In less than a week, we’re going to be packing up, boarding a plane headed for Chicago and setting up the first of this summer’s BLOXcons. But we’re not the only ones coordinating a presence at the Museum of Science and Industry; several members of the ROBLOX community will be on-site to spread the word about their organizations, products and events. Read on to find out what will be on display (and to get prepared for an awesome BLOXcon experience).

First off, a look at what’s going on at BLOXcon

Main Stage Presentation: CEO and ROBLOX Co-Founder David Baszucki and VP of Marketing and Brand Experience Brad Justus will lead a two-hour presentation covering a gamut of ROBLOX news and developments. We’ll showcase new ROBLOX features, give a bunch of awards, do an on-stage interview with celebrity ROBLOXian Merely, and more!

R&D Lab: Play and build with friends and ROBLOX developers. Ask questions, voice concerns, and give feedback to real-life ROBLOX employees. Seating is limited, so make sure to reserve your spot for the R&D Lab at the ROBLOX Staff booth!

Hackathon: Get out your laptop and participate in the Hackathon! This is your chance to test your ROBLOX skills—participate in a building and scripting challenges posed by the ROBLOX developers, and win prizes for speed and accuracy!

There will also be opportunities to meet the ROBLOX staff, interact in person with the community, and, of course, pick up schwag. We’re especially excited about the BLOXcon Chicago body package, available exclusively at BLOXcon Chicago when you purchase the shirt/ROBLOX card/fedora/BLOXcon pin bundle.

Community booths

Members of the ROBLOX community will also be providing entertainment of their own. LuaLearners, a popular Lua-scripting group/website, will be “explaining the basics of Lua and talking about how to use it to make awesome games on ROBLOX,” says booth organizer and group leader coolbob44. “Someone who is new to scripting is definitely welcome at our booth.”

They’ll be handing out free scripting packets and providing scripting guidance, as well as hosting contests (e.g. “most advanced script”). BLOXcon attendees will be able to enter contests on the LuaLearners website for the chance to win Builders Club or a ROBLOX card.

Five other group members – Imaginaerum, Sparker22, Jetblue212, Chaoticregandpledge, and LuaWeaver – will be manning the booth, and they encourage attendees to stop by.

If that’s not enough Lua for one day, cowbear16 will be displaying apps and programming books that “intend to introduce ROBLOXians to the vast world of programming without a bunch of confusing terms and dry scenarios,” he says. “My books try to make creating games on ROBLOX fun for those who never thought they could find it that way.” You’ll be able to find the books on sale at the Double Trouble Studio booth.

“People can stop by my booth just to talk about ROBLOX and ask questions. I will be all ears and I will try to share my knowledge with others, as well as try to learn for myself.”

Last year, cowbear16 sold out of 100 copies of “Basic ROBLOX Lua Programming” in about two hours. He’s going to bring a larger supply of books, as well as his latest release: “Intermediate ROBLOX Lua Programming”. You can learn more about him in this 2012 Spotlight article.

Finally, Pinewood Builders, a ROBLOX group boasting more than 15,000 members, will be representing the building side of ROBLOX content creation. T0MALO, vice president of the group, says he and three other members – Brentrockforever, N1CEANDS1MPLE and Bill52600 – will be talking with aspiring builders about getting into building and scripting, while also showcasing Pinewood projects and explaining what the group does and how functions. If you’re interested in creating great works of ROBLOX building, you should check out the Pinewood Builders booth.

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Pro-tips for an awesome BLOXcon experience

Bring a laptop, if you have one. This will let you participate in the Hackathon, where you can show your building and scripting prowess.

Bring food. That way, you’ll be able to maximize your time at BLOXcon and stay energized.

Wear comfortable clothes. It’s Chicago. It’s July. It’s probably hot.

ROBLOX staff attending BLOXcon Chicago

Afackler11

Blockhaak

Tone

Maclir

Builderman

Sorcus

NiqueMonster

SolarCrane

Merely

ReeseMcBlox

Raeglyn

Robloxsai

Tarabyte

Timobius

Twberg

RoboYZ

Zaki

ChiefJustus