The second annual South by Southwest (SXSW) Sydney transformed Sydney into a global hub of culture, creativity and innovation during October.

Australia's largest festival for Tech & Innovation, Games, Music and Screen delivered a week packed with standout events and activations, showcasing some of the world’s best creative talent.

SXSW Sydney also provided an exciting opportunity to spotlight Destination NSW’s Feel New brand activity to thousands of attendees.

Destination NSW hosted an activation called ‘A Taste of NSW’ from 14 – 18 October 2024 at the ICC Sydney.

The activation echoed a trip to the movies to align to this year's SXSW Sydney theme of 'The Future Belongs to the Curious'.

Using a 360-screen structured immersive experience and playing curated destination content, attendees were taken on a nine-minute journey around NSW while also sampling Messina ice cream and fresh popcorn.

Destination NSW Brand Strategy and Customer Experience Team Brand Manager Mel Stofmeel said: “We wanted the activation to be playful and surprise and delight participants.

“We created a sense of FOMO and appeal, behaving more like a culture brand and less like a corporate brand. It was also an opportunity to engage with a large audience and collect data and information for our Somewhere NEW newsletter.”

Pictured above: Destination NSW Graphic Designer Meg MacSweeney, Destination NSW Brand Strategy and Customer Experience Team Brand Manager Mel Stofmeel, Content and Creative Services Manager, Graphic Design Geoff Cowen.

Activation statistics

  • 2219 Somewhere NEW eDM domestic sign ups
  • 2050 scoops of Messina ice cream served
  • 1149 cups of popcorn served

Watch the video of the activation below: