Mercedes-BenzAUSTIN, Texas - South by Southwest, the Austin, Texas-based tech jamboree held every March, will venture out of the Longhorn State for the first time, partnering with Mercedes-Benz to host a tech conference at the International Motor Show in Frankfurt in September. The partnership between one of the world’s oldest automakers and the popular tech carnival represents a significant departure from the traditional auto show model, a billion-dollar industry. “We’ve been doing these auto shows for 100 years, and they’re evolving,” said Dieter Zetsche, chairman of Daimler AG’s Board of Management and head of Mercedes-Benz Cars, after announcing the partnership at the SXSW conference on Friday. The world’s leading automotive shows have lost ground in recent years to fresher tech events. Details on the me Convention at the Frankfurt auto show are scant, but Mercedes has already announced event’s hashtag: #createthenew.

Source: Forbes March 12, 2017 00:51 UTC