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I spent a whirlwind 36 hours at the Interactive portion of South by Southwest, and below is what I learned. But first, no one in Austin says “South by Southwest.” Instead, they say simply, “South By.”

Do I need to buy a badge?

Depends. If you’re really looking to attend the sessions/keynotes, then yes. However, I’ve come to learn that no one ever looks at the photo on your badge to see if it’s really you, so you could always borrow one. I signed up for parties that didn’t require a badge, and believe me, there were plenty. You can still do a lot of networking, hobnobbing and other business at these events.

How do I sign up for these unofficial SXSW parties?

First, you have to find them. You can simply search on eventbrite.com, and/or follow Twitter accounts such as @SXSWPartyList and @SXSWPartyGirls. Next, sign up early, as spaces fill quickly. Sometimes, you’ll be put on a waitlist. That’s okay, as spaces usually open up once the party gets going (for the non-major parties).

I didn’t get into the #openwebparty initially, but I waited in line for five minutes, and it was clear to the organizers that not many of the lottery winners were actually coming, so they let us in.

What goes on at these parties?

These parties usually have open bar, free food and giveways. You become so spoiled that when you attend a party that doesn’t have these features, you get mad. That happened to me when I went to the Crashlytics Boozy Brunch, which hyped itself up with free “Cocktails and apps” (complete with photos) but only served beer, wine and kolaches. Bastards.

What’s the point of these parties (besides having fun)?

I’m not sure. Not many parties were set up to market directly to the attendees, so a lot of the times I didn’t even know what service or product the sponsor sold. Nor did these parties seemed geared toward wining-and-dining clients.

It seemed to me that some companies were simply showing off how much money they had. They weren’t worried about ROI–they just wanted to show the world that they were cool. And you know what, that’s okay, too.

I do want to mention that Bing did a nice job of having staff interact with attendees at its party to show how its search engine was better than Google. I also liked that I had “points” to use toward free snacks from its digital vending machine.

What should I bring?

• Cash for pedi-cabs or taxis and tipping your bartender (it’s the best way to get noticed for your next round).
• Comfortable shoes. You will do a lot of walking, standing in line and dancing.
• A spare cell battery or charger. I bought a portable charger, and it really saved me!
• Business cards.
• An itinerary. It’s nice to have some general idea of your schedule so you know which party/event/session is next. Do not download any of the SXSW apps–they are all useless.