Pat Ramsey, of the Austin WordPress Meetup, and I agreed that SXSW Interactive 2011 would be the perfect place to host another party. I then contacted Jason and Aaron at WP Engine, and they said:Count us in!
We picked a date and I contacted John Wickham to reserve Elysium for the event. When you combine Austin's WordPress community with all the WordPress users coming to Austin for SXSW, you'll need a big venue. Elysium is 3 blocks from the convention center, has a great stage and sound system, and can hold hundreds.