Austin 2019 - Help Please

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  • Austin 2019 - Help Please

    hello all:

    i'm looking at booking my stay for the Austin Film Festival but i don't know which days to stay. i am not in the competition but want to go to as many panels as possible and the parties to network.

    i'll be driving down from north dallas. which days are the best for networking? the one when the panels are running? 24th -29th?

    i think the aloft/element is, like, right across the street. not sure which badge. i want to go to all the panels on thurs, friday, sat and sun. the parties too. networking.

    experience and advice requested please.
    FA4
    "Arguing that you don't care about the right to privacy b/c you have nothing to hide is no different than saying you don't care about free speech because you have nothing to say." -- Edward Snowden

  • #2
    Re: Austin 2019 - Help Please

    The Producers Badge is all-access. All the parties, the BBQ and some panels etc open only those this Producers Badge.
    A lot of people are gone Sunday morning.
    The Aloft is a great location, but I'm not sure if you can get rooms there through the conference. The Courtyard/Residence Inn are my preferred spots to stay -- close enough to walk back to the room for a break, but away from craziness.

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    • #3
      Re: Austin 2019 - Help Please

      Originally posted by ClintW3 View Post
      The Producers Badge is all-access. All the parties, the BBQ and some panels etc open only those this Producers Badge.
      A lot of people are gone Sunday morning.
      The Aloft is a great location, but I'm not sure if you can get rooms there through the conference. The Courtyard/Residence Inn are my preferred spots to stay -- close enough to walk back to the room for a break, but away from craziness.
      fortunately, i'll be using points for the Aloft. checked today they have rooms. i want to be close, you know?

      i'm considering the conference badge as it's $200 less than the producer badge. $425 is still a bit of change. it looks like most stay for the weekend, then? i'm only interested in Thurs - Sunday.

      the panels look good. want to network as much as possible, so if anyone has tips, please by all means-- sharzies!!

      and by all means, i'm into hooking up with writers and hangin together. anyone else planning on going?
      "Arguing that you don't care about the right to privacy b/c you have nothing to hide is no different than saying you don't care about free speech because you have nothing to say." -- Edward Snowden

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      • #4
        Re: Austin 2019 - Help Please

        If it's your first, I'd encourage you to spring for the Producers badge since it does get you into more events (e.g. BBQ), most of which fall under into that "networking" category you mentioned.

        I highly endorse the lodging across the street for convenience. Short of staying at the Driskill itself, it's hard to beat.

        Something else you might consider if the badge is giving you pause for thought:
        Go ahead and get the Conference Badge and then put it out of your mind. When you arrive and pick up your stuff, if your adrenaline rush makes you feel impulsive, they'll even let you pay the extra remaining money for a Producers badge at check-in and let you upgrade. They probably up-sell anyway in case you forget, but I did that one year because all of a sudden, it felt like I never spent any money on the Conf badge anyway, since it was several weeks prior and already a sunk cost. Suddenly, it felt like I was only paying $200 for a Producers badge. Well, that's how I rationalized it.

        Otherwise, yes... do (minimum) Thurs-Sun... trying to recall the Wednesday agenda, but wouldn't rule out Wednesday either since you're so close, but of course, that's an extra night of lodging overhead.

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        • #5
          Re: Austin 2019 - Help Please

          Originally posted by acquaformosa View Post
          If it's your first, I'd encourage you to spring for the Producers badge since it does get you into more events (e.g. BBQ), most of which fall under into that "networking" category you mentioned.

          I highly endorse the lodging across the street for convenience. Short of staying at the Driskill itself, it's hard to beat.

          Something else you might consider if the badge is giving you pause for thought:
          Go ahead and get the Conference Badge and then put it out of your mind. When you arrive and pick up your stuff, if your adrenaline rush makes you feel impulsive, they'll even let you pay the extra remaining money for a Producers badge at check-in and let you upgrade. They probably up-sell anyway in case you forget, but I did that one year because all of a sudden, it felt like I never spent any money on the Conf badge anyway, since it was several weeks prior and already a sunk cost. Suddenly, it felt like I was only paying $200 for a Producers badge. Well, that's how I rationalized it.

          Otherwise, yes... do (minimum) Thurs-Sun... trying to recall the Wednesday agenda, but wouldn't rule out Wednesday either since you're so close, but of course, that's an extra night of lodging overhead.
          got it.

          yes, i rationalize **** that way too. haha

          they don't have the schedule up, so i looked at last year and the stuff i really want IS during thurs - sun. will arrive wed afternoon.

          i'm doing this in lieu of contests, hoping to connect with some people.
          "Arguing that you don't care about the right to privacy b/c you have nothing to hide is no different than saying you don't care about free speech because you have nothing to say." -- Edward Snowden

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          • #6
            Re: Austin 2019 - Help Please

            if you're on a tight budget, the Conference Badge gets you into 99% of everything that a Producer's Badge does. the BBQ is okay (if it's not ungodly hot and/or raining) but honestly you can network with the same people afterward when everyone goes back to the Driskill Bar.

            the writer panel days are the first Thurs-Sun. i personally like to leave later on Sunday if possible because they inevitably schedule something i really want to see after lunch and then i feel like i'm cutting it close to get out to Bergstrom for a 3p flight or something. hotels will hold your bags after checkout if you still want to kick around for the Sunday afternoon content.

            Aloft is one of the participating AFF hotels (I stayed there last year for the first time and it definitely beats walking over from some of the other more distant options, and in roughly the same price range). they may have already sold all their alloted festival rooms tho. other than the super distant hotels that you have to drive to get to, any of the AFF-participating choices downtown are acceptable -- well, except maybe the La Quinta. really just depends on your budget and how far you want to walk to/from the Driskill each day

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            • #7
              Re: Austin 2019 - Help Please

              I'm staying at the Aloft. I walked past it many times in prior years and thought - oh I wish I was staying close by and could run up for a nap between panels. Try to stay in the conference area if you can. You will have down time - not enough to go back to a distant hotel but more than you'd want to spend in a cafe.

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              • #8
                Re: Austin 2019 - Help Please

                Originally posted by bmcthomas View Post
                I'm staying at the Aloft. I walked past it many times in prior years and thought - oh I wish I was staying close by and could run up for a nap between panels. Try to stay in the conference area if you can. You will have down time - not enough to go back to a distant hotel but more than you'd want to spend in a cafe.
                yep, definitely staying at the Aloft. cool.
                "Arguing that you don't care about the right to privacy b/c you have nothing to hide is no different than saying you don't care about free speech because you have nothing to say." -- Edward Snowden

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                • #9
                  Re: Austin 2019 - Help Please

                  From best to worst, WED-THURS-FRI have always been my favorite days. Sat is a damn zoo, and most people flake on last minute Sunday get togethers.

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                  • #10
                    Re: Austin 2019 - Help Please

                    P.S. - The Aloft used to be my favorite parking spot, back when it was a PAY LOT, LOL. Those bastards took my parking!

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                    • #11
                      Re: Austin 2019 - Help Please

                      I come from Fort Worth, here's my 2ยข from four or five trips -

                      Drive down Thursday AM, save a hotel/food night and use what you save to spring for the Producer's badge. Conference badge gets you into the panels but the networking happens at the parties, the BBQ and the Brunch that the Producer's badge makes happen. The conference really kicks off at Noon. You may need a half-hour for check-in.

                      Go to the Pitch Party. Hang out at the Driskill Bar. Watch for the daily updates online as they do change session times, locations and presenters.

                      Go early to the Saturday panels - they fill up quickly with the weekend pass crowd and students. That means leave the panel you're in when question time starts if you're not really into the topic and want to make the que for the next one.

                      Wear comfortable shoes. Talk to everyone.

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                      • #12
                        Re: Austin 2019 - Help Please

                        Chris Lockhart (an exec at WME who used to post here) posted this recently on FB:

                        "While a lot of people are fans of Austin, I think it's mostly a cash grab. The fest has a large number of second rounders so they can market discount badges to them."

                        I'm sure it's a lot of fun and there are some informative panels, but I question whether the presumed networking opportunities there would justify the expense. Just my take.

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                        • #13
                          Re: Austin 2019 - Help Please

                          Originally posted by NoNeckJoe View Post
                          Chris Lockhart (an exec at WME who used to post here) posted this recently on FB:

                          "While a lot of people are fans of Austin, I think it's mostly a cash grab. The fest has a large number of second rounders so they can market discount badges to them."

                          I'm sure it's a lot of fun and there are some informative panels, but I question whether the presumed networking opportunities there would justify the expense. Just my take.
                          I entered a script into their contest, around 2003 and haven't sent them anything else or attended their film festivals. I've haven't contacted them in any way since then.

                          Around six years ago they discovered spam email. It seems like I get something from just about every day (but it's probably a little less frequent than that).

                          After their film festival is over, I think "Good, no more spam for awhile". Wrong. They start promoting for the next year almost immediately. So, I'm thinking the cash grab thing is probably accurate.
                          "I just couldn't live in a world without me."

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                          • #14
                            Re: Austin 2019 - Help Please

                            Originally posted by StoryWriter View Post
                            Around six years ago they discovered spam email. It seems like I get something from just about every day (but it's probably a little less frequent than that)..

                            You know there's an "opt out" link at the bottom of the email, right?

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                            • #15
                              Re: Austin 2019 - Help Please

                              thanks for the insights all. appreciate it.
                              "Arguing that you don't care about the right to privacy b/c you have nothing to hide is no different than saying you don't care about free speech because you have nothing to say." -- Edward Snowden

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