Company Updates

Digital Transformation at SXSW 2017

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A Preview of #DellExperience at SXSW 2017

Outside view of the Dell Experience at SXSW 2017

It’s that time of year again when hundreds of thousands descend on Austin from around the globe for South by Southwest (#SXSW)*, the annual festival that brings together the most diverse, collaborative and inventive people from across music, film and, of course, technology. SXSW introduces us to the next “big idea” and is a birthplace for major innovation. It was from this event that we first heard about companies and concepts like Twitter, Foursquare and GroupMe.

This year is particularly exciting as it will be the first SXSW for our new company Dell Technologies. To celebrate with our customers, partners and friends, we will host “THE EXPERIENCE by Dell Technologies,” an interactive pop-up on March 10-14, showcasing some of our latest technology, live entertainment and a program of events and discussions representative of our family of brands (Dell, Dell EMC, RSA, and Pivotal,).

Dell Technologies provides the essential infrastructure for organizations to build their digital future, transform IT and protect information. The #DellExperience at SXSW will offer sessions and demos reinforcing how Dell Technologies is creating innovative technology solutions that drive human progress, by showcasing technology solutions in virtual reality, security, open source, entrepreneurship, creativity and much more. A few examples include:

  • How VR could change the way we do everything? VR is an industry disruptor not just for creators and gamers in media and entertainment, but also for people in engineering, manufacturing, healthcare and more. VR will ultimately transform the way we work and is expected to be a big theme again at SXSW. Dell Technologies, along with its partners and customers, will illustrate how the technology has progressed, new areas and applications, as well as the future.
  • You’re secure but is your workplace? The more technology advances, the more chances of security breaches affecting the workspace. But what if there was a way to remedy this and proactively stop breaches before they happen? Dell Technologies will explore this topic, focusing specifically on how businesses can be protected through data and behavior analytics in the modern world.
  • How do we make the world a better place? This year, Dell Social Good Advocate and Actor, Adrian Grenier will host a brunch with other change makers who are collaborating and innovating to create positive impacts for our communities and planet. Grenier has played an instrumental role in our recently announced Oceans Plastics initiative, helping to reach our goal of 100 percent sustainable packaging by 2020 and encouraging other brands across different industries to follow Dell’s lead.
  • What it means to build an open source culture? Building a culture around open source for collaboration is transforming how we innovate. However, to truly leverage open source, an organization needs to develop a culture that not only understands its value but also understands the importance of the community and contributing back to that community. Dell Technologies will explore the challenges and rewards of building an open source-oriented and community-friendly organization.

In addition, we will also kick off Dell Technologies’ first ad campaign that centers on the need for human progression and our dedication to our customers. We hope to show the world how the impossible can become reality through digital transformation. We invite customers to get an exclusive look at the campaign as well as experience solutions that will help them digitally transform at Customer Appreciation night.

And of course, we will have our award-winning products that dominated at CES on display and a number of interactive new demos. Attendees to #DellExperience can try out the VJ Mix Booth, where guests can control and interact with various screens, projections and lighting in a digitally-transformed space. We will also have a sound studio to test out the innovative new sound built into the XPS 27 and Precision 27 All-in-Ones, along with, VR Games ROM Extraction and the brand new John Wick.

Not to mention additional demos, the brand new Alienware Gaming trailer, #DestinationDell RV, 8K displays, Dell Canvas, and a virtual experience of the new Jaguar Land Rover electric car, the I-Pace!

If you are in Austin, attending SXSW, be sure to stop by “THE EXPERIENCE by Dell Technologies” at The Sunset Room in downtown for the ultimate SXSW experience. If you’re not in Austin for the event – tune in here for live coverage from our venue, and follow the conversation on social with #SXSW and #DellExperience. For more information please visit our venue listing in the SXSW schedule here.

*South by Southwest & SXSW® is a trademark of SXSW, LLC, used under license.

Liz Matthews

About the Author: Liz Matthews

Liz Matthews is the Senior Vice President of Dell Technologies Global Brand & Creative.  She is responsible for Dell Technologies’ verbal and visual articulation of its purpose and its brand strategy.  Her team’s charter includes inspiring passion and driving preference for the Dell Technologies brand and all its products through advertising, creative, content, digital, social, event experiences, product placement, customer stories and large-scale partnerships. Previously, Liz held multiple executive roles in Dell’s consumer and SMB business. She has a plethora of technology marketing experience from both large global brands like Sun Microsystems to brazen start-ups. Liz’s fruitful career, however, took off where she began her marketing journey at Johnson & Johnson. Liz sits on the Board of Directors for the Ad Council. She has won numerous awards for her work including Marketing Executive of the Year by Best in Biz. Liz holds a B.A. in communications from California Polytechnic State University and lives with her family and two rescue doggies in Austin TX.