January 14, 2014 Jane Carter

1. Less Is More

2. Offer Something Free (preferably tacos and beer)

3. Twitter Talks

4. Pay Attention To Other Parties

Ready to setup your event and get the buzz going?

invite-only event or just a relaxing day party, here are a few SXSW "hacks" to help you host a better shindig:For those new to SXSW,. Sure, you want to get the basic details about the event out (event name, time, location) but, often times, the less people know about your event, the more they can speculate and gossip and, in the process, make the event bigger than any promoting could. And when the gossip starts, accidental leaks and cryptic hints will only fuel the buzz. Of course, the level of secrecy behind your party varies depending on your goal. A chilled out day party needs no stealth while a secret show may need an element of mystery to break through the SXSW noise.We totally get it; every event has a different budget. That being said, the one thing any popular event is going to have at SXSW is something that costs $0.00. Whether that thing is free beer, free food, free music or free ______ (insert weird promotional swag), your event willif they see something that doesn't cost anything. This may seem like a strain on your party budget, and it probably is, but if done smartly, offering something free is a perfect way to attract people to your party AND give them something to take with them when they leave. Most parties will be offering something free; make yours stand out with something unique.Our first hack professed that "less is more" and that's definitely still the case. But even if you're keeping your event on the down low you still need to get some sort of word out. That's where Twitter comes in. There are users who have accounts solely meant to share the word about what's going on across the festival and attendees follow them religiously, hoping to find the coolest party or the best free stuff.Tweet at them and use hashtags you know they look for. It may sound juvenile but a retweet or shout out from a well-followed user can go a very long to giving your event the hype and credibility its desperately needs.Unfortunately, your party is one of literally thousands going on during SXSW. While not every event is a competitor, there are. Now, rather than get yourself in a boat load of trouble for sabotaging another party, simply pay attention to other events and be agile. If they steal an idea of yours, be ready to modify your idea or simply do it better than they did! Conversely, if a party does something so cool it has everybody talking, take it and use it at your party! Combining and incorporating the best elements of parties around town into yours is a sure fire hack to ]]]]> ]]>