Convio Leading the Effort to Bring the Nonprofit and Technology Worlds Together at South by Southwest Interactive 2009 Festival

Company to Kick-Off Festival at Inaugural Austin Interactive Showcase on March 13

Austin, Texas (March 9, 2009) —

Convio, a leading provider of on-demand constituent relationship management software and services to nonprofit organizations, is excited to announce their participation at South by Southwest (SXSW) Interactive 2009. As a nonprofit technology thought leader, Convio is helping nonprofit organizations break into the interactive world to leverage online technologies as a way to move people to support their mission. During the festival Convio will be participating in the first-ever Austin Interactive Showcase, a Convio-hosted Clicks Session, the SXSW Web Awards through sponsorship of the Activism Award, speaking at the “Social Media for the Social Good” brunch and host the Nonprofit Technology Bash.

Convio’s Highlights Include:
Austin Interactive Showcase (Friday, March 13, 2009, 5:00 – 7:00 pm, at Fogo de Chao)
In its first year, the Austin Interactive Showcase will be held in conjunction with the Entrepreneur’s Lounge, an evening networking event held each night of SXSW Interactive.  The event is bringing together 16 Austin companies to showcase the interactive brain power and technology innovation that’s present in the Festival’s host city. As one of the selected companies, Convio will be featured for all Entrepreneur’s Lounge attendees, and particularly press, bloggers and influencers from around the world in town for the annual SXSW Interactive conference to get an introduction to the company. 

Convio Clicks Session (Sunday, March 15, 2009, 4:00 – 5:30 pm, at the Austin Convention Center)
The Convio Clicks Session entails a roundtable discussion about how nonprofit organizations and grassroots activists can embrace new media for fundraising, outreach and empowering supporters. Participating in the panel will be Convio’s Vinay Bhagat, leading nonprofit industry bloggers Beth Kanter and Holly Ross, and a former member of Obama’s social media strategy team, Scott Goodstein.

SXSW Web Awards (Sunday, March 15, 2009, 6:00 – 9:30 pm, at the Hilton Hotel – Downtown Austin)
This year will mark the twelfth annual SXSW Web Awards, a competition that uncovers the best new websites and celebrates those who are building tomorrow's online trends.  Convio is the official sponsor of the Activism Web Award, a newly created category by SXSW to recognize green and nonprofit websites that are striving to make the world a better place.

Social Media for the Social Good Brunch (Monday, March 16, 2009, 11:30 am – 2:00 pm, at Stubb’s Bar-B-Q)
James Young, social media evangelist for Convio, will be participating in a panel discussion with:

• Jeff Pulver, Entrepreneur and Social Media Philanthropist
• David Armano, Logic + Emotion
• Scott Goodstein, Obama Mobile and Revolution Messaging
• Beth Kanter, Bethkanter.org
• Stacey Monk, Epic Change and Tweetsgiving
• Randi Zuckerberg, Facebook

The brunch will bring together participants with diverse backgrounds in an effort to further spread a sense of philanthropy through online communities while sparking new ideas that will ultimately benefit meaningful social causes.

SXSW Nonprofit Technology Bash (Monday, March 16, 2009, 8:00 – 9:30 pm, at B.D. Riley’s)
Convio proudly presents the first-ever SXSW nonprofit technology bash, featuring Social Actions and the celebrity judges of their Change the Web Challenge. The party will feature live music, drinks and nptech application demos. Please RSVP to the event through Convio’s Facebook event page.

About Convio
Convio is the leading provider of on-demand constituent relationship management (CRM) software and services that give nonprofit organizations a better way to inspire and mobilize people to support their organization. The company’s online marketing suite offers integrated software for fundraising, advocacy, events, email marketing and Web content management, and its CRM system, Convio Common Ground™, helps organizations efficiently track and manage all interactions with supporters. All Convio products are delivered through the Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) model and are backed by a portfolio of best-in-class consulting and support services and a network of partners who provide value-added services and applications focused on the unique needs of nonprofit organizations.  

Convio clients include nonprofit organizations, Institutions of Higher Education, Associations and Faith-based organizations around the world such as American Red Cross, American Diabetes Association, American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, Humane Society of the United States, Easter Seals, National Multiple Sclerosis Society, Susan G. Komen for the Cure® and Sierra Club. For more information, please visit www.convio.com

About SXSW Interactive Festival
Scheduled March 13-17 in Austin, Texas, the 2009 SXSW Interactive Festival provides practical how-to information as well as unparalleled career inspiration, bringing together some of emerging technology’s most creative thinkers.  The event features five days of keynote sessions, more than 200 panels, the SXSW Web Awards, the Interactive and Film Trade Show & Exhibition, the ScreenBurn Arcade, the Microsoft BizSpark Accelerator at SXSW, and dozens of exciting evening events.  Attracting digital creatives as well as visionary technology entrepreneurs, the event celebrates the best minds and the brightest personalities of emerging technology. For more information on SXSW Interactive, see www.sxsw.com/interactive.

Press Contact:
Karoline McLaughlin
Director, Corporate Communications
Convio, Inc.
kmclaughlin@convio.com
512-652-7865