Our Commercial Director, Carl, and Head of Venues, Helen attended the inaugural SXSW London this week – an event that has already made headlines with a surprise royal visit.

On Thursday, King Charles made an unexpected appearance at the Shoreditch festival site, where he was welcomed by a moving performance from the Kingdom Choir and greeted by Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner, Mayor of London Sadiq Khan, and SXSW London organisers.

As South by Southwest brings its boundary-pushing platform to the UK for the first time, it’s a prime opportunity to engage with global thought leaders, innovators, and creatives across music, technology, and culture.

Carl and Helen attended keynotes, panels, and showcases. Speaking about her first day at the event, Helen McGee Head of Venues, said: “A strong and inspiring start to SXSW this week…Started with the panel “Putting (You, Me, Bums) Bums on Seats: The Evolution of Innovative Live Performance” – a fascinating session unpacking the common challenges faced across live performance sectors. It’s reassuring to know so many of us are navigating similar issues, though also a reminder of the persistent prejudices still facing music, club, and live event sectors.

“Great to reconnect with Jonathan Harper from Paraorchestra and finally meet Josh Newington from TEG in person. We had a great conversation around venues, bookings, ticketing – and even our time in education, when I briefly taught during COVID and he was one of my cohort.”

She added: “A huge thanks to Creative UK’s Growth Programme for making this possible. Ghostwriter Consultancy & Events joined their 2024 cohort, and their continued support has been instrumental – including access to opportunities like SXSW London If you’re working in the creative industries and considering applying, I highly recommend checking them out. Applications for the next cohort close soon!

“A great first day – looking forward to what the coming days bring.”

As a company that thrives on innovation and collaboration, we’re excited to be in the room for this landmark event and to explore how the SXSW spirit can further energise our mission.

Stay tuned on our socials for updates, insights, and takeaways direct from SXSW London.