In 2023, Bpifrance and Business France are organizing a mission to embark 100 French companies from La French Touch in Austin for the South by Southwest. We tell you more about this unmissable festival.

"Cthis is the only place where you can hear a Barack Obama keynote, do absolutely crazy virtual reality experiences, go for a drink in a cowboy bar and end up in a comedy club to watch a stand-up with John Cleese of Monty Python ". This is how Nicolas Parpex, pilot of the Bpifrance Touch plan, defines the South by Southwest (SXSW) on the Ampli stage on October 6th at Big.

For over 30 years, SXSW has established itself as the global gathering of the creative, film, and music industries. On the program: conferences, film screenings, concerts, world-class exhibitions, etc. It is this proliferation and this transversality that have pushed Bpifrance and La French Touch to take an interest in SXSW. " It's really the unmissable event for tech, creation, influence on a global scale.. “, he adds.

A mission to get inspired and identify future trends

A vision shared by Elisha Karmitz, Managing Director of the MK2 Group who knows SXSW well: “ As far as we are concerned, we go there for everything except the cinema. » Music, audiovisual, tech, politics but also human science… Every year the city of Austin is transformed into a hub of inspiration and incomparable connection. " It offers the possibility of being inspired, of opening one's mind. You meet great people there and you even see the cutting edge of innovation and marketing trends that will happen in the next two to three years.. “says the general manager of MK2. But he also underlines the difficulty for a French company to go to SXSW unaccompanied. " When you go there by your own means, which we have done for several years, it is not easy to exist within the festival, to present yourself or to be part of the speakers He adds.

It is on the basis of this observation that Bpifrance and Business France decided to organize the Learn & Pick SXSW 2023 mission. From March 10 to 14, a delegation of 100 French companies will fly to Austin. " We will go there together, deploy a collective energy, make our voices heard and show all the creative talents that exist in France.. “, explains Emilie Beckmann, co-pilot of the Bpifrance Touch plan. The ambition: to show that France has its place in SXSW. " We are going there with three objectives: to promote La French Touch, to increase the number of French speakers and to come back with lots of ideas.. concludes Nicolas Parpex.

Learn more about Learn & Pick SXSW 2023 mission