SXSWi Conference: "Open Source" Foreign Policy in the Digital Age

The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University–consistently ranked among the world's top graduate schools of international affairs–planned a yearlong series of activities in celebration and commemoration of its 80th anniversary in 2014.

As the director of the Fletcher School's communications and media relations team, I developed and led strategies to elevate awareness of the faculty's expertise on emerging global issues and to demonstrate the range and caliber of the school's global alumni network.

The annual SXSW Interactive Festival (SXSWi) at the time drew more than 30,000 tech professionals from around the world to Austin, TX, for five days of learning, discussion and networking. The venue provided an ideal platform for leading a discussion focused on digital diplomacy and showcasing the range of Fletcher alumni expertise in this arena.

Planning for the Fletcher-hosted panel discussion, "Open Source" Foreign Policy in the Digital Age, began a year in advance with concept development and proposal writing–identifying a diverse range of Fletcher alumni with relevant expertise from NATO, USAID and the US Department of State; securing a professional moderator with deep subject matter expertise and reach; writing, submitting and trafficking the proposal through the SXSW panel-picker process; promoting the panel to the SXSW voting community to encourage the panel's inclusion; organizing panelist presentations and travel logistics; coordinating A/V and gathering digital content throughout the festival; and publishing and sharing video and social content on the school's and partner's myriad channels after the event.

Moderator: Spencer Ackerman, US National Security Editor, The Guardian Presenters: Admiral James Stavridis (ret.), Dean, The Fletcher School at Tufts University, Former Supreme Allied Commander at NATO (Fletcher Degrees: MALD '83, PhD '84); Farah Pandith, Fellow, Institute of Politics, Harvard University, Former Special Representative to Muslim Communities, US State Dept. (Fletcher Degree: MALD '95); and Joshua Haynes, Senior Development Technologist & Media Adviser, USAID (Fletcher Degrees: MIB '10)

Based on the success of this initiative, the school expanded its global conference strategy in 2015 to include both a panel discussion and an alumni networking event at (SXSWi), as well as an additional alumni event at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

Did you know that the 2024 SXSWi Festival now includes tracks on some of the most pressing policy-relevant topics such as AI, Climate Change, Energy, Government and Civics, Health & MedTech, and much more? For educators, the SXSW EDU offers additional opportunities to immerse with education professionals dedicated to improving learning outcomes.

If you're interested in identifying and maximizing conference platforms for raising the visibility of your experts or convening a gathering of your institution's supporters, please contact me for a consultation.

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