First time re:Invent attendee. First impressions.

The conferences I typically attend are Cisco Live (CLUS) and Enterprise Connect (EC). Occasionally, I manage to get into CCW if the dates overlap, but CLUS and EC are my primary focus, and I’ve probably attended them for over 10 years.

This year, as a?company, we decided it made sense to check out AWS re:Invent. Our AWS practice has become a significant part of our business—especially around Amazon Connect—so this seemed like the perfect time. Below are some takeaways and things I’d love to see improved.

The Good:

1. The Scale of the Event: The sheer size of re:Invent was staggering. The largest conference I’ve attended previously had around 30,000 attendees, but this one was estimated to have 60,000. That’s insane! Yet, everything was well-organized—there was always someone nearby to guide you, and while it felt overwhelming, it was controlled chaos.
2. Session Content: Overall, the session content was pretty good. I had some?gripesabout certain topics, but the workshops (labs) ran incredibly smoothly. It was fantastic to spin up a fresh AWS account, have prebuilt resources, and dive into the learning tasks. I absolutely loved working through the labs.
3. Networking: The networking opportunities were excellent. I got to reconnect in person and meet many new, interesting people—customers, AWS partners, and AWS employees alike. The amount of engagement opportunities was impressive.
4. The Weather: While I didn’t spend much time outdoors, the weather was perfect. Unlike previous visits, I didn’t have to go back to my room for a midday shower.

The Bad:

1. Vegas: Need I say more?
2. Finding Sessions: Searching for sessions was frustrating. For example, looking up “Amazon Connect” workshops in the catalog led to unrelated results like a Direct Connect workshop as the first hit, with an actual Amazon Connect workshop showing up fifth. Surely Q can help improve this?
3. Session Locations: Sessions were scattered across multiple hotels, making it nearly impossible to attend all the ones I wanted. On Monday, there were four non-overlapping sessions I wanted to attend, but they were spread across three hotels with a maximum of 30 minutes between them. Even at top speed, attending three was a stretch. While replays help, not all sessions are recorded.
4. Workshop Access: Considering the logistical challenges, I wish workshops posted their URLs so attendees could complete them later. Even better would be a centralized way to find these directly on?https://workshops.aws.
5. Meals: The mobile app didn’t provide menu information ahead of time, making it difficult to decide whether to grab a boxed lunch. It would also have been great to have boxed lunch stations outside the main meal areas to save time when rushing between hotels.
6. Conference Cost: Attending re:Invent is pricey. All-in, you’re looking at around $5,000 at least, though you might be able to cut it down to $3,500 if you’re frugal. Still, the tickets alone are the most expensive I’ve seen for a conference.
7. December Timing: While the weather was nice, December is a tough time for conferences. Many attendees have just come off Thanksgiving travel, head to this event, and then face more travel in 1–2 weeks for the holidays.

The Mobile App:

1. Session Search: The app was great at finding sessions but struggled with everything else. For example, while Amazon Q did an okay job recommending sessions, it couldn’t tell me where to pick up my?badge?at the airport or what was being served for lunch each day.
2. Performance: The app was slow to load. Despite having a phone that’s less than a year old, it felt like the app was loading for the first time every time I opened it. You’d think AWS could prioritize app traffic on their Wi-Fi or use a local CDN.

Final Thoughts:

Overall, I’d attend AWS re:Invent again, but I’m not sure it would be a yearly event for me. The cost and scheduling challenges make it a less-than-ideal fit for an annual commitment.