You couldn’t miss UK House at SXSW
We achieved 'must see' status at SXSW in Austin, Texas, where UK House showcased the very best of UK innovation, technology, and creativity.
We wanted to let Austin know UK House was in town
A long-running collab between the Department for Business and Trade (DBT) and the British Music Embassy was one-in-one out for all five days of SXSW 2025.
This year UK House took over Palm Door on Sixth, an old nightclub right in the centre that needed some work to transform into the venue we needed.
We wrapped the entire building in UK House branding – a creative mashup of DBT and BME brands – so it was impossible to miss. Our 500-capacity venue hosted between 2,000 and 3,000 people every day, with queues snaking around the block.
UK House uniting with US
To celebrate the unique bond between the US and UK, we hosted our very own afternoon tea tasting with scones, unveiling the first-ever transatlantic tea blend crafted by the renowned British company, Tregothnan.
No UK House takeover would be complete without bringing the excitement of British football to Austin. Fans gathered to watch NBC’s broadcast of the Manchester United vs. Arsenal match, enjoying the atmosphere with a drink from the bar.
A focus on storytelling and innovation
We provided a platform to engage directly with industry leaders shaping the future of technology and creativity. Highlights included a dynamic Conversation Series featuring innovators from both the UK and US, an exclusive collaboration with WIRED, and immersive showcases of groundbreaking technologies and creative innovations.
On International Women’s Day, the UK House program spotlighted the impact and achievements of women leaders in creative technology, reflecting the UK’s commitment to diversity and inclusion.
A snippet of the line-up featured Charles Hambro, CEO & Co-Founder of GEEIQ and James Reevell, Executive Editor for Youth Audiences, BBC iPlayer & BBC3 who delved into leveraging gaming to reach elusive Gen Z and Gen A audiences.
Additionally, the discussion on building an AI-enabled future explored the critical infrastructure policies and industry partnerships needed to achieve this vision. The talk featured insights from leading industry and government panellists, including Polina Zvyagina, AI Policy & Governance Director at Meta; Austin Carson, Founder & CEO of SeedAI; Saumil Shah, VP and Chief of Staff to the CEO at Arm; and William Cutler, Head of Tech Policy and Deputy UK Tech Envoy at the British Consulate in San Francisco.
Our team managed the event programme, designed, and produced the website and digital brochure, and between 7– 15 March, welcomed almost 10,000 people to BME and UK House.
We delivered over 110 sessions featuring thought leaders and 23 innovative UK businesses during the day, while 80+ BME music acts rocked the night time crowds.
UK House at SXSW is one of DBT’s flagship events, and the UK and US brands that have appeared there since 2020 have generated $187m of UK-US trade.
Partners included Belfast City Council, Here East, UK Advertising Export Group, Royal College of Arts, British Underground & Arts Council, Marketing Manchester, BIMA, and Focus Wales.
Photo credit: Thomas Jackson / TyneSight Media
“A brief note just to highlight the immense job from your team... The result has been DBT’s most impactful SXSW to date with a stream of positive feedback. I have no doubt, that the department’s successful presence was significantly down to the Bray Leino team, on behalf of DBT, I’d just wanted to say a huge thank you to such a brilliant team.”
Don Bolessa MBE, Deputy Head, Business Events Delivery, Priority Events Team, Department for Business & Trade
