The board includes, in addition to insiders and outside executives, members chosen by union and nonunion workers.
But it is less revealing than the recent statements by Mitt Romney at what he mistakenly thought was a secret meeting with leading Republican executives, members of the upper 1 percent.
From talking to other lawmakers, executive branch officials and business executives, members of Congress learn potentially valuable information about military contracts, economic policy and myriad federal programs before the information becomes public.
The Financial Services Roundtable, Wall Street's leading trade group, will host an invitation-only luncheon for finance executives, members of Congress and regulators, followed by a public forum on how federal policy affects its members' retirement and annuity products.
The festival, familiarly known as SXSW, is aimed at both the industry and the public, and in March hundreds of thousands of music-industry executives, members of the news media, musicians and music fans descend on Austin.
On this occasion, the mixer drew about 100 people, uniting a wide range of environmentalists, including business executives, members of the Green Party, carpenters, chefs, makeup artists, architects, fashion designers and schoolteachers.
