AWS re:Invent Guide for the new attendees — Part 2 Conference Content

10 min readNov 1, 2023

The guide is broken down into two parts, 1. Logistics, and 2. The actual content of re:Invent sessions.

Now that you have sorted out where to stay and eat during re:Invent, take a look at what to expect from the actual conference.

Types of Sessions

Let’s delve into the available session types at re:Invent.

Keynote: At AWS re:Invent 2023 Keynotes, you’ll hear from AWS leaders discussing top-of-mind topics, ranging from innovations in infrastructure and AI/ML to the latest trends and breakthroughs in cloud computing. This year’s presenters include Adam Selipsky, CEO of AWS, Peter DeSantis, SVP, AWS Utility Computing, Swami Sivasubramanian, VP, AWS Data and AI, and more. You can attend Keynote sessions in person (arrive early) at the Venetian or watch live feeds in various rooms/theaters and online from the comfort of your room. If you have never been to a keynote in person, I recommend attending one to experience the immense scale.
Innovation Talks: Discover the latest in cloud technology and how these advancements can propel your business forward.
Breakout Session: AWS experts, customers, and partners present these lecture-style sessions, which run 45 to 60 minutes, including 10–15 minutes of Q&A. Oftentimes breakout sessions are recorded and later shared on YouTube.
Builders’ Session: These one-hour hands-on sessions have ten attendees and one AWS expert per table. Each builders’ session begins with a short explanation or demo of what you are going to build. There is no formal presentation. A laptop is required to attend.
Bootcamp: Enhance your AWS skills with expert guidance, immersive exercises, and self-paced labs during these four- or eight-hour sessions, which can help prepare you for an AWS Certification exam. Computers will be provided.
Chalk Talk: Chalk talks are highly interactive whiteboarding sessions with AWS experts. Expect a lively technical discussion, centered around real-world architecture challenges, with a small group of experts and peers. These sessions run for 60 minutes.
Code Talk: New this year! These sessions seem to blend elements of Builder’s sessions and Chalk Talks. It’s going to be a larger audience setup style, so you can follow along or watch. The session will involve live coding for specific tasks and answering questions from the audience.
Workshop: Workshops are two-hour interactive sessions where you work in small teams to solve real problems using AWS services. Each workshop starts with a short lecture (10 to 15 minutes) by the main speaker, and the rest of the time is spent working as a group. Don’t forget to bring your laptop to these workshops.
Builder Lab: Get interactive, practical cloud experience in a live AWS sandbox environment through AWS Builder Labs (available in both self-paced and guided formats) — lab sessions will be posted soon.
Peer Talk: This was one of my favorite features at re:Invent last yaer. I got to schedule 1-on-1 meetings with some of AWS and industry leaders and experts. Use PeerTalk function on AWS Events app to easily set up meetings at a PeerTalk Lounge with others who share similar interests. Or, sign up for one of the many small group meetups where you can learn from your re:Invent community. The platform will open in early November so keep an eye out for an update. Although there are several PeerTalk lounges, most preferred to meet at the Venetian in my experience.
GameDay: AWS GameDay challenges participants to use AWS solutions to solve real-world technical problems in a team-based setting. Unlike traditional workshops, GameDays are open-ended and non-prescriptive to give participants the freedom to explore and think outside the box. There are several gamified learning events happening, covering topics such as network, AI, cybersecurity, and more. P.s. you can win prizes.

A publicly accessible S3 bucket in the wild

Expo: Learn from AWS experts and industry-leading AWS Partners at the Expo, located in the Venetian, where you can access various learning opportunities, including the AWS Village, the AWS Community Developer Lounge, and hundreds of sponsor booths. Honestly, you can spend three full days here (they’ll keep you fed, clothed and entertained/enlightened). The following sessions can be found at the Expo:

Deep Racer: Deep Racer Leagues Championships at the Expo was one of my favorite places to visit during re:Invent. Simply put, you teach a toy car to self-drive around a track. I mean, that’s really oversimplifying what goes into ML/RL. Developers of all skill levels can get hands on with machine learning through a cloud-based 3D racing simulator, a fully autonomous 1/18th scale race car driven by reinforcement learning, and a global racing league. Oh and yes, there are some crazy prizes. While there will be several workshop sessions happening throughout re:Invent, you get 10 free hours with the free tier account, so you can get your hands dirty in ML starting now.

Lightning Talk at one of the theaters at the Expo

Lightning Talk: These 20-minute sponsored talks take place at the Venetian Expo.
DevChat: Dev Chats are 20-minute interactive technical talks led by community leaders and influencers in the AWS Community Developer Lounge at The Venetian Expo.

Chaos Kitty will be returning to Builders’ Fair in 2023

Builders’ Fair: The Builders’ Fair is a fun and interactive way to learn how to apply AWS services to real-world use cases. Think science fair meets carnival/street fairs. Play and learn about projects/games built by AWS experts, partners, and customers.
AWS Jam: Another gamified learning challenge can be found at AWS Jam Lounge in the Venetian Expo. While similar to AWS GameDay in that you are learning by solving challenges, think of Jam as a set of independent challenges. What you do in one challenge doesn’t impact the other challenges. To that point, each challenge is a different AWS account with different resources. You can do it as a team or alone, at the lounge or anywhere you want once you register in-person at the lounge. GameDays on the other hand no one right answers. It will have several pieces that fit together or workflows you have to integrate with one another. Some of these tasks may impact each other if not done correctly. It’d be like one task building on top of another within one project. I believe GameDays can only be done at a specific workshop site.

Session Selection

There is a lot, and I mean A LOT, of sessions. Now comes the challenging part: which ones should you attend? Where should you start?

You can navigate the session catalog and apply filters based on industry, topics, levels, and more. Personally, I prioritize activities that can only be experienced in person, sessions I can’t replicate or watch from the comfort of my home.

I recommend going in with some questions in mind to provide a clear direction. Some attendees at tech conferences come with the intention of presenting what they’ve learned upon their return. You cannot possibly attend everything. Focus on topics that are mission-critical to your team and seek out AWS partners and customers in your industry to gain insights into how they address similar challenges that you might encounter.

Attendee Guides: If sifting through hundreds of individual sessions seems overwhelming, I recommend starting with pre-made attendee guides crafted by AWS Heroes and AWS Partners. They even have a guide for introverts!
Industry Guides: You can also explore industry-specific guides to discover sessions recommended by sectors such as automotive, healthcare, nonprofit, and more. These guides offer session recommendations, advice for creating a standout agenda, and additional insights.
AWS recently joined the FinOps Foundation as a Premier Member and I know the inner FinOps nerd in you just swooned. There’s a good chance that re:Invent will bring some exciting announcements in this regard, so be sure to stay tuned. The FinOps Foundation and AWS team will be hosting an “office hour” of a sort at The Rockhouse in the Venetian on November 28th, 12–3 pm. The Cloud Financial Management team also put together their own session guide.

Check out some other guides put together by AWS teams:

Lining up for a session at AWS Summit in New York

It’s crucial to plan ahead; session registration is already open, so make sure to reserve your sessions, review the details, and be punctual, especially if walk-up options are your only choice. Keep in mind that even at events like AWS Summit New York, where the crowd was considerably smaller, long lines still formed for some sessions. To avoid missing out, allocate sufficient time for traveling between sessions and aim to get in line early, as late arrivals might not be admitted for most sessions.

Some sessions are still being announced and updated, especially [REPEAT] sessions — these are marked with “-R” session IDs, so check the catalog periodically for the latest information.

Community Activities

Participate in various non-tech activities throughout the week, including charity events, interest group fireside chats, games, and more for socializing and exercising.

Some interest group fireside chats are:

AWS Asians in Tech Fireside Chat & Meetup — ACT040
Military Community Fireside Chat & Meetup — ACT051
LGBTQIA+ in Tech Fireside Chat & Meetup — ACT050
Women in Tech Fireside Chat & Meetup -ACT053
Latinos in Tech Fireside Chat & Meetup — ACT049
Blacks in Tech Fireside Chat & Meetup — ACT047
Indigenous in Tech Fireside Chat & Meetup — ACT048
Last year, during re:Invent, the main registration area at the Venetian SWAG area featured big screens playing Qatar World Cup games. While there isn’t a major international sports competition happening this year, I anticipate that there will be some sports-related content or activities in the same area, especially during the Sunday Sports Showcase.
Rec Center: Don’t forget to check out the re:Invent Rec Center located at Mandalay Bay. Here, you can watch, play, and participate in AWS sports collaborations, with the added bonus of the chance to win prizes.
Reflection rooms: If you are an introvert or just need a brief respite away from the chaotic madness that re:Invent can present, consider taking advantage of the quiet reflection rooms. These rooms are designed to offer a calming space for activities such as meditation, yoga, prayer, or simply a break from the crowd. You’ll also find sensory pop-up tents and sensory bags available in the reflection room.
Lactation rooms: For new mothers attending the event, rest assured that lactation rooms are provided at all the event sites to ensure privacy and convenience.

re:Play

The grand finale of re:Invent will be re:Play, taking place in an outdoor Las Vegas festival ground on Thursday night. A very well-organized shuttle service will be running between hotels. It will have two music tents, featuring DJs, live bands, food, SWAG, and physical activities. I may or may not start a rumor that U2, aka the favorite band of tech keynote speakers, is going to be in the crowd.

Two stages will feature seven acts throughout the night. The Live Stage will be headlined by Portugal. The Man, The Linda Lindas, Colony House, and King Youngblood. On the Main Stage (aka DJ stage), the re:Play All-Stars will kick off, followed by A-Trak before the DJ headliner closes out the party. The headliner will be announced during the re:Invent week.

If you would like to bring a guest along, tickets can be purchased for re:Play. Make sure to dress warmly as it can get quite chilly outside in Vegas (after all, it’s a desert) during this time of the year.

While it’s essential to have a well-thought-out game plan in advance, it’s equally important to remain flexible. Re:Invent can be quite chaotic. Unexpected opportunities might arise — you could be captivated by a new service at the expo, strike up a conversation that extends beyond your break, receive session recommendations from old contacts, or simply find it challenging to move through the crowd as swiftly as planned, and that’s perfectly okay!

Accept the fact that you might not fulfill 100% of your planned schedule. Plan ahead, but paradoxically, also be prepared for the possibility of adjustments. Some of the most rewarding experiences at last year’s event, for me, stemmed from serendipitous encounters. So, don’t hesitate to strike up conversations with strangers, make new friends in unexpected places, and simply enjoy the ride!

Looking for things to do in Vegas during your free time? Here’s my Las Vegas guide on things to do during re:Invent or on a day off.

I tried to cover as much as I could think of at the moment, but there will be more information being released, so I will update this a few times. I’m super excited to meet many people and learn! (also, feel free to throw cool SWAG my way, I’m not above looking like a bag lady at the Expo)

AWS re:Invent Guide for the new attendees — Part 2 Conference Content

Types of Sessions

Session Selection

Community Activities

re:Play

Written by Raphaela Han