You could fill a volume on how and when and whether an economic development case can be made at SXSW, the big and noisy annual conference bonanza in Austin. The tech-infused Interactive portion of the programming wraps up tomorrow.

What the #WeDC unit gets right is messaging. From the ostentatious activations adjacent to the Austin Convention Center of the past to this year’s takeover of 6th Street bake shop and beer garden Easy Tiger, the contingent coordinated by the Mayor’s office in conjunction with economic development group WDCEP puts dozens of residents and reps of The District in sync.

Judging from Sunday morning, they had no problem attracting people, and will tonight host an open-doors style party for more of them. Walk into any SXSW activation and you’ll find a heavy dose of people who are looking mostly for free food and drinks. That’s true in the bake shop activation, swarmed with D.C. branding and swag, but this reporter also found genuine city lovers from around the world who tour city houses hoping to learn more about a place.

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