[NathanKP]

Personally I don't see that much evidence that SXSW has gone down hill. Of course things change from year to year, and one year you might have a bad experience with other attenders being rude, but overall I think it is still a great opportunity.

Of course I live in Austin, so I am probably biased. Also I don't have to pay for a flight to Austin to attend, so the value for cost is much higher.