USCM to Return to Austin for Civic I/O Mayors’ Summit, Sessions on Affordability in American Cities and Preserving Civil Discourse

Washington, DC – Mayors will be in Austin, Texas this week for the annual South by Southwest (SXSW) festival, where the United States Conference of Mayors (USCM) will co-host the Civic I/O Mayors’ Summit and mayors will participate in panel discussions about the shared challenges and opportunities in cities today. The Summit is an annual event that USCM, SXSW, and the City of Austin have organized and held since 2016. Taking place this year from March 7-10, the program will bring together city leaders, creatives, and entrepreneurs to discuss innovative solutions to some of the most pressing challenges facing cities.

The Summit will conclude on Saturday, March 10, with the return of the Mayor’s Matchup Civic Tech Pitch Competition. In the style of “Shark Tank,” entrepreneurs will pitch a product, company, or program to a panel of mayors and industry experts, presenting their original ideas to improve American cities. The panel of mayors and experts will vote to determine the winner, who will receive a monetary prize to support their startup. Last year’s winner was ReThink — a technology designed to prevent cyberbullying and online hate.

In addition to the Civic I/O Mayors’ Summit, mayors will participate in SXSW interactive panels. Details are below:

Friday, March 9

The Affordability Equation: Making It in American Cities

Hilton Austin Downtown, Salon A

2:30pm – 3:30pm CT

  • Mayor Sheng Thao, Oakland (CA)
  • Mayor Paige Cognetti, Scranton (PA)
  • Mayor G.T. Bynum, Tulsa (OK)
  • Abdallah Fayyad, Vox

Saturday, March 10

The Death of Civil Discourse: Can City Hall Save It?

Hilton Austin Downtown, Salon A

2:30pm – 3:30pm CT

  • Mayor Jane Castor, Tampa (FL)
  • Mayor John Giles, Mesa (AZ)
  • Mayor Steven Reed, Montgomery (AL)
  • Mark Updegrove, LBJ Presidential Library

Sunday, March 11

Mayors Matchup Civic Tech Pitch Competition

The Reverbery, Hilton Austin Lobby Level

9:30am – 11am CT

Panels and the Tech Pitch competition will be on the record and open to media with an official SXSW badge. All other Civic I/O programming, including evening events, are closed to press.

Mayors are available for interviews while in Austin. To arrange an interview, please contact Sara Durr at sdurr@usmayors.org.