I really wasn’t set on going this year.  Last year in March, during the long flight back home to Belgium, I had decided I would skip Austin a year.

Though SXSW08 was as packed and geeky as ever, me spending 3 days in bed with the famous South-by-Souhtwest-flu didn’t make it that good an experience.  And eventhough I love Derek and all his geekyness, the added Lightdsaber sounds (he was extracting bits from the original dvd’s for his session) during the little moments I was awake were not the ones I wanted to hear.

Thus, I would skip 2009.  Along came Producer’s Utopia.  The project actually started at SXSW08 when I met our US partner.  We launched the first beta of our main app during AFM in Santa Monica in November 08 and we’re working hard to improve and expand our universe towards a new release at Cannes 09.

The great team at Producer’s Utopia decided we couldn’t let Southby escape.  Not having booked a hotel or any flights became a nice added puzzle, but we figured it all out and indeed: on March 12th, Christopher Buckeridge and myself will be travelling back to Bush Country, or, Obamaland as it is now called (nbe: We were all together in LA on election day!).

On the way home (the 19th for me, the 21th for him), I won’t actually be flying back to Brussels.  Instead, I’ve taken this insane bet with our CFO that I would participate in the Monaco Marathon on March 24th.  I will only be starting in the 10km race, but still.  Not an easy task for a geek with my physique.

So, there it is.  Big plans for another big trip to the big land.  Excited as always and eager to learn what insane stuff the community has come up with this year.  I shall be sporting a Gold Badge, as I will be combining the Film and the Interactive festival.