Hey Everyone,
It has been quite an adventure since I’ve written a love letter to the community, but I wanted to restart doing this by saying THANK YOU! When we started RenderATL in 2019, I couldn’t have ever believed in such a short period that we would become one of the most looked forward to conferences for software engineers. We started RenderATL for and by software engineers with the intent of having the most interactive and cultural experiences within a space that was void of such. But, within that time, something extraordinary happened where we created an impact beyond the conference halls and spilled out into the culturally rich and historic avenues within the City of Atlanta. The result was infectious for our attendees and the city. We created a substantial economic impact for our beloved city while giving our attendees the cultural and technical experiences they needed to make an impact within their organizations.
Along The Journey, We Had To Grow - DRASTICALLY
Along the journey, we overcame COVID-19 as a community to gather at in-person conferences and events again but also created new growing pains associated with scaling our organization, such as venue space and efficiency of our production. We’ve heard the concerns, and I’m happy to announce that we’ve grown to meet expectations. Immediately after RenderATL 2022, our team went into overdrive and began to scout Atlanta for efficient space for RenderATL 2023. I'm happy to announce that our conference for 2023 will be held May 31 - June 2 at The AmericasMart Atlanta, which includes 150k square feet for our attendees to mix, mingle, and even dance without bumping into each other. This is a dramatic increase from our previous space size of 24k square feet; that's like going from 64 bits to now 2 Gigs of memory! Our significant growth in space was also substantial because we’re opening the conference tracks beyond our general front-end software engineering track to now include Web & Mobile Software Engineering, Entrepreneurship & Leadership, Design & CSS, and Product & Project Management. You can expect to hear from the most respected experts in their respective fields, such as Dantley Davis, Ives van Hoorne, Jewel Burks Solomon, Kimberley Bryant, Charlie Gerard, and 100+ more speakers, representing a wide range of topics. We’re proud to say that this is the industry's most technical and culturally diverse lineup of expert speakers.
Free Workshops & Seamless Access
Additionally, we’ve heard the ask of attendees wanting to get more technical hands-on experience, and we’re responding by doing all workshops at RenderATL 2023 FREE for the first 1,000 ticket holders. To make this a seamless experience, our host hotel, The Westin Atlanta, will be home to the workshops conducted on May 31 and has an above-ground tunnel that connects the hotel to our host venue. Our goal this year is to make this a seamless & integrated experience that will bring the community together physically in our occupied spaces.
We've Addressed Pain Points & Giving More Value
Another pain point we’re addressing this year is to have a seamless evening events experience. Our attendees loved how our conference allowed them to explore the various cultures of Atlanta beyond the conference halls. We’re adding even more evening events and an RSVP system to ensure you can access all the experiences you’re looking forward to while in Atlanta. One of the experiences I’m happy to share early is the National Center for Civil & Human Rights Center in Atlanta, home to some of the most historical artifacts of the civil rights movement in the United States. For RenderATL 2023, all conference attendees will have the opportunity to enter & tour the center free of charge. This experience at the National Civil Rights Center is one of the experiences I’m most excited about because it truly embodies the mission of our conference to bring everyone together in a safe and fun environment to exchange experiences and develop stronger cultural and technical relationships.
Thank You
These experiences, space enhancements, and the growth of our team couldn’t have been possible without the support of our community members like yourself for us to become the fastest-growing tech conference in the country. Thank you for supporting us from Day 1 and sticking with us as we grow to meet your expectations. We’re excited about what’s next for RenderATL and the community impact alongside the experiences.
P.S. If you came to RenderATL 2021 or 2022, check your email today for a special thank you from our team
Justin E. Samuels, Founder-CEO.
Top comments (2)
AmericasMart right by the Westin? Ya'll took the top off!
Only the best for our amazing attendees! Looking forward to seeing you there next summer.