MAX by the NUMBERS
Behind the scenes, as we gear up for MAX 2024 in Miami Beach, we’re stunned by the sheer size of the conference and how many people come together each year to make it all happen. It’s always a huge undertaking, made possible by hundreds of Adobe employees, vendors, guests, sponsors, speakers, instructors, and of course, attendees.
Global gathering
The first Adobe MAX happened in 2003 — that’s over 20 years of MAX. So far, our record is 15,200 attendees, traveling from all over the world to find inspiration, be first in line to learn what Adobe will unveil next, and to make the kind of connections that make careers. Last year, people from 74 different countries attended the in-person conference, and people from 204 countries and territories participated online.
From the MAX 2023 in-person attendee survey, these attendees told us:
- 98 percent had a better understanding of products and services
- 97 percent were inspired to create
- 96 percent learned new skills, techniques, and tools
Backstage at the mainstage
Keynotes and Sneaks are yearly high points that shed light on the direction of creativity and design. Keynotes set the tone and define the themes of the entire conference, while Sneaks give a thrilling glimpse of the near future. To ensure these mainstage events run smoothly so nothing gets in the way of the audience’s excitement, in the five months leading up to MAX, there are 104 days of demo rehearsals, for a total of 832 hours.
Almost 300 individuals work together to pull this off:
- 200-250 crewmembers to load in and load out
- 75-95 crewmembers to set up on the day before the conference
- 55 show-running professionals on the day of the events
- 12 Adobe onstage demo and executive personnel
- 6 headlining speakers
Playground of ideas
We often refer to Creative Park as the heart of the conference. It’s a place for attendees to meet up, learn from favorite creatives in Creative Park theater sessions, find original artwork in the MAX Marketplace, get hands-on with Adobe Creative Cloud apps in Adobe Ring Lab sessions, and recharge by getting playful (and petting puppies!). Here are some numbers we collected from last year’s Creative Park. We think they create a perfect snapshot of what happens there:
- 21 MAX Marketplace vendors
- 168,880 friendship bracelet beads ordered
- 10 puppies available to pet and adopt
- 160 pieces of artwork from Russell Brown’s pre-conference Wild West class showcased
- 1,173 attendees’ headshots taken
- 19 Creative Park theater sessions
- 15 Ring Lab sessions
Dazzled by data
It’s vital for MAX participants to stay connected. Attendees love to share their learnings and experiences, and MAX livestreams and online sessions are an essential part of the conference.
Behind the scenes, we get such a kick out of the way Graham Hood, Corporate Events Specialist, presents computer usage statistics. We thought you might like this look at MAX through the lens of data. From Graham:
Computer network usage statistics are not just numbers, they’re a snapshot of activity in a network. They can tell us which devices are consuming the most bandwidth, what type of data is being transferred, and when the network is most active. These statistics transform the invisible world of data flow into something we can measure, analyze, and improve. That’s what makes them so interesting and valuable.
Here are some stats from Adobe MAX 2023:
● The 27.2 terabytes of downloaded data is equivalent to downloading the entire contents of
over 6,800 DVDs. Imagine trying to carry that stack of DVDs around the event!
● If we stack the 13.9 terabytes of uploaded data in 1-megabyte external hard drives, it would
reach a height approximately equivalent to 25.3 Mount Everests stacked on top of each
other.
● The 839 gigabytes served from the Apple cache could fill over 100,000 standard 8GB iPhones.
It's like handing out a new iPhone to each attendee with room to spare.
● The data served from the Apple cache is equivalent to streaming a continuous playlist of
over 168,000 three-minute songs. It's like having a DJ marathon that lasts for days!
Creativity connects us all
One of our favorite things about MAX is the profound sense of being a part of something bigger — every one of us is a part of a creative industry, a contributor to the future of ideas, and a source of inspiration to fellow creators and colleagues. We hope to count you among MAX 2024 participants — in Miami Beach or online.