Austinist: SXSW 2007 Volunteer Call at the Hilton Hotel

Caitlin

Fri, 02 Feb 2007 02:56:04 -0600

Maybe someone had a really bad experience as a volunteer - but I didn't - I actually had a great time. Just arrange your volunteer schedule cleverly and you're able to see a lot. It's well past the volunteer call now but I'm pretty stoked about my free badge that I'll be getting for checking other peoples badges as they walk in a theater

EXSXSW

Mon, 22 Jan 2007 19:10:59 -0600

Don't kid yourself...SXSW makes millions of dollars on their little festival. Bands get screwed, volunteers get treated like shit and all they get for their effort is a t-shirt and maybe some Salt Lick Bar-B-Que. Well worth their time. Listen, you are better off buying a wristband than volunteering. Hell, you are better off buying single admission to venues or even going to the free daytime parties that all venues hold than volunteering for SXSW. If you think you are going to get to see any shows or films by volunteering, think again!

Filmish

Fri, 19 Jan 2007 22:24:05 -0600

SXSW makes a very small amount of money. They have generally always been a labour of love, compared to ACL epecially. Most major festivals of this kind could not be put on without volunteers. I don't see much of a problem with asking people to volunteer for a perk of considerable monetary value. It's YOUR choice. Do or do not and shit like that. Though it brings in HUGE money for the economy and it's pretty damn cool to say we live in Austin where SXSW is held. But maybe that's just me.

Samantha

Fri, 19 Jan 2007 16:01:51 -0600

Hmmmm... please elaborate on these tremendous tax breaks that they get. Can you be specific? Have they always gotten them?

Bookish

Fri, 19 Jan 2007 11:34:27 -0600

Is it just me, or does this whole SXSW volunteer thing bug anyone else? This conference, in addition to getting tremendous tax breaks from the city, makes a shitload of money. It also burdens city resources and makes life a tad unbearable for city dwellers who don't participate. I know it bolsters the local economy in a pretty big way, but couldn't they take it a step further and actually hire some folks for the work, thus contributing real and direct dollars to the local economy?