re:Invent 2020: Not your average conference

I love going to conferences. I love the mix of travel and new ideas. To travel, explore new ideas, and learn when arriving at a new place in the world — or even if it's one I've been to before — is exciting. The opportunity to meet new people and strengthen connections is something I’ve always enjoyed. I’ve made some great friends at conferences and found some incredible business opportunities.

This year is obviously a little different. As re:Invent kicks off, I’ll be taking it in from my couch. Less exotic, and unless I use Skip the Dishes, I won’t be able to explore new restaurants. I am looking forward to learning new things and hearing about the latest AWS news, but clearly this will be a different experience. I’m still keen to learn and hear about what others have done with this toolset.

When AWS first published their sessions, I was a little bit overwhelmed. There’s a ton to go through. I noticed that you can filter, so I picked a few of the things I’m interested in and feel would be relevant to my work. I found that helpful to narrow down the field a bit. I also realized that the sessions are broadcast several times throughout the day. The sessions start early, then replay around mid-day, and repeat in the evening.  So if there was something I found interesting that conflicted with a client meeting, I caught it later in the day on a rebroadcast.

A few of the key themes I’m focusing on this year are Media and Entertainment, Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence, Security, Information visualization, and new product announcements. I’ll be watching the Andy Jassy keynote tomorrow, and then I have other sessions lined up for the week.

If you’re attending the event: I’m curious if there’s anything you think should not be missed and if you’re attending any networking events. I’ll be interested to see how they tackle that part of it with this conference.