5 Tips for Attending AWS re:Invent 2025 from an Expert in Building Connections

I won’t win any prizes for correctly guessing that the theme of AWS re:Invent 2025 will be agentic.

In July, AWS launched the public preview of Amazon Bedrock AgentCore, a managed service designed to help organizations build, deploy, and operate their own AI agents. They’ve also recently added ‘AI Agents and Tools’ as a separate category on the AWS Marketplace, letting customers easily browse and integrate pre-built AI agents into their workflows. I’m expecting many more agentic announcements to be made at the conference.

AWS re:Invent 2025 will be my 9th and I have no shame in calling myself a veteran of the event. Here are my five top pieces of advice for going the distance in Vegas this December:

1. Plan your Sessions in Advance

Look at your schedule early and build it around who and what you want to see. Re:Invent 2025 takes place over six different event venues on Las Vegas Boulevard so leave enough time to get between keynotes, talks, and sessions. Choose your happy hours and make your reservations in advance. Don’t skip Presidio’s after party reception on Tuesday 2 at OMNIA — sponsored by Nasuni. As an AWS customer and NHL partner, Presidio will be bringing the Stanley Cup down with them, so join us there for a chance to get your picture with the iconic trophy.

2. Leave Enough Time to Walk the Floors

The single best thing about re:Invent is the networking. One mistake I made in my first couple of years was packing my itinerary so full that I had no spare moment, so remember to factor some breathing space into your plans. Don’t worry — your “empty” time won’t stay empty for long. You’ll bump into someone on the floor (or in the casino) and the next thing you know, you’re in three more meetings and exploring a brand new integration. But you’ll miss out on those opportunities if you don’t leave time free for them to unfold.

3. Observe the Crowds, but Don’t Always Follow Them

Humans are herd animals so a crowd will always attract a crowd. Sometimes for good reason, but not always. Pay attention to where people gather and what they listen to but be selective with your own time and attention. You can learn a lot from observing the herd mentality and taking note from a safe distance, without joining the stampede.

4. Go in With an Open Mind

This one may sound simple but it takes some work. It’s certainly useful to go into these big conferences with goals and objectives. But I recommend that you keep your mind open — to new technologies, new ideas, and new connections. I am not exaggerating when I say that Re:Invent will expand your world. But only if you let it. So keep the bigger picture in mind. Look at your place in it and how all the different pieces fit together. That’s when things will click for you.

5. Don’t Fall for the First-Night-In-Vegas Trap

AWS re:Invent 2025 runs December 1st through 5th, with a bunch of pre- and post- events. Sounds manageable, right? But trust me, a week at re:Invent is a long time. And it will feel even longer if you go painfully hard on the opening night. You could easily book seven happy hours on any given evening. But that doesn’t mean that you have to. Remember: Vegas wasn’t built on winners, however you can put your chips on Nasuni!

Embrace the Unexpected at re:Invent 2025

My biggest learning from almost a decade of re:Invent conferences is this: you always come away inspired but never by the thing you expected. So this year, I’m not just looking forward to the unexpected, I’m ready for it. Because if re:Invent teaches you anything, it’s that the best connections (and the best ideas) show up when you least expect them.