Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt at the premiere of The Fall Guy during SXSW 2024

The most brilliant “talkers” in tech are no longer enough to attract crowds. In line with South by southwest, major international masses are casting a wider and wider net to attract exhibitors and visitors. Music and cinema, Hollywood celebrities and world-renowned musicians are called in to help. Between the CES, the Web Summit and other industry events, it's now up to who has the best line-up. Tour of the forces – and VIPs – present.

« I hope you realize that you didn't come to a concert, but a developer conference! ". This is how the undisputed star ofGenerative AI, Jensen Huang, boss of the world leader in semiconductors Nvidia, spoke last month in front of 11 spectators at his highly anticipated conference presenting new products at the SAP Center in San Jose, California. At this first edition since the pandemic, the businessman did not shy away from his pleasure in front of a packed arena, usually more frequented by Justin Timberlake groupies or supporters of the local hockey team... Well inspired , the CEO continued his momentum, spinning the metaphor, not without a certain irony, on his male fans resembling “ swifties “, he insisted, with a wink to Taylor Swift. While most of the big tech fairs play the entertainment game, promising, to attract the crowds, a drop of celebrities and a slew of concerts, no show case from the American icon on the program today - there. But one and only star in sight: the Nvidia electronic chip. Or rather its 2024 model: the Blackwell super chip, 30 times more efficient.

But not everyone has the chance to occupy first place in the most strategic market of the moment. Since the health crisis, attendance at major international fairs has stalled, after the all-digital editions of 2021 and the cascade of cancellations in 2022, such as at CES in Las Vegas, after the explosion of Omicron contaminations. Organized every year at the beginning of January, the most prominent show on the Strip has always been this great geek mass, a huge gadget fair. It was on its stage that innovations such as the VCR in 1971 and the DVD in 1996 were presented... However, the mega fair which had more than 4 exhibitors, 000 visitors and 180 journalists before the pandemic, where we could passing Stevie Wonder in the aisles, or attending a Neil Young or 000 Cent conference, seems to have lost its hype... Less exuberance, fewer products too. But we are in the United States: “ the show must go on!» Including act. Last January, with great support from line up star-studded, red carpet and “ name dropping » sparkling, technology and Hollywood have joined forces! Who better than Iron Man, aka Robert Downey Jr, to embody this communion. The American actor, Oscar winner for his supporting role in Oppenheimer, made the trip to Vegas, just like Evan Spiegel, ex-NBA star Blake Griffin and even the rappers from Wu-Tang Clan. Will.I.Am was also seen taking to the stage along with Shelly Palmer and celebrity chef Esther Choi demonstrating a new smart grill. Happy hours, DJ sets, VIP parties and live music, at nightfall, a program of festivities awaited visitors along the Strip. In the eyes of happy few, you especially had to be seen at the show of the king of hip-hop Ludacris. The multi-Grammy Award winner appeared in “ guest star » at the Amazon party.

Hot on the heels of CES, new entrants have appeared on the market for trade shows, conferences and other summits, for the most part playing this same rise in entertainment. Like the Cannes Film Festival, doing business is no longer contradictory with fun. Signing a big deal during the day and taking over the dance floor until the end of the night has become part of the customs. Another good example: the Lisbon “Web Summit” rides on the irresistible lifestyle of the most trendy Portuguese city, a veritable breeding ground for some of the most active start-ups in Europe, promising a special program to its night owl participants entitled “The Night Summit.” An intoxicating immersion in Lisbon nightlife described by the boss of the neobank Revolut, Edward Cooper, a regular attendee: “ The Night Summit in three words? Close deals ". QED. The formula hits the mark.

However, it is not new. It's been almost 40 years since the festival called South By Southwest (a nod to the film North by Northwest, "death on the heels", by Alfred Hitchcock), anchored in one of the North American strongholds of alternative culture , has built its success on this same recipe: the enthusiasm of tech players for a city of artists and students that are ultra cool and bubbling with creativity. In the heart of the cultural desert of the conservative state of Texas, kingdom of rodeo and oil, the liberal oasis Austin has long cultivated its difference and its sense of community. As a good old slogan said: “ Keep Austin Weird »… In Austin, « live music capital of the world », with its hundreds of music clubs, we never joked with guitars. Willie Nelson and Janis Joplin were local children. Those who use the place speak of a breath of eccentricity and unalterable freedom. And to find the most obvious expression of this energy, you have to walk the aisles of SXSW... Created in 1987, the multidisciplinary festival (music, cinema, technology) has always excelled in mixing genres, knowing how to bring together brilliantly, in the same edition, Julian Assange, Edward Snowden, Lady Gaga and Damon Albarn, or even, another year, the Obama couple, Queen Latifah and Missy Elliott, without even talking about the off schedule... Over the years, the meeting has grown, to the benefit of the tech sector, also becoming one of the most avant-garde places in the field of Cultural and Creative Industries (CCI), even if it means losing a part of its spontaneity too. Yet we still find that cool je ne sais quoi. Certain concerts and evenings are still accessible without a badge – the dress code is less formal than elsewhere – and this famous diversity in the programming. Seen at the 2024 edition: Emily Blunt and Ryan Gosling for the premiere of “The Fall Guy”, Selena Gomez testifying during a round table on the power of good mental health, Nicolas Cage and Conor McGregor in full promotion, and the Black Keys headlining a dizzying program of concerts in the local clubs... Finally France was able to push its cocorico with, in particular, the presence of the electro duo of Justice who came to talk about their next album Hyperdrama . We'll meet now at the end of June, this time on the Cannes Croisette, to take the pulse of the new trends driving this fruitful business and entertainment alliance in which the Cannes Festival excels. It would be a lie to say that between petits fours and glasses of champagne, served with chic in the most glamorous settings, palace terraces, private villas and shipowners' yachts, no one comes to drink a big bowl of inspiration.