We were part of SXSW in Austin, USA.
by FLO BELÉN
A few days ago, the 40th edition of SXSW in Austin, TX came to and end, but for me it was the first, and hopefully not the last.
This event, South by Southwest (how complicated it was for us to learn to say it!), was the most important driver for this trip to the United States to happen. Some time ago, I met with an advisor from AJE (Uruguayan Association of Young Entrepreneurs) with the concern of wanting to export MODO’s services to the United States. In that first conversation, Alexis told me: “if you want to go sell services there, you have to go, and I know an event that I feel could help you.” He sent me the website. I went in… and just like that, I was already excited.
There was little time left because this was in November and the event was in March. In work terms, or to prepare it properly, it was too little time for my taste. Still, and fortunately, we have a team that understood the purpose of the trip and we started planning: LinkedIn strategy, email marketing campaigns, personal posts, lead generation to arrange meetings, LinkedIn campaigns, and content on my personal accounts related to the trip.
This taskts continue on to this day, but the difference is that the journey is coming to an end and we are going to have to change the focus a little. Even so, the closure of this journey and going through this event made me learn, get to know this culture, meet Uruguayans, Argentinians, Japanese, and Americans. It made me understand how big the world is and, at the same time, how small it can be.
An event like this one is an enriching experience for anyone who has the opportunity to live it, because you are not only going to learn or sell services. You make connections that you don’t know when they might bear fruit, you get to know industries you didn’t know, or you understand ways of thinking from other cultures that surprise you. Sometimes it is difficult to put into words. Just to tell you that I left a little in tears and very tired, I think that sums it up.
SXSW and this whole experience were our first seed in a new market. It was saying “here we are” and starting to build from that place. It was the first step towards something much bigger for us, something exciting and challenging. It was understanding what we are capable of, what we need as a team, and, above all, understanding that we can learn from everyone and that we need each other to keep growing.
Thank you Austin for welcoming us in this way, for entertaining me and teaching me. Thank you USA, and to all our colleagues and friends who helped me here and there (back home) to make this experience the best. Without a doubt, teamwork planted this first seed with great strength.
We will definitely return to the USA, and hopefully also to SXSW.
🔗 Learn more about our USA tour on LinkedIn 👈
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