Sessions and Tours and Awards, Oh my!

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(Scroll through the slideshow above to learn more about your SEGD tour options. Don’t forget, tour reservations are first-come, first served (and filling up fast!), so register today!)

In two weeks, you might find yourself on a journey of epic proportions, following the yellow brick road that leads to Austin, Texas—a place where, once you arrive, you just know, you’re not in Kansas anymore; but the fun has only begun. 

With four-filled days of spectacular speaker sessions (Chris Calori, Susan Harrington, DJ Stout, and so many more!), inspiring keynotes (Paula Scher and Meriah Garrett), Nexpo craziness (talks and show floor), and Auction for Excellence fun, numerous receptions (President’s Reception and more), countless workshops and roundtables (networking out the wazoo!), and tours—so many tours, the 2019 SEGD Austin Conference Experience is the event of the season!

We’ve asked our awesome SEGD Austin Chapter Chairs, Leslie Wolke and Grady Brown, to let us know what we can expect out of this year’s Austin Conference Experience.

My Favorite Part of the SEGD Conference

Grady: I have enjoyed many SEGD Conferences over my years in the EGD profession and my favorite part is seeing how our community comes together in a shared experience that makes each of us better for having been there. It inspires, refreshes, reconnects, educates and challenges us to strive, more vigorously, to improve ourselves, our work and the profession as a whole.

Leslie: While I am proud that we have such a great line-up of speakers and topics this year—often the most memorable moments of a conference are what happens between the sessions: meeting a fellow SEGDer over a drink at a reception or on the bus to a tour. I recall meeting Anna Crider for the first time in a Nexpo booth at the conference in Washington DC in 2010— we had worked together via email and phone calls but had never met in person. The first conference I attended was the one I helped plan with Steven Stamper: Austin, 2008. That’s when I was introduced to this eclectic, creative, lively and welcoming community.

My Thoughts on the 2019 Austin Conference

Grady: June is one of the best times to visit Austin, Texas! The conference is where we gather together as friends, colleagues and even competitors to celebrate our profession and have an opportunity to learn from each other’s experience over the past year. We have a great line up of Speakers you won’t want to miss, Tours, Workshops, Nexpo, Design Awards and so much more. Not to mention some Austin-style parties that will make this conference experience one to remember. 

Leslie: There are several themes blended into this year’s conference and all of them have an Austin connection. Austin is a place where creative people blur the boundaries of traditional disciplines: software designer by day, singer-songwriter by night! At the conference, we’ll explore how the distinctions between art, design, and craft fuse together — and how practitioners express their originality beyond the classic silos. Many of our speakers—like many of our SEGD members—lead multi-disciplinary lives. For example, Paula Scher pursues tandem tracks as one of the most influential graphic and experiential designers of our time and as a fine artist whose intricate paintings redefine our notions of maps and landscapes. I look forward to hearing her perspective on her career(s) and how one practice may inform the other.

What I’m Looking Forward to Most

Grady: It’s been an honor and pleasure to serve as a Co-Chair with Leslie Wolke and the whole SEGD National team in preparing this conference. I’m looking forward to seeing all of the efforts having a positive impact professionally and personally on everyone. It’s a fantastic way to give a little back to a community and profession that has been exceptionally good to me. I hope you will all come and make this another record-setting conference.

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Now, like all great heroes, there’s a time when we doubt if the journey is right for us. But Dorothy, this is one travel plan you can’t ignore. The 2019 SEGD Austin Conference Experience is the EGD can’t-miss event of the season and we can’t wait to see you there!

The SEGD Conference Experience is all about learning and growing with a community of exceptionally, creative people. (Cowardly lions begone!) Networking is built into nearly every activity cycle so let’s get to know each other and have fun doing so!

You’ve got a soul that burns bright through your creativity. (You’re no heartless tinman.) This Conference Experience is just that, an experience. The EGD community lives for a functional and fascinating experience. It’s what you love, so why wouldn’t you attend?

Take advantage of this mega-action-packed event! There’s no time to wait. Register today for the journey that awaits! 

A special thanks to Daktronics and to all of our exceptional sponsors.