Ignite Social Media & Social Media Explorer Are Setting Austin A Blaze

The highlight of my South by Southwest experience last year was, without question, throwing the Firefly Funnel Cake Fandango event with my dad and his funnel cake trailer at Molotov. We clicked about 1,800 guests over four hours and when I left the venue at 2 a.m., it was still packed. Several people told me, though I’m sure they were just being nice, that it was THE party of SXSW week last year.

Jim Tobin, my buddy and man behind Ignite Social Media, a great social media agency with locations in Raleigh, N.C., and Detroit, called me a few months ago to see if I was going to throw another party in Austin. At first, I said I wasn’t, but when he started reminding me of how awesome last year’s was, that everybody came and loved it and that we could work together to pull off another shin-dig, we circled the troops.

The Ignite Social Media Party (which I wanted to call the Ignite Social Media Explorer Party, but that would likely cause some of you to try and set me on fire) will be Friday night, March 11 from 7 p.m. until we run out or get thrown out, whichever comes first, at Molotov and Dogwood (which is right next door) at 715 West 6th Street in Austin. You do not need a SXSW badge to get in, but you do need to RSVP for a free ticket (see the form below).

This party is the one I throw to bring my friends together. Whether you’re a reader, a Twitter follower, a member of Exploring Social Media or just one of my buddies from conferences and road trips, I want you to come and hang out with me, Jim and some other folks who help me put this thing on.

We’re going to have drinks, eats and some fun, but we’ll also have my prescription for a good party: plenty of places for you to talk without blaring music or 22-year-old sweat mongers rubbing up against you to techno music. If you want to dance, we’ll have a place for that up on the roof (with some killer music, I hear). But we also have the mellow spots for connecting and conversation.

My buddies at Keepio will be there (and I really want to tell you about them, so ask me!) and will probably buy around of drinks for those of legal purchase age. My friends at Blue Clover Studios will make sure everyone is comfortable and having a good time and my often unseen partner in crime, Tim Hayden, and his folks at 44Doors, will be showing you some cool new technology as we mingle.

Jim has promised to make up for the fact that I quit drinking by doing Jello shots every 10 minutes. (Okay, maybe I made that up.) He might even have a few copies of his book Social Media Is A Cocktail Party on hand … but not in the one with his Jello shots. But we’re going to have a blast to kick off our collective weekend in Austin together.

Please come hang with me and our friends. RSVP below!