A group of the city’s leading creative entrepreneurs from the digital and music sectors are heading out to the world-famous SXSW (South by South West) festival in Austin Texas this week.

Bristol Music Foundation and Bristol Media are taking a 19 strong Bristol contingent made up of the city’s leading digital companies and aspiring music artists, producers and managers to what is considered one of the biggest international conferences and festivals of the year.

Digital agencies Beef, Rubberductions, E3, alternate reality games developer Licorice Media and iShed Director Clare Reddington are flying out this Friday to attend the interactive festival.

Clare Reddington, Director of iShed said:

“The interactive week celebrates the creativity and passion behind the coolest new media technologies. In addition to panel sessions that cover everything from web design to social networks, attendees make new business connections at the Trade Shows & exhibitions, so we felt that Bristol had to be represented.”

Mike Bennett, chair of Bristol Media agrees:

“Some of the UK’s leading digital brands will be at the event so this will be a great opportunity to find out what exciting new plans organisations have for the digital space, network, and at the same time promote Bristol’s vibrant creative sector”.

But there are bigger picture strategies at play too. The two week festival has three core elements of music, interactive and film and attracts people from all over the world. Whilst there are no detailed plans, the city is currently exploring the feasibility of developing a similar festival in Bristol in the coming years.

Mike Bennett continued:

“We already have some fantastic individual festivals and smaller events in Bristol and we are having some high level discussions around joining them up into one major event over the spring/summer. So we are interested to look at how Festivals like these come together, make some new contacts and speak to organisers to see if Bristol, like Manchester and Edinburgh could eventually play host to its own world-wide creative showcase. I think it could and we should be looking at ways for Bristol to grab the world’s attention by celebrating some of its remarkable success stories”.

Matt Booth, Chair of Bristol Music Foundation said:

“We are delighted. For the first time we’ll be taking a delegation to SxSW 08 from Bristol and the wider region. This is a vital move in the ongoing support of music businesses and artists in Bristol that the Bristol Music Foundation is carrying out, and was made possible via a unique partnership with the event organisers. We will be joining 16,000 international delegates, and taking six bands to join the other 1,500 that will be playing showcases out in Austin. We will be heading out armed with Bristol cd’s and flyers and will be co-hosting parties, as well as sharing the British Embassy and UK Trade Stand with the entire UK delegation. We will not only be hooking up with US and international partners but also Radio 1 and the UK music industry who will all be out there. We will return armed with business cards and many new friends. Six aspiring bands and 15 music businesses are heading over to make contacts, do deals and to promote the Bristol music industry”.

Last year’s festival featured Kings of Leon, Fratellis, Bloc Party, Amy Winehouse, Badly Drawn Boy, Lily Allen and Razorlight and it is without doubt the biggest music indusrty event of the year. This year artists from the Ting Tings, the Wombats and Good the Bad and the Queen, to Dolly Parton will be playing and the Bristol delegation will be attending keynote speeches from Lou Reed and others.

SxSW has always been the international event where deals get done and global partnerships are forged. The Bristol music industry will now be heading out to get their piece of this essential action.

For further information about South by South West visit www.sxsw.com