Dates: 13-19th June 2011

What you get: The deal is the same as the SXSW mission – you’ll receive 50% (up to £500 max) towards the costs of your flights/travel, delegate passes and accommodation (so you must spend £1000 to claim the full amount of £500). The money is claimed upon receipt of invoices and proof of spend. *please note delegate passes will NOT be provided by UKTI for this mission

Limitations: Only one person per company can apply. Your company MUST be based in the West Midlands. This is for individual delegates and not bands / musicians. Please see the application form with regard to your company turnover and funding status.

Further Information: http://nxne.com/

Why should I go? If you want to network, have something to sell, meet people in the same/similar fields, share or promote a product or service.

How do I apply? Just download the NXNE 2011 Application Form and forward to Alison Hawkins  at UKTI – A.Hawkins [@] birmingham-chamber.com

Deadline for applications: As the event is just over 1 month away and spaces are VERY limited we urge you to send your application to Alison by the 20th May 2011.

Want to know more? Feel free to give myself or David a call – we’ve both been out there.

This mission is funded by UKTI West Midlands.

The last of our SXSW coverage is from our final day at the event – Saturday 21st March.Having popped in to see the Yorkshire Showcase at the British Music Embassy we managed to catch the rather charming Rolo Tomassi on stage. I am not sure I will ever get how such a sound can come out of a pretty girls mouth.

We had spent all week looking for a suitable place to meet some friends but during South by restaurants are so busy they refuse to take bookings. However we managed to twist the arms of the kind people at The Iron Cactus on 6th Street to let us invite some friends and our West Midlands delegates for a few hours of food, drink and networking.

UKTI West Midlands helped support 10 delegates to get out to SXSW 09 and Fused were asked to organise an event that would give the delegates the opportunity to meet some new people. So luckily for us some people thought it was a nice idea to get out of the midday sun and away from all the music attacking the senses and join us for a bite to eat.

After all the networking action and winding down it was time to fit in our last few showcases.

We popped over to Pangaea a ‘classy’ joint in the warehouse district, where tables are reserved for the moneyed people of SXSW, to catch ex Death in Vegas frontman Richard Fearless with Black Acid. The psychedelic show, complete with strobe lighting, was one of the highlights of the 4 days.

From Pangaea it was over to Mexican Restaurant Rio Grande, the waiters of which offer up a mean line in Margaritas and Tequila’s. However that was not what we were there to sample (well maybe a bit) but it was The Gin Riots who were the pulling power. An odd setting for the band who managed to shirk off film posters of the good the bad and the ugly along with giant neon cowboys to play to a small but very grateful crowd – most of which were wearing the bands t-shirts and hung around to get posters they had taken off the walls signed.

The showcases may finish at around 1.45pm in Austin but when you are on the right guest list, and can muster up the stamina to stay out, there is plenty happening until the early hours. As it was our last night of SXSW 09 we worked our way to the Red Bull party – out past the suburbs and on an industrial estate.

Red Bull had set up a stage with an impressive list of acts over 4 nights. However we weren’t so successful that night. Having passed through some tight guest list procedure, had a fake and much too large tattoo pasted on to our arms – settled in with free Vodka with (yes of course) Red Bull we waited for the bands to arrive. First was a set from Shout Out Out Out Out, which was pretty unimpressive or dull dull dull dull, then queen of the chavettes Goldielocks came on stage. Unfortunately for her two to three songs in and the whole thing was shut down by the local law enforcement.

Not too much of a problem given now it was about 3am however over a thousand people leaving an industrial estate at the same time, most headed in a similar direction, and with no taxis to find meant a long long walk home.

If you want to see more of what we did at South by South West then take a look at our video.

Fused is excited to announce that we are working with UKTI to organise a mission to the South by South West Music event in March 09 in Austin Texas. We are looking for people involved in the music industry – promoters, Labels, Managers, etc – to join us on this very exciting trip and have £500 to help each company.

SXSW MUSIC, 18th – 21st March 2009.

Fused are welcoming entries from a range of music related businesses and individuals to attend South by South West music conference in 2009.

Why apply?
The SXSW MUSIC AND MEDIA CONFERENCE showcases hundreds of musical acts from around the globe on over eighty stages in downtown Austin. By day, conference registrants do business in the SXSW Trade Show in the Austin Convention Center and partake of a full agenda of informative, provocative panel discussions featuring hundreds of speakers of international stature.

The fund covers up to 50% of your costs. These costs can include: your event pass or ticket, travel expenses and accommodation costs. Costs will be reimbursed upon production of receipts up to a maximum of: £500.

Deadline for applications: Noon Tuesday 20th January, 2009.

To apply please click here and fill out the short application form.