re:Invent tips

A few thoughts on maintaining your sanity as an attendee of re:Invent.

As a person who values peace and quiet, Las Vegas is my least favorite city. The lights and sounds are 24x7. Sin City doesn’t sleep but that shouldn’t stop you from getting some rest. If you are a recharged-by-socializing, power-through-the-week-then-crash type, all the power to you. I need frequent breaks and a good night’s sleep!

Hotel room too noisy? Request a different room. In 2019, I stayed at the LINQ Hotel and was put on the third or fourth floor. Way too close to the action. I could hear the music coming from the nearest bar and knew this would affect my sanity for the entire week. A quick call to the front desk and I was moved up ten floors. Backup tactics: bring a noise machine, portable speaker, or ear plugs. Sleep masks also helpful for blocking out that sliver of light piercing your curtains.

Take frequent breaks from the hustle and bustle. re:Invent provides a few silent session overflow rooms where attendees can watch sessions on headphones. These are great for taking a breather. Weather permitting, have a sit outside away from the strip. Last year there was an AWS for Industries tent outside the southern part of the main convention center (near the monorail stop) that was heated, quiet, had couches, and served snacks. Good place for a breather or meeting a colleague if it is there again! Backup tactics: put on headphones and listen to some music while traversing the many convention hallways, put on your face mask for a little extra anonymity.

Plan your routes. You will not be able to make back-to-back sessions or appointments unless they are in the same place. And I mean the same place. Even two sessions in the same hotel can be a challenge. Forget it if you have to go even one hotel over. It can take a full hour to go from one event to another if you are using the convention busses or walking the strip. If you’re walking, be sure to have comfortable shoes. You can pack your dress shoes in your bag and swap ‘em when you get to your destination.

Stay hydrated. Bring a canteen or find a booth on day one giving them away as swag. Clean out any new canteen before use! Please avoid single use plastic water bottles.

Combining earlier points- be careful about overbooking yourself. Give yourself time to change locations, hydrate/stretch, and take those breaks! I find it much easier to be engaged and absorb information when I’m not fatigued.

One last thought on time management- I skip the keynotes. It can be exciting to be in the audience and learn about new launches in real-time. However, I think you can get the headlines later from blogs and invest that time in more differentiated activities like chalk talks, workshops, and chatting with the brilliant Amazonians in the Builders Fair.

Bring a face mask and portable hand sanitizer. People fly in from all over the world for re:Invent and the halls are crowded. Bring back swag and knowledge for your colleagues, not germs!

Transit. The monorail is effective for north-south traversal of the strip. Good for a single hop or going longer distances. I usually walk to go 1-2 hotels away, monorail for anything that makes sense with its route, and the re:Invent busses for long routes. IMO neither Lyft or bus is worth it for a few blocks. Las Vegas does not have great airport transit so I usually take a Lyft to and from.

My take on food is… eat the free stuff provided by AWS. Yeah it’s not great, but you can eat all you want or take a boxed meal (or two) to go. I don’t like to overeat and Las Vegas restaurants serve me way too much food that I can’t finish or reasonably have later as leftovers. My top picks for restaurants are Best Friend, Momofuku, and NoMad Library. The Eater 38 list won’t fail you if you’re looking for more recommendations.

Hope this helps! Have a great time whether it is your first event or you are a re:Invent veteran.