In just one short month, the TrendyMinds staff will be heading to Austin, Texas for the biggest, baddest industry conference around, the place where everybody who’s anybody in the industry will be -- South by Southwest (or, as the cool kids call it, SXSW). 

Part nerd prom, part industry conference and part "scene to be seen," SXSW is arguably the most influential industry gathering of its kind. With the big names in the business like Pete Cashmore (Mashable), Evan Williams (Twitter) and Ben Huh (CEO of Pet Holding Inc, which brought the world some of the most viral blog we’ve seen like LOLCats and FailBlog) will all be on hand for their followers to geek-swoon over… oh, and learn from, too. The conference consists of three parts: interactive, film and music. The TM team will be there for the interactive portion (SXSWi), and I couldn't be more excited about it!

The lineup runs the gamut from the nerdy technical ("Web Typography: Get Your Glyph On") to the hilarious and helpful ("Eight Ways to Deal With Bastards,” "I Can See Russia from my iPhone!") to the super-relevant ("FTC Regulations and Social Media") to the eyebrow-raising ("Cyber Sex 2.0" for example).

What's so awesome about SXSWi is that most of the sessions integrate more than one industry to produce some really fun and educational programming. I'm particularly excited to learn more about the technical aspect of the industry and how I can leverage that knowledge to better monitor my client's PR results and make my efforts even more targeted.

There's just so much innovation and collaboration going on during SXSWi, much like TrendyMinds itself. We don't just touch one service line – rather, we excel in public relations, design, interactive services, promotions, branding and more. That's what's so cool about SXSW-- it isn’t just a week focused on one tiny part of the whole picture. Instead, everyone going, whether a publicist or website builder or graphic designer, gets to learn about all of the sub-industries that touch on their expertise, making us all more well-rounded and better equipped to serve our clients.

In an industry that literally changes by the hour, continuing our education, exploring related industries and understanding the technical side behind our work is simply required for producing results. No client wants to work with an agency that is outdated or constantly 10 steps behind the latest-and-greatest. Of course, I might not decide to adopt every new method I learn about in Austin next month, but I think it's my duty to at least be aware of what's going on.

So, what are some of the session I'm particularly excited to see? I find myself really interested in the sessions that explore how the advances in media (both digital and social) will affect our lives. These are some of my can't miss events:

• Journalism Next: Thriving in the Digital Age
• Media Relations Goes Social
• Can You Copyright a Tweet?
• Media Armageddon: What Happens When the New York Times Dies?
• How Social Media Can Destroy Your Business Model
• How the Other Half Lives: Touring the Digital Divide
• Twitter and Integrity
• Mind Control: Psychology for Web building

Will you be attending SXSWi? What are your must-see events?