Inside RSAC 2025 in San Francisco: AI Threats, Ninjas and Baby Goats -

RSAC 2025 Conference, the world’s largest cybersecurity show, brought together a record 44,000 attendees to its 34th annual flagship event at the Moscone Center in San Francisco, April 28 through May 1. Among the most pressing topics discussed were Agentic AI, critical infrastructure, emerging threats and evolving policy, all part of the rapidly changing environment where collaboration and sharing information are key.

“The strength, determination, and voice of our collective community was on full display all week as the cybersecurity industry works tirelessly to help build a safer society,” says Linda Gray Martin, svp, RSAC.

This year’s theme celebrated diversity and collaboration in cybersecurity under the banner “Many Voices. One Community,” so it was particularly fitting that the event would serve as a launch pad for the new RSAC Community Platform designed to support the cybersecurity community with exclusive research and content as well as a dedicated AI co-pilot.

“The whole reason we bring people together is to talk about this incredibly important topic of security, which has national security implications, and make sure that we are secure as a society,” says Michelle Adams-Dixon, vp-global marketing and comms at RSAC. “As a community, we come together to make sure we’re always ahead of threats, so we decided to formalize it in a form of a membership where individuals can have this connection year-round.”

Attendees could join by scanning QR codes around the conference campus, which this year, included the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts that hosted keynotes, RSAC Sandbox, and the DARPA AIxCC Experience.

Impactful, splashy branding made it easy to navigate the multiple venues, creating a unified look and feel and keeping the momentum high. Nth Degree Events handled event production.

Immersive Hands-on Challenges Rule

It was all high stakes, all the time. Just off the floor, attendees could step onto the “train” at the DARPA AIxCC Experience and be transported to the fictional city of Northridge that showcased the importance of AI-driven cybersecurity in protecting critical infrastructure, as in a hospital being under a cyber attack. It also presented DARPA AI Cyber Challenge, a competition that applied DARPA’s competition model to accelerate the development and prove the effectiveness of automated AI-enabled tools that identify and patch vulnerabilities. This is where complex technology pieces came together in a theme-park-level immersive space that was perfect for deep learning and aha moments.

Talking about insane engagement level and dwell time, Idaho National Lab invited attendees to ICScape Pandemonium escape room, where they had to solve a hostile takeover cybersecurity situation, tapping into their love for puzzles as well as hard skills to turn the power to the control system back on.

Brands Geek Out

On the show floor, brands went all out with exhibits that leveraged the audience’s laser-like focus, competitive spirit and deep nerdiness. Rubrik presented cyber resilience through a retro arcade with demo stations named after fan-favorite video games. Wiz brought a toy-filled security playground and invited attendees on the CISO Treasure Hunt, with QR codes hidden under toys that led to hidden swag coupons. Commvault warped time with its striking Rewind tunnel, taking attendees to a more cyber-resilient future, and also turned on the pressure with its new Commvault Recovery Range off the floor, where IT pros could battle sophisticated cyber attacks and real-world threats as well as gain rapid recovery skills while racing against the clock.

A large-than-life statue of Famous Chollima, a notorious hacking group, loomed over the entrance to the Crowdstrike exhibit, where attendees could dive deep into product demos as well as pick up collectible swag, before heading to the off-floor workshops and the Flight Club lounge.

To showcase the speed to cyberthreat response, DNSFactor put the pedal to the metal with a very popular race track competition. Data security company Cy4 Data Labs went all in on agility and endurance with a wild American Ninja Warrior obstacle course. Grave Digger monster truck in all its 12,000-pound glory drew attendees to Torq’s booth.

If all the excitement got to be too much, baby goats at the Kiteworks exhibit had a magical grounding effect and made it impossible to forget the brand’s promise of greatness in data security and compliance.

Beyond-Booth Engagement Shines

Exhibitor needs are evolving with a growing emphasis on deeper, personalized engagement, which translates to unique off-site sponsorship opportunities, says Karen Daniele, vp and general manager at Nth Degree. From storefronts to park corners, brands found creative approaches to building deeper connections that felt organic to the show and the audience.

A short walk from the convention center, Crowdstrike set up its Falcon Lounge, a happening multi-purpose branded space that amplified connections and offered exclusive value. In the morning, it was all about respite from the show floor with vinyl vibes, specialty coffee drinks, and retro AI photos. Muir Woods Zen Lounge featured a custom scent bar and massage chairs for true relaxation and engaging all senses (that’s before scanning a QR code to learn about bad actors). Branded slippers were a nice touch. In the afternoon, the space became a Startup Nest and brought on serious firepower with Adversary Underground in the evenings.

On the show floor, Orca Security connected the mission to protect what matters most in the cloud and beyond with a booth full of rescue puppies. As attendees stepped outside for some fresh air, they could engage with the brand at the Apex Guardian Outdoor Cafe, where sugary treats and caffeine perfectly complemented games and Orca-themed prizes.

With a galaxy-glazed donut in hand, it was hard not to enjoy a moment of unstructured time in the beautiful park in the heart of the campus. Under the rare San Francisco sun, like-minded people struck up conversations and shared experiences, proving that human connection is ultimately our strongest defense. (Agency: Nth Degree Events)

Photo credit: Anna Huddleston