Then there is the Film component of the festival which is dedicated to discovering new directing talent and has hosted premiers of Academy Award winning films such as The Hurt Locker and Undefeated.

But there’s another side to SXSW, a geekier, techie side that has grown from humble beginnings to become an important partof the most important parts of the whole event: SXSW Interactive.

Celebrating its 20^th anniversary at SXSW 2014, SXSW Interactive is dedicated to everything tech and is developing a growing reputation as one of the most important events on the tech calendar. SXSW Interactive is the place to go looking for interesting startups, the latest apps gadgets and videogames.

Although still smaller than its Music and Film counterparts, SXSW Interactive is one of the fastest growing parts of the SXSW festival with attendance numbers almost tripled over the last four years alone.

History of SXSW Interactive

But how did SXSW Interactive come to be? What are some of the major stories that have come out of its 20 year lifespan?

It seems only fitting to tell the story of SXSW Interactive with an interactive timeline, bringing you highlights and milestones from inception to last year’s festival.

At this year’s event AVG’s Judith Bitterli will be participating in a panel discussion on how technology is changing our relationship with cars and what the future holds as cars get more connected.

Watch out for her blog post after the event on Sunday!