Get ready for AWS re:Invent 2022
Dating back to 2012, AWS re:Invent is a flagship conference hosted by Amazon Web Services. After going 100% virtual in 2020, the event returned to Las Vegas in 2021 and is ready to kick off this November in 2022. With so many events available, what is it that makes re:Invent so special? This guide will give you the whys, wheres, whats and hows to make this event a standard feature in your marketing agenda.
What is AWS re:Invent?
Launched back in 2012, AWS re:Invent is the annual developer conference hosted by Amazon Web Services. With over 60,000 attendees and 1,500 technical sessions the learning conference can be a stand-out element in every event marketing strategy. Targeted at the global cloud computing community, the in-person event features keynote announcements, training, and certification opportunities, along with the Expo, after-hours events and more.
With this, re:Invent provides a great opportunity for attendees to sharpen their technical skills, liaise with developers and gain insights into new Amazon products and services.
Who goes to AWS re:Invent?
Anyone who wants to know more about Amazon’s new products and services will gain valuable insights at re:Invent. Nonetheless, experts within the global cloud computing community, such as developers, engineers, system administrators, systems architects, IT executives and technical decision-makers will benefit the most from the wealth of knowledge available at the conference.
Where is AWS re:Invent 2022 going to take place?
Amazon’s AWS re:Invent will take place in Las Vegas, Nevada. The event is spread across six dedicated venues that include sleeping room hotels. These venues are:
- The Venetian: the main center for AWS: reInvent. This year it will host breakout content, badge pickups, the Expo, keynotes, content hubs and meals.
- Caesar’s Forum: This venue will host breakout content, a content hub and meals.
- Encore: This venue will be used for breakout content and bookable meeting spaces.
- Mandalay Bay: As in other years, this venue will be used for breakout content, content hubs and meals.
- MGM Grand: Visit this venue for breakout content, badge pickup, content hubs and meals.
- Wynn: The activities in this venue are breakout content and meals.
AWS re:Invent 2022 dates: When is the event?
As with AWS re:Invent 2021, this event takes place in the last week of November. This year, AWS re:Invent 2022 will take place between Monday, November 28 and Friday, December 2. People will be able to go to badge pick-ups on Saturday, November 26 and the event kick-off, Midnight Madness will take place on Sunday, November 27.
You can already register to attend AWS re:Invent 2022.
What’s the price to attend AWS re:Invent 2022?
The full conference pass for AWS re:Invent 2022 is $1,799.
Before registering you will need to create an AWS Events account and verify your identity via email. A valid credit is required to purchase an in-person conference pass.
You can also use Group passes. These allow you to purchase two or more passes in a single transaction. If you are sending 50 or more people then you can email the AWS:reInvent support team to learn about their volume discount offer.
Will AWS re:Invent 2022 also be available to see as a virtual event?
As opposed to AWS re:Invent 2020, AWS re:Invent 2022 is designed as an in-person event. However, that doesn’t mean that you will miss out if you are unable to travel to Las Vegas for the event. Digital events are also part of the current event planning landscape. A free Virtual-only pass is also available, so you can register to watch keynotes and leadership sessions, live and online.
Who will be speaking at AWS re:Invent 2022?
It is clear that this event is a great opportunity to hear valuable insights from Amazon Web Services’ sharpest minds. Some of the speakers who will be giving keynotes include Adam Selipsky, the CEO of AWS; Swami Sivasubramanian, the Vice President for Data and Machine Learning at AWS; Peter DeSantis, the Senior Vice President of AWS Utility Computing & Apps; Ruba Borno, the Vice President of Worldwide Channels and Alliances for AWS; and Werner Vogels, Chief Technology Officer at AWS.
There will also be multiple leadership sessions, where numerous Vice Presidents will talk about a wide range issues from AI/ML to Developers, Diversity and Inclusion, Analytics, Cloud Storage and Operations, IoT, Networking and Content delivery, the Hybrid Cloud, the Automotive industry, the Public Sector and Security and Compliance to name a few.
What kind of sessions are there at AWS re:Invent 2022?
It’s no surprise that marketing specialists are increasingly using event intelligence to try to foresee who will attend events and determine which one is worth going to and which one isn’t. The sheer scale of available sessions can sometimes seem overwhelming.
AWS re:Invent 2022 has a large variety of sessions you can attend. Full conference passes include access to hundreds of sessions, including keynotes, breakouts, chalk talks and workshops that will cover core AWS topics and emerging technologies.
Fortunately, once you have signed in for an account, it is easy to build an agenda depending on the sessions you want to attend. The event provides a Sessions Catalog that can help you build your agenda by scanning the varied sessions available and selecting the ones that best suit you.
Over the three days of the events, you will be able to parse the sessions that interest you depending on your job role, expertise, industry, service or topic of interest. Along with that, the number of areas of interest are truly extensive.
Key things to know about the AWS re:Invent sessions
Session levels can be divided into free sessions and paid sessions. Additionally, they can be filtered by foundational, intermediate, advanced and expert level sessions. A further filter lets you select between leadership sessions, breakout sessions, builders’ sessions, bootcamps, chalk talks, workshops, theater sessions, lightning talks, labs and gamified learning. We will look into these with a bit more detail:
Leadership sessions:
As mentioned before, these will be the best opportunity to learn from the biggest players in AWS about key topics from multiple points of interest, but what about the other sessions available at AWS re:Invent 2022?
Bootcamps:
The AWS Bootcamp or AWS Partner Training workshop are expert-led training sessions set to deepen your abilities with AWS services and help prepare you for an AWS Certification exam. You can choose from technical bootcamps, partner training workshops or exam preparation bootcamps over half-day and full-day sessions. These events will take place on Monday, November 28 and Tuesday, November 29. Participants must register to attend re:Invent and then join the bootcamp. Prices can range from $225 to $600, while partner training workshops are free and available exclusively to AWS Partners.
AWS Builder Labs:
Set at the Venetian and MGM Grand throughout the whole week, the AWS Builder Labs let participants get cloud experience in a live AWS sandbox environment. Attendees can explore authentic scenarios and gain valuable insights into the AWS Management Console, while learning more about different features including security, networking and machine learning.
With over a hundred self-paced labs, attendees can try out their knowledge on their own or join an AWS Spotlight Lab to practice with an expert who can directly answer your questions and provide technical insights and tips.
Breakout sessions:
AWS re:Invent breakout sessions tend to be hour-long lecture style sessions that take place across the whole campus. These sessions cover topics at all levels and are delivered by AWS experts, partners and customers.
Silent breakout sessions are similar, but take place in a single room with headsets so that attendees can connect to the content of their choice in that room.
Virtual attendees will also be able to attend breakout sessions as these will be available on demand in the week after re:Invent.
Workshops:
Workshops are two-hour interactive sessions. Workshops will provide scenarios to encourage interaction and attendees can work in teams to solve problems using AWS services. A main speaker will provide a brief lecture and then encourage attendees to work in groups with the help of AWS experts who will be in the room.
Builder’s sessions:
In these sessions, up to nine attendees and one AWS expert work together during one hour. After a short demonstration of what you are going to build, you need to collaborate together to reach your objective.
Chalk talks
Small audiences can enjoy these highly interactive content formats to learn more about real-world architecture challenges. Chalk talks begin with short lectures delivered by an AWS expert, followed by a 50 minute Q&A session.
Chalk talks have one main speaker and a couple of additional AWS experts who work through problems on a whiteboard as questions and discussions arise.
Content Hubs
Content hubs allow attendees to watch livestreams of popular sessions in one place.
Will there be any other events apart from sessions in AWS re:Invent 2022?
Attending sessions provides an important opportunity to learn at re:Invent, but it isn’t the only thing you can do at AWS re:Invent 2022.
The Expo
The Expo is an ideal way to connect and interact beyond the sessions. Held at the Venetian, the Expo will host the AWS Village, AWS Builder’s Fair, AWS Community Lounge, AWS Jam Lounge, AWS Marketplace Solutions booth, AWS Partner Network booth, AWS Startup Loft, AWS Partner theaters, AWS Deep racer, AWS Worldwide Public Sector Pavilion, and sponsoring partner booths.
The Expo provides different environments and scenarios to develop new skills or practice your existing ones in multiple areas. This is also a good place to have some fun, the AWS DeepRacer, for example, lets you race in a virtual simulation environment and have your driving analyzed. Different booths have different prizes for participants.
Gamified Learning
Re:Invent is algo about enjoying yourself while learning. AWS and their partners offer four gamified learning opportunities to bring a competitive edge to your learning experience: AWS GameDay, AWS GameDay Quest Fest, AWS Jam and AWS Jam Lounge. While the first three are scheduled sessions based on expertise levels, the Lounge experience is self-paced.
Meet Sponsors and Partners
Events are also an opportunity to network. For marketers looking to make data-driven decisions on what events are worth going to in terms of possible leads, the numbers add up with AWS Re:Invent 2022. This year, the Expo hall will feature over 100 AWS Partner booths where you can watch demos, liaise with representations and learn how to build solutions with partners and sponsors.
If you are already an AWS Partner, then the Partner Experience will provide partners with additional opportunities to connect and collaborate to build successful business practices and solutions.
re:Play party
These events are also known for the AWS re:invent parties, and Las Vegas knows how to party. For the 11th annual re:Play party, on Thursday 1st December at the Las Vegas Festival Grounds musical headliners, and fun activities abound to make your visit unforgettable.
Events after AWS Re:Invent 2022
Las Vegas is an ideal place to liaise and meet people beyond AWS. With thousands of potential leads and partners concentrated in one hub, side events can also provide chances to network and generate leads for your business.
However, choosing the right event to go to when there are so many available can be a difficult task. This is where event-intelligence can help you get insights into who will be attending what, and where to invest your time and resources in order to capitalize on the opportunity to bring in leads and partnerships opportunities. Wouldn’t you like to have all of the attendee data before the event even begins?
What will the Virtual experience be like at AWS re:Invent 2022?
While AWS re:Invent 2022 is going to be an in-person event that will be best leveraged by those who are able to attend the occasion in-situ, there will still be offerings for those who are unable to visit Las Vegas.
For those who want to register but not attend in-person, there is a free virtual-only pass. With this virtual viewers will have free access to keynotes and leadership sessions. Breakout sessions will also be available on demand after the event has finished.
Digital content will include closed captioning, subtitles and translation services to make sure that nobody misses out on the learning experience.
What to expect from AWS re:Invent 2022
The expectations and objectives you set for AWS re:Invent 2022 should be as high as the preparation you invest in it. AWS re:Invent provides the ideal scenario to learn about new digital advances while networking and driving leads.
Your marketing team, however, also has to do its homework before the event. This includes setting an objective or KPIs and identifying a clear target audience. If you arrive at the event but do not seem to connect with the right people, or leave Las Vegas without any established networks, your company may feel like your attendance has been a waste of time, resources and money.
AWS re:Invent attracts industry experts from a wide scope of sectors. That opens multiple opportunities but also means that there are thousands of attendees who do not suit your business objectives. There is only so much networking you can do on a trial and error basis and while doing so you may be missing out on potential partners and leads. It is important to be able to identify your ideal customer profile (ICP) before arriving at Las Vegas and use event intelligence to forecast who will attend the events and how they can relate to your marketing strategies.
Is AWS re:Invent 2022 worth it?
If past events are anything to go by then it looks like AWS re:Invent is one of the biggest events of the year and a perfect opportunity to liaise with peers and possible partners who are also interested in the digital landscape. If we look at how many attended AWS re:invent 2021, over 60,000 people visited the event last year in Las Vegas.
Events like these can help industry specialists learn new ways to boost their business growth and gather new ideas on how to innovate and solve problems.
Attendee Data: You can learn who is attending and prepare for it
Vendelux already has AWS re:invent attendee data with thousands of attendees, and hundreds of exhibitors and sponsors who will be going to AWS re:Invent 2022. This information lets you analyze the kind of audience who will be at the event. For now, the audience includes 75% of peers with professional seniority, 13% are VPs and Directors and 12% are C-suite executives.
Multiple industries are represented in this event too. For example, 32% come from the software industry, while 10% come from Research and 6% belong to Telecommunications. By using event-intelligence you can determine which event includes more people from the industry that best represents you and target them.
If done with preparation and attention to detail, attending AWS re:Invent can provide you with leads and partnerships opportunities that can consequently deliver a positive ROI.
How do I plan for AWS re:Invent 2022 and what do I do after the event?
To get the most out of these kinds of events, you need to have a carefully elaborated plan. Not only is there so much to see once you arrive, you may also want to prepare and organize yourself for any after parties and post-event networking opportunities.
To do so, you need to scope out the sessions that are of interest to your company, filtering out the leadership and breakout sessions, the workshops, the builder labs and the networking opportunities at the Expo that are relevant to your sector and expertise.
Review the sponsors who will be attending too, and make a plan of who you would like to connect with. Once that is done, gather all the necessary aws re:invent attendee data, and leverage the insights into the attendees you want to network with.
This can be done by targeting the audience you want from this event. Consequently, this is why pre-planning is so important if you use the right technology to help you pick out the events that best suit you.
Where can I stay when I am traveling to AWS re:Invent 2022?
If you decide that you want to go to AWS re:invent, first things first, you will need to find a hotel. When looking for a place to stay, try to find somewhere close to the Venetian. This is where the Expo is and a lot of important keynotes take place. Las Vegas isn’t the easiest place to get around in, so the closer you are, the better.
The hotels at the re:Invent campus are available for reservations. You will be able to book your hotels after registration opens. Once you have registered, select “Make a hotel reservation” from the attendee portal and book your hotel.
Remember, if you are booking your accommodation with the re:Invent app, the automatic payment only covers the first night. This also serves as a deposit. When checking in, you will have to pay for the remaining charge using the same card you used in the app.
If, at any moment, you want to make changes to your hotel reservation, you can do so on your attendee portal until early November. AWS also provides advice on what other hotels near the event you can book, all you need to do is contact their support team at awsreinvent-support @ amazon.com
Do attendees get discounts at these hotels?
Hotels in Las Vegas can be quite costly. So fortunately, you will be able to access exclusive discounted rates at re:Invent’s select hotels after registering. The discount will appear automatically when you book one of these hotels through your attendee portal.
Can I stay at these hotels if I am under 21 years old?
Las Vegas has strict gaming regulations, so you must be at least 21 years old to make a reservation at the re:Invent campus hotels. If you are 18 to 20 years old and would like to attend AWS re:Invent 2020, then you can reach out to support at [email protected] and they can help you find another hotel nearby. If you are checking in with someone who is 21 or over, you can also stay at any of these hotels.
Tips when traveling to Las Vegas for AWS re:Invent 2022
So, you have your CMO’s approval, your hotel booked and your reservation ready for AWS re:Invent 2022, here are some tips to make sure you go fully prepared for the event.
Bring your business cards
Seeing as you will be meeting plenty of peers and colleagues, don’t forget to bring more business cards than usual to make sure you don’t run out of them by the second day. With so many sessions, workshops and parties to attend, you will have plenty of opportunities to hand out your contact details.
Bring comfortable walking shoes
Sure, you want to look smart when liaising with potential leads, but you are also going to walk significant distances for a week. Leave the tight leather shoes or heels for another event and keep things comfortable for AWS re:invent. The campus is massive, and often the best way to get around is on foot.
Don’t bring your thickest winter clothes.
November and December can be cold in Las Vegas. But we need to bear in mind that this place is in the middle of the desert. Temperatures can reach 60 degree Fahrenheit (15-16 degrees Celsius) during the day and drop to as low as 32 degrees Fahrenheit (0 degrees celsius) on its coldest days. So when we talk about bringing winter attire, it doesn’t mean preparing for snowy weather but rather to prepare for mild days and chilly nights.
Often, it’s easier to get a taxi
There will be plenty of shuttles available during this event. For example, while we recommend taking a shuttle to the re:Play party if you wish to attend, other activities, like getting from the airport to Vegas, are better off being carried out in a taxi. Shuttles tend to stop at lots of hotels in the city, meaning that it may take a while before you finally reach your destination.
The Keynotes at re:Invent are unmissable
The keynotes are re:Invent are a standout feature for AWS. Experts and industry leaders from the world of cloud-computing and digital technology share announcements, product launches and inspirational customer stories that may serve as a eureka moment for your own brand. The keynotes also lead to surprise workshops.
Plan ahead if you want to network
The keynotes are interesting, but if you want to network and bring leads, don’t get overwhelmed by all there is to see and do at AWS re:invent. Plan beforehand, book your hotels early, and know who will be attending what and where to be able to be prepared for each event and to have your pitch ready for when it comes to networking. If you don’t know how to do it, turn to event intelligence to help you out.
Have fun at the side events too
AWS re:Invent is the only event happening in Las Vegas. There will be numerous side events hosted by sponsors that can extend your possibilities of finding business partners and networking opportunities. Some of these events may require smart attire, others are more casual, but if you do your research on the event and the attendees then you can go fully prepared.
AWS re:Invent 2022 Summary
AWS re:Invent 2022 is a standout event for many marketers. However, attending these events require investments in terms of money, resources and time. Managers will want to know the ROI of these investments and re:Invent is an opportunity to make the most of face-to-face networking, workshops and sessions so that you don’t leave Las Vegas with nothing to write home about.
Thankfully, event marketing strategies can also help you reach those ROI. Event intelligence and data driven insights can help ensure that AWS re:invent 2022 meets your expectations by guiding you to the right events and potential leads.
With the right planning and the best insights, you can both enjoy AWS re:invent 2022 and deliver the positive ROI and lead generation results your business needs.
