Guacamole and Musicians Make for a Delicious Combination at SXSW The pairing of seemingly unrelated businesses, produce and music, is the type of innovative display SXSW is known for.
By Jill Schiefelbein •
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The 30th annual SXSW Music Festival is in full force in Austin, Texas. Earlier this week I was fortunate enough to hang out in the crowds and get a taste of the madness. Since I'm about as musically inclined as a rock sinking to the bottom of a pond, I didn't attend to learn how to grow a music business. Rather, I went around observing the culture and the collaborations taking place in and around this massive event.
One of the cultural hubs of SXSW is SouthBites Trailer Park -- an outdoor food court with dozens of dining options, a bar and tented seating areas. It was here that I ate the most delicious maple bacon donut that I've ever had (thanks, Doughmaker), and it was also here where I found one of the more interesting collaborations of my SXSW experience -- avocados and musicians.
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Avocados from Mexico, a company I wouldn't traditionally think of as being a SXSW partner, created an experience that combined avocados, music and technology in a way that helped musicians engage their fans while simultaneously supporting the consumption of avocados -- a guacamole showdown.
The guacamole showdown leverages avocados from Mexico's SXSW imprint to help musicians reach a bigger audience, and musicians are sharing their fan bases with AFM to provide a better fan experience. This type of integration -- and the pairing of seemingly unrelated businesses, produce and music -- is the type of innovative display SXSW is known for.
Over three days, more than 30 SXSW artists will be joining AFM at SouthBites, where the band gets in the tent and makes their own version of guacamole, and distributes samples to the gathering crowds, who can vote for their favorite musician or their favorite recipe. Adding some cool portable technology to the mix, fans can get their favorite recipe screen printed on a tote bag to take with them.
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Combine more than 60,000 hungry SXSW attendees who will come through SouthBites, free samples and musicians who want to expand their reach and you have a recipe for collaborative success. The bands asked to participate were so enthusiastic, that one group from Iceland even flew in with their own salt to add to their guacamole -- talk about some serious competition!
Sometimes the most uncommon partnerships yield the most fruitful results. Or, in this case, some spicy and flavorful combinations!
Check out this Entrepreneur Network video giving you a glimpse of SouthBites Trailer Park and a taste of the Guacamole Showdown.
