Conference, which returns this October for the second annual exploration of what’s hot in tech and innovation, gaming, screen and music.

Produced by TEG, SXSW Sydney is locked in for Oct. 14 – 20, its daytime schedule stacked with panels, chats, workshops and meetups.

Entries for pitching for panel and speaker ideas for the conference are now open and close March 28 at 5pm, before organisers open-up public voting (from April 11 – 25).

The conference team recently put the call out for creatives, innovators, and thinkers to pitch ideas with the potential to “inspire real change” across its 23 conference tracks, including music and the freshly-introduced talking points covering the creator economy, cyber and your data, education and skills, fashion, lifestyle and beauty, and food.

It’s a competitive game. 

The Music Network caught up with Fenella Kernebone, head of conference programming – SXSW Sydney, for ten top tips on making your pitches rise above the rest.

Grace Tame talks at SXSW Sydney 2023

• Read through the track descriptions and decide which conferences stream best suits your submission proposal. If unsure, choose the track or topics that most closely aligns. If you are successful, the conference team will work with you to make any adjustments. 

• Read and download through our “Conference Submission Guidelines”. 

• Read and download our “Supporting Details” document to help you work on your submissions offline.

• If you are considering submitting multiple proposals from one organisation and they are all reasonably similar topic wise, then you will be competing with yourself. Consider submitting one brilliant proposal only.

• The more specific a proposal the better. We are looking for focused, detailed submissions with a clear title and synopsis, as well as information about your confirmed speakers. Why are they the right speaker or speakers for this session? What questions are you asking? What problems are you addressing? Who is the audience for this session? Don’t forget to confirm your speakers are available and can attend.

• Diversity on panels is extremely important. Please read the guidelines and remember if you are submitting a panel, only four speakers on stage. This includes the moderator.

• A supporting video or pitch is more than welcome if it outlines your proposal. Please keep this under two minutes. Outline the session idea, who the speakers are, and why this session should be in the conference.

• Your title can be catchy, but it should also act as a short description of your session. Ideally no longer than 25 words. We require you to fill out your submissions title twice, so please keep these identical.

• Please DO NOT USE ALL CAPS or all lower case in your submission title.

• Check your spelling and links for typos and grammar before you submit. You cannot make any amendments after you have submitted.

Bonus track: Do not forget to include a photo on your submission page. 

Also, sessions can’t be a promotion for a company, product or service. “If you would like to discuss partnerships options, please get in touch with the partnerships team – partner programming, activations or the expo,” adds Kernebone.

Sydney is the APAC leg of SXSW and serves as the first expansion city outside of its original home, Austin, Texas, where the event was presented for the first time in 1987.

Last year’s inaugural gathering boasted 1,178 sessions and events, with the SXSW community and team of conference advisors deciding who gets the green-light.

To find out more, register for SXSW Sydney’s upcoming webinar on March 12 at 11am.