This year there will be over 600 sessions at SXSW Interactive. The majority of the sessions were picked via users on the SXSW PanelPicker, with more than 3,000 ideas entered. The result is a variety of influential speakers in categories such as Art, Science, and Inspiration, Branding and Marketing, Content and Distribution, Fashion, Gaming, and Sports – and that’s just a short list. While there are many speakers we would love to hear, we’ve narrowed down a list of 5.

The Speakers

Genevieve Bell of Intel

Intel’s intellectual, cultural anthropologist Genevieve Bell will be speaking this year. According to a profile on her published last year by New York Times, she personifies “the company’s aspirations to be regarded as more than just a chip maker.” She directs user experience at Intel, and due to her background, it’s safe to say this would be a great panel to go to if you’re trying to get your company to have a more personal UI connection with consumers.

Phil Libin of Evernote

If you don’t use Evernote, you may want to look into it, as it’s easily one of the handiest productivity apps. CEO Phil Libin of the Silicon Valley-based company will be speaking this year. If you’re interested in learning more about productivity, working on mobile apps, or most likely some of Evernote’s anecdotes and tips for success, this panel will definitely be worthwhile.

Daniel Pink, author of To Sell is Human and Drive

You probably recognize the name, but for a one-sentence introduction – Daniel Pink is the author of some of the most popular and influential books on management and business, including To Sell is Human: The Surprising Truth About Moving Others and Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us. Due to his writing, his panel will most likely touch on motivation in the workplace, presentations, sales, and managing change. Having sold over two million books worldwide, Pink has clearly offered some useful advice for hundreds of businesses.

Eric Ries, author of The Lean Startup

One of the most popular books for entrepreneurs in the last few years is Eric Ries’ The Lean Startup. Notable individuals such as Tim Brown (CEO of IDEO) and Dustin Moskovitz (co-founder of Facebook and Asana) have praised the book. Ries’ talk should be of great interest for entrepreneurs and start-up executives, but I imagine any business professional could benefit from his advice and wisdom.

Sandy Carter IBM in conversation with Reshma Saujani Girls Who Code

Sandy Carter is IBM’s worldwide General Manager in Ecosystem Development and Social Business, while Reshma Saujani is the founder of Girls Who Code. Launched in 2012, Girls Who Code is an organization working to close the gender gap in the technology and engineering sectors. Needless to say, given Carter’s noteworthy speeches and profile at IBM and the rapid growth of Girls Who Code, the conversation between Carter and Saujani promises to be highly engaging, informative, and moving.

Now, these are only 5 of the 600+ sessions this year, so you can imagine how stacked the line-up is this year for speakers, topics, and panels. While these five caught our eye, we know there will be plenty more great speakers there. Be sure to browse through the whole list when planning your schedule. SXSW is one of the most valuable learning and networking experiences for all professionals so plan accordingly.