Amazon Accelerate 2024 - Know Before You Go

This is a living document that will be updated as new information becomes available. If you are planning to release a new product or feature at Accelerate, please DM me so I can add it to my updates during the event. Okay, let’s get started.

Welcome to #amazonaccelerate 2024!

Accelerate is Amazon’s premier annual seller conference. It offers a unique experience for all attendees, whether in person in Seattle or virtually from anywhere.

Only a few tickets remain for sale, if you want to attend in person, buy yours today. If you can't attend in person, you can join the virtual event. The event will include three general sessions from Amazon leadership, 60+ breakout sessions, a seller cafe to meet with Amazon, a partner connect, and social networking events.

• When: September 17-19, 2024
• Where: Seattle Convention Center, Seattle, WA
• Cost: Virtual tickets are free. Live event tickets will sell out soon.

Your Checklist:

• Register for Seller Cafe appointments
• Build your agenda
• Download the conference app (check the app store)
• Attend the Block Party (Wednesday night)

Please make sure you take care of these as soon as possible; see below for details.

Keynote

Amazon leaders will share new products, tools, and resources Amazon is launching to help you grow your business, along with sellers sharing their journeys and success stories. Last year's keynote was packed with valuable information. Make sure to get a seat and be ready to take notes.

Conference App

Download the conference app to build your agenda, see all the activities, schedule one-on-one meetings, and more. (I will update the link once it's available)

Official Events

Accelerate Pavilion and Connections Hub - This is the central hub for the show, a place to meet up, and will serve as your go-to destination to network and explore. The pavilion is open all day on Tuesday, allowing you to check out partners, learn about Amazon products, and start networking on Day 0. Get your badge and plan to stay for a while. Then, the pavilion will be the place to get your breakfasts, lunches, and snacks served throughout the event, so check back. Last year, they had daily swag giveaways and other surprises.

Welcome Reception—Arrive early and stop by the convention center on September 17 to meet and greet other attendees. The welcome reception will run from 4 to 6 p.m. and include food and drinks. This is a good chance to meet Amazon leadership, get your badge, and start networking.

Amazon Block Party — Don’t miss the Amazon backyard Seattle block party on Wednesday night. The Space Needle serves as the backdrop, and the evening will be filled with food trucks, swag, entertainment, and more. This was a great event last year, with lots of photo ops. Shuttles will be provided from multiple hotels and leave every 10 minutes. You must have your Accelerate badge to board the bus and attend.

Unofficial Events

Monday

Brand Dinner hosted by Xnurta - If you are a brand attending Accelerate, contact for details.

Agency Dinner hosted by Teikametrics , MerchantSpring and Carbon6 . If you are an agency attending Accelerate, contact Jason Magee for details.

Tuesday

Sips on the Sound—An?Amazon Ads Happy Hour—6:30 - 9:30—Open to advertisers and partners. Limited space remains. DM me if you are interested.

Global Overview Happy Hour—5 - 7 PM—The Nest Rooftop Bard - RSVP here or contact Jacob Eckeberger for more details.

Savor & Connect: Happy Hour at Terra Plata- 6-8pm- hosted by Xnurta & Monks . RSVP here

Seattle Seller Soiree—6:30 - 10 pm—hosted by Trellis , Jungle Scout , PickFu , Autopilot - Contact Luke McGinnis for more details.

7-Figure Seller Dinner—6:30 PM—Hosted by Titan Network , Getida and Northbound Group —sign up here.

Networking Happy Hour—7 - 9 PM—Hosted by Quartile and MerchantSpring . Sign up here.

Wednesday

Xmars Afterdark — 9-11pm at the Nest- hosted by? Xnurta , RSVP here?

Seller Circus - the Block Party / After Party —7 pm - Midnight—Hosted by Rich Goldstein , Eddie Maalouf , Mina Elias and Izabella Ritz . Free for sellers who qualify, service providers pay a fee. More details here.

Think ahead for unBoxed!

While this newsletter is focused on Accelerate, now is the time to get your tickets for Kevin King 's Halloween Bash. Kevin hosts this event in Austin every year and aligned the dates to happen during unBoxed. Get your tickets now!

New This Year

Product Launch Zone - Interested in learning more about Amazon’s latest launches? This dedicated space is where you can meet with Amazon subject matter experts to learn more about the launches announced during General Session. As part of a smaller audience, you have the unique opportunity to get your burning questions answered and dive into the details of Amazon’s latest tools, features, and services.

Partner Connect - A curated collection of Amazon selling programs and third-party service providers designed to help you accelerate your business growth. From advertising and creative services to shipping logistics and API integration developers, Partner Connect offers direct access to nearly 50 different partners—no matter if you’re attending Amazon Accelerate in person or virtually.

Breakout Sessions

This year's event will have over 3,600 in-person attendees, 9K+ virtual attendees, 60+ sessions, and 150+ speakers. This means that it has plenty of content to keep you busy. All the sessions have detailed descriptions, including tags, for you to figure out what is right for you. The agenda builder is designed to help you plan out your day and ensure that you don’t miss anything. Remember, adding a session to your agenda does not guarantee you a spot. Seats are filled on a first-come, first-sever basis.

Here are a few sessions that I have circled on my calendar and plan to attend.

Wednesday, September 18, 2024

• 11:00 - 11:45 PST — Same Budget, Higher Sales: Optimizing Your Sponsored Products Campaigns with Chris Moe ( Cartograph )
• 1:30 - 2:30 PST — Scale Your Reach With Advanced Advertising Solutions featuring Sylvio Lindenberg ( Quartile ) and Deepak Mehrotra hosted by Shekar Reddy
• 2:45 - 3:45 PST — Thinking Beyond ROAS: Full- funnel Measurement Strategies for Amazon Sellers featuring Beth Wall ( Global Overview ) and Gretchen Holquist , hosted by Heather Liu
• 4:00 - 5:00 PST — Unlock a New Way Optimize Your Holistic Advertising Portfolio featuring Gabe Fishbein ( Flywheel ), Ayush Chaudhary ( Adbrew ) and Kashif Zafar ( Xnurta ) hosted by Jessie L.
• 4:00 - 5:00 PST — Make Every Dollar Count: Managing Advertising Costs While Optimizing Efficiency featuring Destaney Wishon ( BTR Media ) and hosted by Robin Paris

Thursday, September 19, 2024

• 11:30 - 12:15 — Ready, Set, Stream: Unlock New Brand Growth with Streaming TV Ads with David Hill, Michelle E. Winters and Jillian Losik ( eMarketplace Management LLC )
• 12:45 - 1:30 — From Concept to Campaign: Produce Compelling Creative with New AI Tools with Anita L. and Daniel W.

A Tour of Seattle - For Amazon Nerds

If you are an Amazon geek like me, these are some things you may want to do while in Seattle.

Visit the Spheres - You won’t be able to go inside, but it's still a really cool structure to check out right in the heart of the Amazon campus.

Amazon Go - Just down the block from the Amazon Spheres is an Amazon Go store. This was the first one. If you have never experienced the walkout technology, this is your chance.

Amazon Banana Stand - The stands are open weekdays from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., providing bananas to employees and non-employees alike. Stand attendants, known as "banistas", oversee the distribution of around 8,000 bananas per day in its two wooden carts, supervised by so-called "bananagers" who keep track of demand. The Banana Stand is usually located outside the Day 1 building, next to the park.

People watch - Dog Watch - In the footprint of the Spheres is the South Lake Union Dog Park. This area usually has some games or some type of fun setup. The last time I was in town, they had swings. It's a great place to hang out and people-watch.

Amazon HQ Tour - Amazon offers tours on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. The 90-minute tour takes visitors to a few buildings on campus. Reservations are required.