Tulsans Head To Texas To Make Impression At SXSW

Tulsa is taking a road trip.

A number of area bands, artists and entrepreneurs will pack their bags and head to the South By Southwest Music, Film and Interactive Festival in Austin next week.

The Tulsa Regional Chamber of Commerce is spending $80,000 to set up shop and highlight Tulsa talents to the global audience at SxSW next week.

It isn't cheap, but it is well worth it to everyone involved, because it is a first step toward marketing Tulsa to everyone from musicians to business owners.

Hank Hanewinkel spins vinyl Wednesday night.

In one week, his band, The Nuns, will headline the Tulsa Boom Factory at SxSW.

It is a one-day event that will focus on all things Tulsa.

Roger Hansen will also be there to lure potential business startups.

His company is Skater Trainer, which helps skateboarders learn tricks, was born here and is now patent-pending worldwide.

"There is a lot of stuff going on here and it is easy to get into the community,” Hansen said.

The City of Tulsa is investing about $80,000 into the Boom Factory - going the whole 9 yards.

This is not going to be a little pop-up vendor tent.

"I think a lot of people are gonna walk out of our venue and say who would've thought Tulsa," Visit Tulsa's Ray Hoyt said.

Tulsa bands like The Fabulous Minx will be playing on two stages next Wednesday.

They've got their sales pitch ready.

"It is a really supportive community,” Daly said. “There is no infighting and everyone is supporting everyone else and bringing this up together. It is really wonderful.

"We don't have a bad image, but we don't have an image, so it is a way to create our own image to a market we need to be in and we are gonna get there."

Many call Tulsa's blend of music and culture, along with a community that supports it, the perfect storm.

And it's just getting started.

Visit Tulsa says it has a lot of people waiting to see how this year goes.

It will make a promotional video and already has some larger, well-known Tulsa acts interested in taking the trip in 2016.