3 Ways to Experience the Future of Mobility and Michigan’s Leadership at SXSW
After months and months of planning, it’s finally time to head down to Austin for South by Southwest. I’m exciting to be representing Michigan automotive industry and share, through the Michigan House, the state’s global leadership in mobility.
Take a look at this piece I wrote for Driven:
This month, all eyes are on Austin, Texas for South by Southwest (SXSW), an annual culmination of interactive conferences, festivals, exhibitions, and networking opportunities around topics such as branding and marketing, social impact, health care, journalism, entrepreneurship, and technology. SXSW prides itself on being the world’s largest gathering of creative professionals.
The events, which run from Friday, March 8 to Sunday, March 17, are an unparalleled convergence of industries. In recent years, mobility has become a reoccurring theme with Michigan leading the charge.
Here are three ways Michigan will move you into the future at SXSW:
Michigan House Mobility Day
Add Michigan House to your SXSW schedule for an immersive day of Michigan mobility, on Saturday, March 9. Through a partnership between the Detroit Regional Chamber and MICHauto, PlanetM, Ann Arbor SPARK, the North American International Auto Show, and other regional stakeholders, Michigan Mobility Day will connect startups with influential players in the automotive and transportation ecosystem to discuss the future of the industry.
In addition to networking, featured speakers at Michigan Mobility Day include Alisyn Malek, CEO of May Mobility; Mark de la Vergne, Chief of Mobility Innovation for the City of Detroit; Alex Keros, Chief of Smart Cities for Maven; and others. Programming will focus on the state’s continued leadership in the automotive and mobility sector as well as global partnerships, funding, and public/private collaboration in the industry.
Michigan House is the Great Lake State’s experiential embassy to SXSW. It takes temporary residence at The Refinery (612 Brazos St.) in downtown Austin. For more information on the Michigan House and Michigan House Mobility Day scheduling and registration, visit www.michiganhouse.org.
Michigan Mobility Mixer
The Michigan Mobility Mixer will cap a full day of speakers and knowledge sharing with the opportunity to make meaningful connections. Presented by Maven Car Sharing and hosted at Michigan House, the event will include a brief program from Alex Keros about Maven’s dynamic present and future.
If you are interested in attending the Michigan Mobility Mixer, please register online through Michigan House.
SXSW Conference Tracks
Mobility is gaining in popularity with SXSW’s tracks like “Intelligent Future,” “Entrepreneurship & Startups,” and “Cities, Government & Politics.”
Attendees will have the opportunity to hear from Carla Bailo, president and CEO of Michigan-based Center for Automotive Research, as she talks about self-driving cars and trucks and the potential benefits of both; Alisyn Malek, chief operating officer and co-founder of May Mobility, and Kevin Bopp, vice president of parking operations for Bedrock Detroit, as they reflect on Detroit’s first driverless shuttle fleet; and Jared Stasik, partner of Detroit Venture Partners, as he discusses the corporate funders and venture investors that make up Michigan’s unique funding climate.
Three of the official SXSW mobility conference programs, featuring Michigan-based organizations, will be hosted at Michigan House including:
Third Coast: Mobility Funding Ecosystems in Michigan
Public/Private Collaborations and the Future of Mobility
Global Mobility Partnerships and Making the Future
Other programming featuring Michigan’s leadership in mobility are located throughout SXSW venues. For the full SXSW schedule, visit www.schedule.sxsw.com.
To learn more about Michigan House and the state’s mobility footprint at SXSW, listen to Driven’s Mobility Moment podcast with Ted Velie, co-founder of Michigan House.
If you are going to be down at SXSW this weekend, let me know. I’d love to meet up at Michigan House!