Attendees of this year’s SXSWi conference, locals and visitors of Austin alike, will delight in this year’s promos. They’re becoming the real rock stars of Interactive, using the event as a testing ground, proof of concept or marketing gold.  It’s hard enough to keep up with the conference’s schedule, let alone all the  parties.  You’re on your own for those, but promos? We’ve got that covered.

First up is GoPayment, which will send out the ‘Austin pedicab,’ part of a fleet of MetroCycle Pedicabs that can be ridden for free. In order to enjoy this experience, riders need to provide the driver with a password that is disseminated daily via Twitter and Facebook. Inuit informs it will update its offer of several other fun activities on its social media channels.

Another interesting insight will be offered by Liquidspace and their new AirBnB app, helping you find work spaces during the conference.  Continuing this localization path, Gowalla’s strategic plan around SXSW involves a recent update to their free Android app, an homologue of the iOS app released 2 months ago, in addition to push notifications for devices running Android 2.2 or higher.  For SXSW, Gowalla will also launch a new rewards system in partnership with large brands and local businesses as well:

“Everyone talks about game-mechanics and badges, but the question for us is how we take these beautiful icons and turn them into something that has tangible value,” says Josh Williams, founder and CEO of Gowalla. “That’s where our Rewards platform comes in. It allows us to take rewards from local businesses and larger brands that are definitely more akin to, say, a Groupon  or Living Social-type thing, rather than just a dollar off your coffee.”

In order to keep up with the Joneses, Foursquare will launch an updated version of their app, version 3.0, encompassing new features like a new “Explore” section, new types of deals, and a revamped leaderboard for points earned in the app. The novelty is brought by a ‘recommendations’ feature through which Foursquare will make suggestions in accordance with users’ check-in history.

[image credit sxswtrip]