Event name: Roblox Developers Conference
Event Dates: October 17-19, 2023
The much anticipated ninth annual Roblox Developers Conference (RDC) was held at the Fort Mason Center in San Francisco this October. Every year, this event brings the most innovative creators from across the Roblox global community together to connect with one another and learn about the newest features and products. When 65.5 million users spend an average of 2.3 hours every day on Roblox, there’s a LOT to talk about!
To help Roblox with its mission for RDC23, FNTECH created a robust website with an easy-to-use registration process. Dark mode and scores of small, unique features helped Roblox actualize 10,000 unique visitors on the site, along with 50,000 page views. During the event, 33 sessions were live-streamed on the platform using 8 separate camera feeds.
When arriving on the event campus, guests were immersed in the bold black-and-white design of RDC. Before entering the keynote hall, attendees walked through a dazzling five-tier white cube installation that showcased some of the visual building block elements that would be shown onscreen later. Screens with varying levels of opacity were carefully printed with intriguing builder dots to be eye-catching during the day and the perfect surface for dramatic theatrical lighting when the sun set.
In the keynote hall, a living ceiling of light dazzled RDC goers. A sea of kinetic LED spheres was suspended above the seats to float, move, flash, dim, and quickly drop to the music and screen content within mere feet of the audience, creating an immersive, Instagrammable and memorable environment. All high-end instruments were flown using 2506 feet of truss, 1916 feet of pipe, 71,421 lbs. of rigging, and 191 hoists (one for each moving light). An impressive 6 Panasonic AK-UC4000 4K cameras covered all the action (1 jib, 1 dolly, 4 on sticks). We used 7 LED screens with 12 processors and 20 data distribution boxes for content and IMAG, and 698 panels of ROE 2.6mm Black Diamond panels with 1400 feet of TAC 12 fiber helped each pixel come to life.
To facilitate the massive power needs, our team of experienced electricians ran 1.7 miles of cable, installed 289 cable ramps for safety, and provided 102 ADA ramps for accessibility.
Rock-solid networking was also a must at RDC, so our team of pros dropped 200+ hardlines, ran 20,000 feet of cable, and provided 10,000 of fiber to ensure the production team and all guests had the necessary connectivity.
The event management team had their hands full with this event, too. With nine months to plan, nine managers on the team, and about 2000 hours of planning time, no detail was overlooked. Security, housekeeping, catering, registration, and partner services were only a few of the areas under their purview. As an example of scale, on the first day alone, more than 16 pallets of swag were given out…including the much-coveted Meta Quest 2!
The most prominent venues at Fort Mason are two cavernous pavilions with no furniture, fixtures, carpet, or stage lighting; this required FNTECH to bring in everything needed to create this spectacular live event. For RDC23, it took 41 53-foot semi-trucks and 26 vans/trucks/flatbeds to safely move the 78,000 lbs. of gear in and out.
Sadly, the Roblox Innovation Awards were postponed just hours before they were to commence due to a security issue. As Roblox said in a statement to the press, “In an abundance of caution, we have decided to cancel the Roblox Innovation Awards due to a potential security concern,” Roblox posted on social media. “We are working with all appropriate authorities, and everyone is safe. We take safety very seriously.”
While we know no one wanted RDC23 to end this way, we also commend the Roblox leadership team for making the right call and are grateful and excited to continue this journey with them. We cannot wait to see the amazing things they’ll build with their community in 2024!
