South by Southwest (SXSW) is such a special time for W2O. Over the last 10 years, we’ve invested in meaningful thought leadership and networking activities at an event that has become synonymous with “innovation.” This year, we pared back the size of some of the events, but not the quality. And as I mentioned in my blog post leading up to SXSW, we were all about the healthcare angle this year.

Over the course of 2.5 days, we convened some of the smartest minds in the business to address critical issues in healthcare, like the impact of technology, the role data plays and why putting the patient (customer) at the center is the most important thing any of us could do. We did manage to incorporate some barbeque and good music into the mix as well. The outcome was a number of happy clients, some great content and some prescriptive steps on how we can continue to evolve and improve healthcare!

Keep scrolling to absorb everything, or jump to PreCommerce Summit, SXSW Partner Programming, or GeekACue pix.

What are top healthcare execs focused on?


PreCommerce Summit

Read recaps: Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3.

Our PreCommerce Summit agenda was incredible this year:

Let’s dive into each presentation.

Keynote: Built to Suck

Joseph Jaffe
ADMIRAL/CO-FOUNDER, HMS BEAGLE
@jaffejuice

Recap is in PreCommerce Summit Part 1.

Real Talk, Real Life and How the Federal Government Is Applying Data to Solve Real World Problems

Jennifer Gottlieb
PRESIDENT, W2O
@JennGottlieb

Mona Siddiqui
CHIEF DATA OFFICER, IMMEDIATE OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY, HHS
@MonaSiddiquiMD

We put together a “cheat sheet” of Gottlieb’s conversation with Siddiqui here.

Another recap is in PreCommerce Summit Part 1.

Being Patient-Focused in a Value-Driven World – Do We Understand Their Voice and Values?

Mary Michael
VICE PRESIDENT, STAKEHOLDER MANAGEMENT & PATIENT ADVOCACY, OTSUKA

Chuck Hemann
MANAGING DIRECTOR, ANALYTICS, W2O
@chuckhemann

Rita Glaze
PRACTICE LEAD, U.S. MARKET ACCESS, W2O

Gender Parity as an Indicator of Relevance

Angela Gillespie
PRESIDENT, W2O WCG
@AG_medtech

Meredith Owen
SENIOR DIRECTOR, ANALYTICS, W2O
@mere_owen

Feel free to click here to access the whitepaper discussed in this panel (The Healthcare Industry Gender Diversity & Corporate Relevance Report).

Recap is in PreCommerce Summit Part 1.

Keynote: AI to UhOh – What Matters in the Future of Media

Bob Pearson
AUTHOR AND W2O SENIOR ADVISOR
@bobpearson1845

Bob shares key insights from his keynote.

Will (Tech) History Repeat Itself? Avoiding Unanticipated Consequences in Digital Health

Heather Flannery
GLOBAL LEAD, CONSENSYS HEALTH
@hlflannery

Rasu Shrestha
CHIEF STRATEGY OFFICER, ATRIUM HEALTH
@RasuShrestha

Mary Corcoran
PRESIDENT, W2O TWIST

Recap is in PreCommerce Summit Part 2.

Caregivers, Cancer and Catalysts for Change

Josh Kampel
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, TECHONOMY
@joshkampel

Mark Reisenauer
SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT, ONCOLOGY, ASTELLAS PHARMA

Bill Rancic
ENTREPRENEUR
@BillRancic

Recap is in PreCommerce Summit Part 2.

What Does Hyper-Targeted Media Look Like in an Anonymous (Post-GDPR) World

Chris Neuner
CHIEF REVENUE OFFICER, PULSEPOINT
@chris_neuner

George Gallate
FORMER CHIEF MARKETING OFFICER, MERKLE
@gallate

Seth Duncan
CHIEF ANALYTICS OFFICER, W2O
@SethLDuncan

Recap is in PreCommerce Summit Part 2.

Keynote: Your Secret Weapon for Surviving the Coming Recession: Activated Employees

Joelle Kaufman
CHIEF MARKETING OFFICER, DYNAMIC SIGNAL
@TheCMOJo

Recap is in PreCommerce Summit Part 2.

The Importance of Thought Leadership in Healthcare

Julissa Viana
SENIOR DIRECTOR, GLOBAL SOCIAL MEDIA, CELGENE
@JulissaViana

Ellen Gerstein
DIRECTOR, DIGITAL CONTENT, PFIZER
@elleinthecity

Bethany Hale
HEAD OF MARKETING, CEDAR INC.
@BethanyHale

Gary Grates
CHIEF COMMUNICATIONS OFFICER, W2O
@GaryGrates

Recap is in PreCommerce Summit Part 3.

Tips and Tricks on Hiring in a Tight Market

Deborah Hankin
CHIEF PEOPLE OFFICER, W2O

Recap is in PreCommerce Summit Part 3.

Keynote: Data, What Is It Good For?

Paulo Simas
CHIEF CREATIVE OFFICER, W2O
@psimas1

Recap is in PreCommerce Summit Part 3.

Gene Editing, Illness Prevention and the “Appification” of Healthcare

Jim Weiss
FOUNDER AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, W2O
@WeissWord

David Kirkpatrick
FOUNDER AND EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, TECHONOMY
@DavidKirkpatric

PreCommerce Summit Part 3. 

SXSW Partner Programming

How Big Brands are Improving America’s Health

Official SXSW listing

Dan Childs
DIRECTOR, U.S. EXTERNAL COMMUNICATIONS, BAYER
@DanBChilds

Dawn Laguens
EXPERT-IN-RESIDENCE, IDEO
@dawnlaguens

Heidemarie Schnell
HEAD OF MARKETING, SPOTLYTE

Larry Dobrow
SENIOR EDITOR, MEDICAL MARKETING & MEDIA

Read a recap.

Marketing in an Industry Where Change is the Norm

Official SXSW listing

Lynne Stockstad
CHIEF MARKETING OFFICER, OPTUM

David Kirkpatrick
FOUNDER & EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, TECHONOMY
@DavidKirkpatric

Read a recap.

EQ in the ER: Building Empathy Through XR

Official SXSW listing

Anita Bose
CHIEF DEVELOPMENT OFFICER, W2O
@AJBOSE

Stephen Ibaraki
CHAIRMAN & GENERAL PARTNER, REDDS CAPITAL/VENTURE INVESTMENT PARTNERS
@sibaraki

Rasu Shrestha
CHIEF STRATEGY OFFICER, ATRIUM HEALTH
@RasuShrestha

Read a recap.

Insights to Actions: Analytics-Powered Marketing

Official SXSW listing

Bethany Hale
HEAD OF MARKETING, CEDAR INC.
@BethanyHale

Kevin Johnson
PRESIDENT, W2O MARKETECHING

Mark Stouse
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, PROOF
@MarkStouse

Julissa Viana
SENIOR DIRECTOR, GLOBAL SOCIAL MEDIA, CELGENE
@JulissaViana

Read a recap.

Marketing in the Rise of Health Activism

Official SXSW listing

Alexis Denny
DIRECTOR OF GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS, PKD FOUNDATION
@adennypkd

Mary Michael
VICE PRESIDENT OF PATIENT ADVOCACY & STAKEHOLDER MANAGEMENT, OTSUKA

Aaron Strout
CHIEF MARKETING OFFICER, W2O
@AaronStrout 

Amber Tresca
FOUNDER, ABOUT IBD
@AboutIBD

Read a recap.

GeekACue

No SXSW is ever complete without good barbeque and music.

This year was no different as we took over the San Jac Saloon on Sixth Street. The barbecue was courtesy of Micklethwait Craft Meats and it was as amazing as we had hoped. The music was equally good with the featured band, Audley Freed and Friends, coming courtesy of our sponsor, Bayer (h/t Mark Bennett). The late night entertainment came courtesy of Bayli, who did play our after hours show last year. Both were amazing and left the crowd wanting more.

Pictures from our PreCommerce Summit, Partner Programming, and GeekACue are up on our Facebook.

As always, thank you to our incredible sponsors Bayer, PulsePoint, Proof Analytics and Dynamic Signal for being great partners. We couldn’t have done this without you!