Thought I’d enquire…
It is good to ask… but I’m afraid I’ll be staying where I am. It’s a bit far from me… and even more expensive 
I assume that you’re going?
I am - from Riyadh - you have no idea how expensive that is…
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Riyadh like in South Arabia?
Do you know another place called Riyadh?
No but that doesn’t mean that it doesn’t exist in the same way that there is more than one Madrid or Cordoba…
Also, think that for me it is not Riyadh but Riad
Ah - I keep forgetting you’re a foreigner…
I’ll take that as a compliment 
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Yep, Saudi Arabia in the Middle East - I’ve lived and worked there for over 15 years now.
Ok. For you, it is a longer trip than for me. And surely more expensive 
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I’ll be there for all of Interactive. I’m speaking on Saturday, March 14 (http://schedule.sxsw.com/2015/events/event_IAP34146). Though I am not as active here as I once was (since I hosted the podcast), I always love to meet SitePointers. I’ve spent time with numerous community members and SitePoint staff at the conference over the years. If you’re going and would like to meet, let me know!
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I arrive in early evening on 13th, so the Saturday is my first day of events. Looking at what I’ve got scheduled right now, I’m going to be in the Marriot for most of the day anyway, so it would be no issue to pop into your session and catch the topic. If I am to believe my wife, the comments section on the news sites are the best bit, so I’d be fascinated to see what you have to deal with behind the scenes. I’ll find you after you’re done.
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No, this is #4 for me. I think I may be becoming a seasoned hand at it. I started coming primarily for the music side of things later in the week, but this time I’ve organised myself places in a number of the workshops on the interactive side too, rather than just the panels and keynotes.
I still have to try and work out what to do on the music side this year, but I’ll roll my sleeves up and wade into that next week maybe. I saw Springsteen and Ed Sheeran on my first visit, Eagles of Death Metal, Ash and Lacuna Coil on my second, with Coldplay and Soundgarden last year. The Soundgarden gig was something else, as it was held open air, on the roof of a multi-storey car park, with all the high-rise buildings towering above us - very impressive.
Excellent, @chrisofarabia. Very cool. The SXSW badge is a pretty good value, but it comes down to the person to get that value.
For example, with an Interactive badge, you can attend Interactive sessions, networking events, parties, etc. You can find a lot of free food and drink if that’s what you want. You can walk the trade show floor. But you can also attend all SXSW Comedy shows. I try to attend a couple of comedy shows every year because there is a great collection of comics at the event, that normally tour around the country, appear on the late night TV shows, have Netflix specials, etc.
Like last year, I saw Bill Cosby (cough before the whole terrible situation came to light), Sinbad, Pete Holmes, T.J. Miller, Jim Breuer, Matt Braunger, Nate Bargatze, Chris Gethard, Iliza Shlesinger and others.
I also found time for a couple of concerts: Childish Gambino (with The Cool Kids) and Asher Roth. And I saw the Jimi Hendrix biopic, Jimi: All Is By My Side (I had a Gold badge). The Gambino concert was open to all, but the Asher Roth concert wasn’t, so I paid a cover charge.
I’ve been fortunate to have spoken at SXSW 5 times, so this will be my sixth time speaking and seventh time attending. It’s a fun, challenging event. But I’ve spoken at a bunch of conferences and nothing matches the energy of SXSW.
Well I’m on my way - I’m currently sitting in the lounge at LHR waiting for my gate to open. Got a few hours before that happens though. How can I help?
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Are you having fun then?
Yes, Patrick is a nice guy
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Pat is the guy on the left, or is he the one taking the snap?
(please note I’m a quarter Irish and this is St Paddy’s day)
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Patrick is the blond guy with the yellow ID card