After months of anticipation and marketing emails, SXSWedu – a component of the South by Southwest family of conferences focused on promoting creativity and social change in the field of education – is right around the corner. It’s time to dust off your cowboy boots and connect with edu-friends and colleagues from across the country. Before you go, consider these tips for maximizing your time in Austin:

Talk to Everyone: How often are you surrounded by educators and members of the public, private and nonprofit sectors focused on education? Take every opportunity to ask journalists what they’re writing about and tell teachers about the campaign you’re launching. The best feedback or inspiration might come from the person with whom you’re sharing a power outlet between sessions.

Never Settle: If a session doesn’t live up to your expectations or capture your interest, duck out and join another. It may be uncomfortable to leave, but there will be too many exciting alternatives to stay in a session that disappoints. Give yourself permission to find those second-choice sessions that might prove more engaging.

Think Before Tweeting: Don’t just be a part of the social media conversation around the conference – add something to it. Live tweeting memorable quotes from popular sessions is less likely to earn likes and re-tweets than paying attention to the discussion – offline and online – and then updating or replying with original thinking. In other words, being thoughtful is more important than being first.

Get Out: Austin is known for its distinctive food, music and culture. Find time to leave the Hilton and Convention Center and explore city before it’s overtaken by Interactive, Music and Film. At the very least, wander a few blocks and check out the storefronts and structures brands are building for those festivals.

Above all, enjoy! I’ll see you at #SXSWedu.