Locking & Loading the Equation

Late February marked the first meeting of the new ATX Scene Lab lead by Rob Matney. In the Lab, scene stewards and mappers gathered to set expectations and priorities for the year. The scene mapping process continues, with a few new additions to the list of scenes active within the project. Decisions are underway about common mapping tools, thanks to leadership by Charles Knickerbocker.

So far, March has been a big month for the Equation. Heather and Bijoy have been busy evangelizing, taking advantage of the amazing opportunities Austin makes possible. During the RISE conference for Entrepreneurs we chose to shift the emphasis of the presentation to focus first on the entrepreneurship scene, using the "Locate/Engage/Wow" sequence from our Bootstrap Experience model. The group was highly engaged, and we gathered a great deal of good feedback and insight. We're looking forward to a transcript of that workshop as the basis of the our first article.

Most fun so far in March has been our "Core Conversation" at the South by Southwest Interactive conference - aptly named "Why Austin is the Killer App," (#austinkillerapp). The conversation was an exciting opportunity to test the equation wtih a global audience. The focus was on impressions of Austin by native Austinites, first-time visitors, and those who have been back for more several times. These impressions served (as always) as an excellent backdrop to the conversation about what makes for great experiences, strong communities, and thriving, healthy scenes.

We know there is still a great deal to learn about Austin, and what makes it special. But after these latest two large scale opportunities to present the equation to new audiences, we believe that the equation itself - Experience + Community = Scene - has been consistently proven over time to the degree that we are ready to "lock it in." This is an exciting phase of this work for us, which will give rise to a new phase of documentation, now that the initial research phase of 18 months + feels complete.

Check out these fun SXSW interviews by Josh Baer of METV - click on Austin Equation to see ours!