(CNN) -- For first-timers, South by Southwest Interactive can be a little intimidating. The Austin technology festival, which kicks off Friday, swelled to nearly 20,000 participants last year. This year, there'll be more than 1,000 panels and presentations spread across 15 campuses in an increasingly crowded downtown. Surviving is one thing, but really experiencing and enjoying the fest often depends on what you bring, and just as importantly, don't bring. Here's some advice on what to equip yourself with and what to ditch before you hit SXSW. Bring: A game plan. The Interactive schedule is daunting, and that's not even counting nighttime parties and unofficial gatherings. It pays to go through the schedule on the official site and also to skim it on sites such as lynrd.com and sched.org, or sxshhh.com, a new paid site that for $5 rounds up RSVP info for SXSW-adjacent parties.
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SXSW veteran Omar Gallaga offers his advice for how to best appreciate the festival
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Make tentative plans for what you want to see and have it handy on a mobile calendar
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A SXSW Interactive day can be 12 hours long, so bring power-charging supplies
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Be flexible, go with the flow and have no regrets about missing something
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