sxsw09

Six months of planning, 100+ applications, 35 companies and heaps of logistics. The merry band of Brits that make up the Digital Mission is heading SXSWard. For live info, follow @digitalmission on Twitter.

So, if you're lucky enough to be in Austin, what's happening? Funny you should ask, here's a quick run-down. Swing by, we'd love to say 'hello' and there's a bunch of interesting people to meet and some ground-breaking products launched...

The first time I went to South by South West interactive, the sheer volume of events was over-whelming. A predictably hurried decision to go left little time for any proper planning and the show whizzed by.

According to Aaron Brazell, second time out, the event should be an endless round of conference sessions, meetings and partying networking. As part of the Digital Mission, featuring 35 of the UK's hottest digital companies, our group will number nearly 100. For more Brit-related shenanigans, keep an eye out for Rebecca Caroe's cunning plan.

It’s official and finally I can talk about it! Chinwag has teamed up with the UKTI to take UK digital SMEs on trade missions to New York and Austin, Texas coinciding with two of the world’s most celebrated web events – the Web 2.0 Expo and SXSW Interactive.

The NYC mission coinciding with the Web 2.0 Expo runs 14-19 September 2008.