Survival Guide for Big Conferences

Making the most of in-person events in a post-pandemic world

How do you know when you are not in shape? You know, when something that is usually easy for you becomes much harder. Most of us think about fitness, but “in shape” can refer to any skill, like playing a musical instrument, writing code, or recertifying your AWS certifications.

Physical fitness is certainly on my mind given my general lack of any fitness routine during the pandemic. I can feel it in climbing stairs, short bursts of running, or lifting heavy objects. More to the point though, I am referring to the fitness that allows you to survive large conferences.

For the past 20 months, in-person events vanished. There were big conferences, including AWS re:Invent 2020, but everything shifted to online. Even if the numbers attending were higher, it was hard to get a sense of the size from the comforts of your living couch staring at a 15” laptop screen (or maybe your quad screen home office setup with 32” 4K flat screens).

My front row seats for last year’s AWS re:Invent 2020

While event organizers tried their best to replicate the feel of in-person events, it simply did not translate into an engaging experience. There is only so much that one can do streaming bits and bytes over the Internet. Even the most creative online spaces could not replace the energy…