Most Thursday mornings you can find employees of AE strolling leisurely into the office and darting toward the coffee station, but February 20th is not your average Thursday.

As the sun rose this morning, so did we. The band of us herded ourselves into Hotel ZaZa’s Art House & Social Gallery eagerly anticipating the words of our very own Principal, Ben Randolph, and Moroch’s Chief Digital Officer, Brad McCormick. The presentation centered around a how-to guide to this year’s SXSW Interactive, including how agencies should network, which panels they should attend and how to properly prepare for five day’s worth of nonstop action and fun.

McCormick’s and Randolph’s combined experience ultimately gave the people in attendance an exciting forewarning of the next few weeks to come. The insight we gained was invaluable to our upcoming time at SXSW, giving us a focus point in a blur of people and flashing cameras.

If all else fails, we have this gem to fall back on.