Tech, Art & Culture: Here’s What Went Down at Gallery Innovation House in Austin

Gallery Innovation House guests were treated to an advanced private screening of Tubi’s new original show Boarders, a BBC comedy and coming-of-age story with similar vibes to Sex Education and Derry Girls.

Written by BAFTA-nominated screenwriter Daniel Lawrence Taylor, the series follows five Black inner city school teenagers who find themselves on scholarships to one of the UK’s oldest and most prestigious boarding schools, St. Gilbert’s. Only, the school has awarded the scholarships to earn what they hope is “good press” in the wake of scandal: A group of white male students filmed themselves harassing a homeless man, then splashed it all over social media. Needless to say, the group of Black students will have to navigate more than just a new school.

Judging by the enthusiastic reactions from our exclusive screening at Gallery Innovation House, Boarders is a show you’ll need to binge, then alert the group chat to. You can stream all six episodes of Boarders, plus loads of other incredible shows, for free on Tubi.

We also had the privilege of partnering with EY on two expert-led panels. The first, titled “Cracking the Creative Code” focused on redefining wealth in the creator economy and was led by WNBA champion and Olympic gold medalist Sue Bird, EY partner Nuno Leal and VaynerX CMO Avery Akkineni. The second panel, “Tailoring the Beat of the Future” explored the rise of AI in fashion and music. The panelists were artist DJ Skee, EY partner John Dubois, former head of digital marketing for Nike, Estée Lauder, and Revlon Swan Sit, Fossil Group VP Damian Fernandez-Lamela and founder and investor Shira Lazar.

Helping us to keep pace with the lightning-speed weekend was our partner INFINITI, who provided the guests with luxury car rides in the stunning 2024 INFINITI QX60 to and from all of the events. In the midst of the hustle and bustle, we didn’t expect to fall so hard for the QX60’s available built-in massage front seats, which afforded guests a necessary moment of pampering after all the go-go-go of the weekend.

Next up was our snack- and drink-filled Golden Hour party in partnership with Rold Gold^® to showcase their brand-new launch: Rold Gold Waffles. The Patrón cocktails were flowing and the creators came out to take advantage of that golden hour glow.

Attendees were treated to a set by DJ Sweet P Walker and custom hats by Trovador, but the best part was the pretzel bar: hot, cold and sweet dips to dunk those delicious salty snacks in, plus buffalo wings and more.

Guests could dip into the 360 photobooth, then dip their Rold Gold Waffles into delectable options like milk chocolate, green goddess hummus, guacamole or five cheese fondue, among others. For more dip ideas that you can whip up at home, we’ve got you covered.

The weekend’s events wouldn’t be nearly as festive without our beverage partner Patrón Tequila pouring up the tastiest margaritas this side of the Rio Grande. To quench guests’ thirst, bartenders served up Patrón El Cielo over ice with a slice, Patrón El Alto espresso martinis, Patrón Silver ranch waters and Patrón Reposado spicy margs.

Popular Pays by Lightricks, a next-level influencer marketing platform, sponsored a panel that included speakers Jackie Gebel of @NoLeftovers; PepsiCo’s Ruchie Singh and Erin Jensen, partnerships lead for Popular Pays by Lightricks.

From a conversation focused on the future of the creator economy to exploring how food brands are built to succeed, our jam-packed programming also covered a range of relevant topics from VIP panelists like Sarah Larson Levey, founder and CEO of Y7 Yoga, Jason Karp, HumanCo. founder and CEO, and Sulay Alvarenga, marketing director for Smartfood and Rold Gold.

While the weekend was about indulgence, we got the chance to reset and replenish thanks to our partner Haleon and their portfolio of brands including Tums, Emergen-C, Benefiber, Sensodyne and Advil, all on hand for guests to recuperate with.

The always-on Revive Lounge presented by Haleon featured an Emergen-C smoothie bar, a sampling station with fill-your-own rally bags and meditation pods for a health and wellness moment amidst the electric Austin atmosphere.