March was a busy month for the 1014 team as we officially kicked off our Spring season but, we'd be remiss if we didn't discuss our first trip to South by South West (SXSW) in Austin, TX!

Our Creative Director Kathrin DiPaola and Communications and Program Associate Jamie Isaacs traveled down to Austin for this year's SXSW festival and came back with so many new ideas, connections, and knowledge. Across the 6 days, Kathrin and Jamie attended talks on social health, large computing models, freedom of speech, radical giving, AI, branding, and more. Hearing from experts like American Futurist rockstar Amy Webb, Bluesky CEO Jay Graber, C-suite leaders at BBC Nicki Sheard and Rebecca Glashow, Nvidia founder Curtis Priem, actress Issa Rae, and Originals and Training Category Publishing Lead at Adidas Georgia Wagstaff and many more gave them a well-rounded first SXSW experience!

Some key takeaway points were:

🛜 AI is growing up but AI 101 basics are still required. While the conversation around AI is shifting toward AI that can act autonomously on our behalf—most people are still catching up on the basics. And so is AI.

💬 Social health is just as important as mental and physical health and we will soon see this be equally as prioritized

👂Emphasizing the importance of listening to younger generations in order to move your organization or brand forward. "Be curious about what they're thinking and feeling." - Kyle MacLaughlin, actor

🤝 Involving your community members in decisions that impact them or their interest in you could make all the difference in their support and desire to continue giving back.

🧠 It is still up to us how we shape our future and we should be mindful about it. “Remember you create the future every day with the decisions that you make. Every decision is a doorway that you can walk through to make tomorrow better.” - Amy Webb, Futurist and Author

And this isn't even half of what Kathrin and Jamie absorbed! It was a fantastic first year at SXSW and we are excited to have them return again next year.