What does São Paulo have to offer? The state government wants to answer this question for the international innovation community. Therefore, for the third consecutive year, the government is investing in a major activation at SXSW (South by Southwest), one of the largest creativity and innovation festivals in the world, which takes place until March 18 in the city of Austin, Texas (USA).
For four days, the city center’s main thoroughfare, Congress Avenue, will feature the SP House. The space is part of the event’s official program and offers three stages of content and music, an area for networking and, of course, traditional Brazilian coffee.
“We should receive 20 thousand people in the four days that we will have an open house”, says Marília Marton, Secretary of Culture, Economy and Creative Industry of the State of São Paulo.
With the increase in the flow of visitors, the estimate is to surpass the R$ 174 million in the previous edition – an amount reached when the space received 15 thousand people from 64 countries. This year, the activation area doubled in size, with three simultaneous stages.
And the competition between activations of states and countries at the event is great: there are venues from England, Germany and even internal competition with spaces from Rio Grande do Sul and Minas Gerais.
São Paulo as an innovation hub
The effort to occupy a leading space at SXSW aims to position the state as one for the international community.
“This is the moment in which São Paulo positions itself as the great hub of Latin America on the topics under discussion here: creativity and human resilience”, says Marília.
Leading the project since its first year, the secretary understands that SP House gains strength by becoming a constant presence at the festival.
“Coming to an event like this once or twice is important. Already consolidating this participation for three years shows that we are not adventurers; it brings a sense of confidence to those who still know little about Brazil”, he assesses.
The São Paulo space features exclusive programs with some of the event’s main speakers, such as futurist Amy Webb and artificial intelligence specialist Ian Beacraft. More than that, the stages serve as a showcase for Brazilians to present solutions and businesses born on national soil.
