There's a great opportunity coming up in March 2010: an annual world-class tech conference where you can immerse yourself in the wired future, today. It's South by Southwest Interactive (SXSWi) right here in Austin, and the Early Bird price of $450 will go up after this Friday, November 13, 2009.

Why do you need to be there?

Because you and your business need to take your head out of the day-to-day every once in a while, in order to look with fresh eyes towards opportunities and changes in the marketplace.  The best way to understand the social Web, new ideas in technology and most importantly, how smart, wired people communicate is the five-day crush of visionaries at this conference (the conference tagline is "Tomorrow Happens Here," and they aren't kidding.)

You care about how smart, wired people communicate because those are the kind of folks that you probably want as customers, and you need to know how they tick. Your brochure and Web site probably do not interest them, so go and find out how they DO want to hear from you. 

They will also eat your business's lunch, if you don't pay attention.  Every wine store in the country, for example, is trying to figure out how a no-name New Jersey guy named Gary Vaynerchuk, author of Crush It, came out of nowhere with the now insanely popular WineLibrary.TV Internet video show about wine.

He succeeded because he knows his product and customers, but also understands how the Web works.  He'll join other amazing SXSWi 2010 speakers like PhD danah boyd and author Clay Shirky. Never heard of 'em? That's not because they're nobodies....it's because you might need to catch up a bit.  Sorry to be blunt, but in tech-heavy Austin, you must be at least marginally savvy in this world.

So, here's the registration page, and I highly encourage you to consider attending the event. It was a game-changer for me as a communicator. 

What does your business care about all of these geeky types? The video below is one that I've shown at almost every blogging seminar and workshop I've ever given - it's Vaynerchuk talking about growing a blog and business from the ground up, person by person, until he had an empire. 

Look into his eyes when he talks; Gary is "serious as a heart attack" about the social Web and using it to connect with readers (and customers.) That kind of guy and gal is coming on like gangbusters, and you need to figure them out.  

Good thing they'll be right here, from all over the world, at SXSWi.