Dell Technologies Brings THE EXPERIENCE to SXSW 2018

It’s March and here in Austin that means it’s time for SXSW the mix of interactive, film and music industry conferences, trade shows and festivals that takes over Dell’s hometown and draws crowds from around the world.

people on the street at night outside the Dell Experience at SXSW 2017

“SXSW is one of the purest expressions of Austin because we thrive by being creative, providing a home to some of the biggest names in tech and film, and playing host to the best live music in the world,” said Austin Mayor Steve Adler.

It’s more than just local pride that drives Dell Technologies to get involved with the ever-expanding event, though. Just as SXSW dedicates itself to helping creative people achieve their goals, so does Dell. From powering five Academy Award-winning films for visual effects, to helping musicians push the boundaries of live electronic performance, to enabling an entrepreneur to create a renewal in wallpaper popularity and anything in between.

And while, as I’d noted before, Michael Dell will be one of the featured speakers at SXSW, Dell Technologies will also be hosting THE EXPERIENCE at SXSW. This is a venue for attendees to see innovation in tech and hear from disruptive leaders making transformation real every day.

You don’t have to be in Austin to see some of what will be there thanks to photographer Benjamin Von Wong, (who was hanging off the side of tall buildings with his Dell Rugged laptop last year). Just watch the challenges his team faced building a portal out of thousands of circuit boards:

E-waste materials used in the photo shoot were collected from Dell’s recycling programs, Dell Reconnect and the Asset Resale and Recycling Services, and were recycled back into our Closed-Loop Recycling Process.

He built much more than just the portal from 4,100 pounds of e-waste — the approximate amount of e-waste an American might use over their lifetime. And, the results are stunning. But, he didn’t pull this off alone.

“Fifty volunteers came over the course of 10 days to help us sort through all the materials that we borrowed,” Von Wong shared in his blog post today. “We found our volunteers on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Some, drove from as far as 12 hours away to be a part of the project, working over 10 hours a day… including evenings and weekends!”

people sitting on the floor of a warehouse sorting through old computer motherboards

Von Wong’s #RethinkRecycleRevive project promotes the importance of e-recycling through extraordinary art created by ordinary e-waste and he is just one of the “ARTivists” who will bring their blend of artistic skills and philanthropic passion to create inspiring pieces that increase awareness of sustainability and social good. If you’re attending SXSW, RSVP here to join them Sunday, March 11, 10:00am – noon at THE EXPERIENCE.

It’s just one of 17 different events happening at THE EXPERIENCE, so be sure to click over and check out the others. They range from discussions on how we can support women entrepreneurs through public policy to the impact of artificial intelligence on cybersecurity, and from virtual reality for good to gaming. I’ve heard there will even be robot bartenders at the special Trailblazers podcast taping Saturday evening!

If you can’t be there, you can follow along at #DellExperience, listen for that podcast to debut, and watch for more blog posts to come here on Direct2Dell.


Read more below about events that took place at SXSW 2018, and watch replays of THE EXPERIENCE panels on demand:

https://blog.dell.com/en-us/sxsw-meet-us-at-a-celebration-of-entrepreneurs/

https://blog.dell.com/en-us/how-do-you-train-the-doctors-of-tomorrow-ai-machine-learning/

https://blog.dell.com/en-us/innovators-use-virtual-reality-improve-world/

https://blog.dell.com/en-us/content-creators-share-their-vision-future/

https://blog.dell.com/en-us/artivist-shares-three-ways-you-can-add-social-impact-to-your-life/

About the Author: Laura Pevehouse

Laura Pevehouse was profiled as one of five “social media mavens” in the March 2009 issue of Austin Woman Magazine and named an AdWeek’s TweetFreak Five to Follow. She has been part of the Dell organization for more than 15 years in various corporate communications, employee communications, public relations, community affairs, marketing, branding, social media and online communication roles. From 2014-2018, Laura was Chief Blogger/Editor-in-Chief for Direct2DellEMC and Direct2Dell, Dell’s official corporate blog that she help launch in 2007. She is now a member of the Dell Technologies Chairman Communications team. Earlier in her Dell career she focused on Global Commercial Channels and US Small and Medium Business public relations as part of the Global Communications team. Prior to that, she was responsible for global strategy in social media and community management, as well as marcom landing pages, as a member of Dell’s Global SMB Marketing, Brand and Creative team. When she was part of Dell’s Global Online group, Laura provided internal consulting that integrated online and social media opportunities with a focus on Corporate Communications and Investor Relations. She managed the home page of Dell.com, one of the top 500 global web sites in Alexa traffic rank, and first brought web feeds and podcasts to the ecommerce site. In her spare time she led Dell into the metaverse with the creation of Dell Island in the virtual world Second Life. Laura has earned the designation of Accredited Business Communicator from the International Association of Business Communicators, and received her Bachelor of Arts in Journalism from Louisiana State University. Before joining Dell Financial Services in 2000, she worked at the Texas Workforce Commission and PepsiCo Food Systems Worldwide.