SXSW in Hindsight

It’s the end of SXSW for another year, which also means everyone in our office gets to breathe a sigh of relief. We love what we do, but the build up to SXSW can be one of our most hectic times, and not necessarily for the reason you’d expect.

A majority of our clients had the whole visa process completed in plenty of time. There’s a reason why we launched our early bird rates all the way back in October! We always advise starting the application process for a US visa at least 6 weeks before the travel date, but this year, we saw a huge increase in the number of calls and emails from people in a last minute panic over SXSW to the point where, in some cases, they had ‘missed the boat’ completely and they would not have the right documentation in time at all.

This is a huge disappointment all round, especially knowing that we could have helped if they’d have called us a month or two previously.

So, with a whole year to go before the next SXSW, we’d like to just say that it would be great if next year could see more organisation, more notice, and a smoother time for everyone involved!

SXSW next year begins on 13th March 2020, so put reminders in your diary RIGHT NOW!

We suggest the following:

8th November 2019 - First Reminder. Our early bird rates will be available, and some of the artists will have been announced.

1st December 2019 - Second Reminder. Our early birds will still be available, and a lot of artists will certainly be confirmed by this point.

24th January 2020 - Last Reminder. If you don’t start thinking about your SXSW visas by this point, you’re cutting it fine!

Don’t hesitate to get in touch if you have any questions or would like any more information. Contact us here or call us on +44 (0) 1473 892 660.

Picture - Billie Eilish closing out the Uber Eats House at SXSW 2019 taken from the SXSW fb page