Ambassador Petra Schneebauer traveled to Austin, Texas to attend South by Southwest (SXSW) from March 10 - 12, 2024. Every year, this important conference brings together creative minds from around the world to exchange cutting-edge ideas on technology, film, music and other creative industries. Keynotes, panels and workshops connect future-oriented thinkers and serve as an incubator for new innovations.

A large delegation of creative companies, artists, musicians and filmmakers traveled to Austin to attend the conference. A true highlight at SXSW was the “Austria Night” organized by Advantage Austria USA and ReFocus Austria. During this networking event hundreds of artists, filmmakers, musicians and tech visionaries from Austria, the U.S. and from all parts of the globe came together, exchanged ideas, presented their products and gained interactive experiences in the “Creative Alley”. Visitors could also take a virtual tour through the picturesque landscapes of Austria. The following morning Ambassador Schneebauer, supported by Refocus Austria, hosted a “Brain Fusion Breakfast” focusing on resilience and creativity.

“In Austria, we understand that creativity knows no boundaries. It is a force that transcends language, culture, and tradition” said Ambassador Schneebauer in her opening remarks at the Austria Night. “I am thrilled to see so many creative minds here in Austin celebrating with us the power of artistic collaboration and sparking new ideas paving the way for future collaborations”. She underlined that Austria has become a niche of creativity and innovation: “From the classical compositions of Mozart and Bruckner to the avant-garde films, cutting-edge music and innovative design it is precisely this fusion of tradition and modernity that produced a vibrant and forward-thinking creative scene in Austria”. In Austria creative industries have become an important economic factor, they account for more than 10% of all Austrian enterprises (around 42,000) and for 3.8% of the gross value added – making them almost as important as the tourism sector with 4%.

While in Texas, the Ambassador took the opportunity to meet Austrians living in Austin as well as former U.S. Ambassador to Austria, Alexa Wesner and European Commission Vice President Margrethe Vestager. Moreover, her trip included visits to the Austrian company Woom Bikes, which has conquered the U.S. market with light bikes for children, and the Lyndon B. Johnson Presidential Library. As the Yoichi Okamoto exhibition opened at the beginning of March in the Austrian Embassy in Washington, D.C., it was another chance to meet the exhibition partners in person at the LBJ Library.