South by Southwest is the leading Interaction Technology conference held annually in Austin, Texas. This year it was attended by 27,000 people, of which 30% were from outside the US, each drawn to the energy, excitement of possibility the conference showcases. The event has proven to be one of the most influential on the global circuit, being both a launch-pad for new services and emerging technologies as well as a forum for thought-leadership. In recent years, the conference was a launch-pad for the likes of Twitter and Foursquare, but in 2013 ‘social’ was notably less prominent. In this summary the content has been grouped under the following key themes: 1. Meaningful applications of big data, the quantified self and augmented reality 2. Emerging interactions & experiences 3. Hardware comes to the fore – the “maker movement” 4. Local and the future of location 5. Other Topics - Entrepreneurship, Politics, Games & Education 6. Buzz around Startups