In less than 24 hours, all roads will lead to the SXSW kick off, and already Yobongo, a smash hit at SXSW last year, has been acquired by Mixbook.  Artists, geeks, movie fans, investors and founders will be present to hook up for business and pleasure.  More than 18,000 are expected to be in attendance in anticipation of technological breakouts…and partying. But before the party gets started, here are some product launches and mini events to watch out for at SXSW.

Social Media

Ambient social discovery is predicted to be the star of this year’s SXSW. The list of Android and iOS apps that will bring together people with common interests in music, movies and technology is getting longer and longer as the opening nears. Highlight, a neophyte app developer, will be present at the event to leverage GPS location data and information for their social graph. They also updated their platform with the addition of an intuitive dashboard to enhance communication between users.

Paul Davison, chief executive of the newbie Highlight, shares how apps can transform the usual serendipitous meeting of like-minded individuals:

“It’s not about meeting people or matchmaking. It’s about surfacing info about people around you and doing it in an ambient way. I’m completely convinced that in 10 years this is really going to exist.”

Music is something that has gone social. And, it is not SXSW if there is no element of singing, dancing and performing. This year, music crosses over to interactive as Monstro powers social music chart in the conference. Attendees will be provided with information on which artists and music events are trending.  A schedule of acts, venues and more can also be obtained through Monstro Social Music Chart SXSW Edition.

As for the Social Media competition, SceneTap will participate in the Accelerator Division. They have been selected as one of the finalists and will showcase their product on March 12. It will face off with seven other companies and is expected to feature their facial detection software that automatically harvests real-time information on how many people are in a certain venue, as well as the gender and age of every person entering that place.

Couponing

The scene stealers are already poised to invade this year’s SXSW. Music, tech and film industries will partake in this annual event. Making sure that they leave a mark is RetailMeNot.com’s ‘What The Truck’ that will offer a first in its league: a deal and discount scheme to help consumers save money while eating in one of Austin’s top food trucks roving around SXSW. The coupons are linked to major credit cards and consumer can easily swipe the card at a point of sale and get instant discounts.

Why launch at SXSW? Cotter Cunningham, CEO of WhaleShark Media, the mother company of RetailMeNot.com has the answer:

“We could not think of a better place than our hometown to be the first in our industry to test this new card-linked coupon technology,” says the operator of RetailMeNot.com. “This promotion enables Austinites and tech-savvy visitors to be the first to test this new savings technology we’re offering as we innovate within our industry and support local businesses who prepare some of the best food in town! So eat your heart out – the discount is on us!”

Mobile Devices

Are you ready to play hoops using your iPhone? If you are, LifeProof will be able to give you a dose of some excitement and worry at the same time. The contest “Dunk Your iPhone” has equally crazy mechanics. Participants are to throw beanbags and literally dunk their iPhone. But these Apples will be protected by the LifeProof case. Awards will be given to those who can successfully dunk their phones three times.