Amazon Web Services AWS re:Play 2018

This closing celebration of Amazon Web Services re:Invent conference in Las Vegas was one of our most ambitious productions to date. It took more than a year of planning and design, and over 36,000 hours of build and strike labor, to create a hybrid blend of music festival and theme park to entertain 25,000 guests. Filling the Las Vegas Festival Grounds with four structures surrounding an outdoor Courtyard, the complex offered food, gaming, and musical entertainment by Skrillex, Mija, Future Islands, and Thievery Corporation–plus harder-to-define diversions like the Ballcano, an enormous inflatable filled with 150,000 balls.

The party featured a chopped up “remix” of the conference art, which then iterated into the stage designs, scenic inflatables rigged throughout the structures, and the overall event look and feel. All attendees enjoyed complimentary food and open bars through 4 different environments, consuming over 140,000 items of food in 5 hours.

The Club structure showcased DJ sets by Skrillex and Mija. It featured over 400 lighting fixtures, a slanted LED wall, and automated trusses panning and tilting through the night to create unique and dynamic looks. It also housed a 50’ tall inflatable installation and photo op.

The Games structure featured high energy, custom activities designed to delight participants and captivate large amounts of spectators. Attractions included:

• The Ballcano which housed 150,000 balls in an enormous inflatable
  
• Office Chair Grand Prix which placed 2-person teams in a relay drag race
  
• Button Mash which allowed teams of attendees to compete in responsive track and field style games on large LED walls.

The Live stage held intimate performances by Future Islands, Thievery Corporation, and Zach Person, offering attendees a more relaxed atmosphere to enjoy music. The Dome contained an immersive laser show installation, scored to a custom soundtrack, and featured over 40 different laser fixtures.

AWS re:Play 2018 required 250+ trucks of production, 30 million pounds of ballasting, 15+ miles of lighting cables, over 36,000 hours of build and strike labor, and a year of concept, design, development and planning.