Surviving (and Thriving) at AWS re:Invent 2025

If you are building on AWS, the next few months bring a chance to step back and see what's coming. AWS re:Invent 2025 starts December 1 in Las Vegas and runs through December 5. It's a steady flow of sessions, talks, and connections that help teams handle more with less effort.

This guide pulls together the details you need to decide if it's right for you, or how to make it count if you have already signed up. We'll cover the schedule, costs, key events, and sessions that fit different roles. Along the way, tips from past attendees keep things practical. 

Whether you are tuning in online or walking the halls, re:Invent offers a clear view of cloud tools that solve everyday challenges, this includes scaling AI without the headaches, or spotting issues before they grow.

AWS re:Invent Guide: Pass Cost & $150 Discount

The full conference pass gives access to everything: keynotes, breakout sessions, chalk talks, hands-on labs, workshops, the expo, and events like re:Play. It costs $2,099.

Virtual attendance is free. You get live streams of keynotes and Innovation Talks, plus on-demand videos of most sessions within 48 hours.

For groups, AWS has an offer: $150 off each full pass, and one free pass for every 10 bought. All in-person registrants also get 50% off any AWS Certification exam - good for online or test-center use. You can verify and apply discounts from the official site.

Talk to your AWS account team about stacking these with other perks. Register now on the official site to lock in your spot and apply discounts.

What to Expect in AWS re:invent 2025

1. Keynotes: Expect AWS legends like Matt Garman, Dr. Werner Vogels, and more to take the stage and drop some serious cloud wisdom. Spoiler alert—there's always a new service or two (or ten) being announced.
2. Breakout Sessions: Hundreds of sessions. Literally. Whether you're into serverless, machine learning, or security, there’s something for everyone. Just be ready to make some tough decisions on what to attend. Hint: Use the app to plan your schedule!
3. Hands-On Labs: Roll up your sleeves because you're going to get hands-on with AWS tools. Whether it’s Lambda or S3, you’ll be solving real-world problems in these guided labs.
4. Networking Galore: Let’s be honest, some of the best conversations happen outside the sessions. Grab a coffee, hit up the after-parties, or join the unofficial Slack channel where attendees plan meetups and discuss sessions in real time. Don’t miss out!

Pro Tips for the AWS re:Invent Newbies (and Veterans)

• Comfort Over Style: Sure, it’s Vegas, but this is a walking conference. You’ll easily rack up 10,000+ steps per day, so wear those comfy shoes.
• Hydrate Like It’s Your Job: Between desert air, long walks, and late nights, dehydration sneaks up fast. Bring a refillable water bottle and use the hydration stations often.
• Protect Your Feet (and Your Sanity): This isn’t just a conference — it’s an endurance event. By Day 2, you’ll swear the expo floor somehow doubled in size overnight. Bring Band-Aids (or plasters if you’re not from the US), moleskin, or even a second pair of shoes. Future you will be grateful when you’re hobbling past the Starbucks line wondering how it’s only Wednesday.
• The Real Networking Happens After Hours: Parties, lounges, happy hours. If you're looking to make connections, this is where to be. Who knows, you might just land your next deal over a cocktail.
• Plan Your Attack: With so many sessions and events, it’s easy to get overwhelmed. Map out what you want to see ahead of time, and remember, you can’t do it all. Prioritize and go in with a strategy. And to help you keep up, here's an unofficial reinvent planner.
• Don’t Skip the Builders’ Fair: It’s where AWS engineers showcase experimental projects and early prototypes. You’ll see ideas that might not make it into official products yet. Great spot for fresh inspiration.
• Join the Unofficial Channels: There’s always an unofficial Slack channel or Discord group where people share meetups, live notes, or happy hours. The most useful info comes from other attendees, not just AWS. Join one early and stay plugged in. 
• Bring a Portable Charger (or Two): Your phone will die faster than you expect. You’ll be using maps, photos, Slack, and session apps which chew up battery life. A compact power bank is a lifesaver.
• Don’t Ignore the Expo Floor: It’s not just swag (though you’ll get plenty). Many vendors run live demos, raffles, and mini sessions that can teach you as much as the breakout sessions. Be open to exploring new software and interacting with the expo hall vendors.
• Don’t Just Hit the Big Booths: The hyperscalers and headline sponsors have flashier setups, but some of the best innovations come from smaller vendors tucked in the corners of the expo. Spend time exploring and you might discover the next breakout tech before everyone else does.
• Plan for Next Year, This Year: By Day 3, you’ll realize you missed half the things you wanted to attend. That’s normal. Bookmark what mattered, connect with speakers on LinkedIn, and start planning next year while it’s still fresh.

What's AWS re:Invent is all about?

AWS re:Invent is the Super Bowl of cloud computing, the place where AWS drops all their biggest announcements, new services, and innovations. Whether you're a cloud beginner or have been navigating the AWS seas for years, this event is your golden ticket to all things cloud. 

And if you thought you were coming just for the technical deep dives, think again as this is where serious networking happens. We're talking after-hours mingling at some of Vegas' most iconic spots. Work hard, play hard, right?

AWS re:Invent 2025 Schedule

The week builds from hands-on starts to big-picture closes. Each day mixes session types: keynotes for high-level updates, breakout sessions for deep dives, chalk talks for interactive Q&A with experts, and hands-on labs or workshops for building skills right there. The expo opens Monday at 9 a.m. for tool demos and chats, running through Thursday.

Here's what each day holds, based on the official outline.

Monday, December 1

Bootcamps, builder sessions, and hands-on labs get you started. Breakout sessions cover foundations, like secure setups. Expo opens early for peer meetups.

Tuesday, December 2

Keynotes lead the day, followed by advanced breakout sessions and chalk talks on AI and operations. Hands-on labs fill afternoons for practical work.

Wednesday, December 3

Case study breakouts and partner demos take focus. Chalk talks and workshops run alongside the full-day expo. Good for testing tools.

Thursday, December 4

Architecture-focused hands-on labs and governance breakouts. More keynotes in the morning, with re:Play in the evening for casual networking over food and music.

Friday, December 5

Certification exams in the morning, then lighter wrap-up breakouts and chalk talks. Use the afternoon for final connections.

Sessions run 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. most days, with breaks for meals. The AWS Events page lets you filter by type, level, and topic. You can add to your wishlist early.

Getting to AWS re:Invent (and Where to Stay)

Flights to Las Vegas? Easy. You can get to Sin City from almost anywhere, and if you’re hunting for travel deals, Delta Airlines is offering a 2-10% discount for AWS re:Invent attendees. Every little bit helps, right?

Now, when it comes to where to stay, you’ve got two solid options:

1. Stay in an official AWS re:Invent hotel: These are prime spots like ARIA, Bellagio, Mandalay Bay, and The Venetian, among others. Why book these? Because they come with perks like daily shuttle buses to the conference venues and a bunch of other conveniences.
2. Book your own stay: Las Vegas has hotels in all price ranges, so you can go this route if you’re feeling adventurous or looking for something cheaper. Just remember, you might miss out on some of the conference benefits if you go off the official grid.

Pro tip: If you can swing it, stick with one of the re:Invent hotels. They’re offering pretty decent rates like $646 for 5 nights at Harrah’s, and it’ll save you some headaches with transportation and logistics. Most places are pricing in the ballpark of $250 per night.

Keynotes from AWS re:Invent 2025 to Add to Your Plan

Keynotes happen at the Las Vegas Convention Center and stream live. They're concise, about 60 minutes each and often include live demos. They fall mainly on Tuesday and Thursday.

• Matt Garman‍
  
  • Tuesday, December 2, 8:00 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.
    ‍A look at cloud direction, including agentic AI that handles tasks end-to-end.
    

• Swami Sivasubramanian
  
  • Wednesday, December 3, 8:30 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.
    ‍Updates on Bedrock AgentCore 2.0 and models like Nova, with tips for data in AI builds.
    

• Peter DeSantis
  
  • Thursday, December 4
    Hardware advances, such as Graviton 6 processors and EC2 options for heavy workloads.‍
    
• Dr. Werner Vogels
  
  • Thursday, December 4, 3:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.
    ‍Lessons on scalable systems, drawn from Amazon's own setups.

These set the tone for the year. Watch for teases on multi-agent frameworks and security automations.

AWS re:Invent Sessions Sorted by Role

The catalog has over 2,300 options, from beginner overviews to code-heavy workshops. We picked meaningful ones that deliver steps you can use right away. Focusing on breakout sessions, chalk talks, and hands-on labs. Look for 300- or 400- level for depth; they've got real customer examples. Times and locations update in the website, but here's when they typically run.

For DevOps Engineers

These breakout and lab sessions smooth operations with less manual work.

• COP334: Accelerating Incident Response Through AIOps
  
  • (Breakout session, Level 300, Tuesday, December 2, Wynn)
    Use CloudWatch and AI to spot and resolve issues faster.

• COP404: Full-Stack Observability from Applications to Databases
  
  • (Hands-on lab, Level 300, Monday, December 1, MGM Grand)
    Two-hour workshop on CloudWatch Signals for end-to-end views.

• COP333: Scaling Open-Source Observability Stacks
  
  • (Chalk talk, Level 300, Wednesday, December 3, Caesars Forum)
    Best practices for Prometheus, OpenSearch, and Grafana on AWS.

For Data Engineers

Breakouts and labs here get into pipelines that feed AI without breaking.

• DAT315: A Practitioner’s Guide to Data for Agentic AI
  
  • (Breakout session, Level 300, Wednesday, December 3, Caesars Forum)
    Build with Aurora, OpenSearch, and Bedrock Knowledge Bases.

• DAT455: A Tale of Two Transactions
  
  • (Chalk talk, Level 400, Monday, December 1, Mandalay Bay)
    Compare Aurora DSQL and PostgreSQL in a live demo.

• SEC408: Securing Agentic AI
  
  • (Workshop, Level 300, Thursday, December 4, Wynn)
    Protect data flows and meet compliance in AI setups.

For Cloud Architects

Hands-on and breakout sessions cover designs that balance cost and scale.

• CNS359: Build, Deploy, and Operate Agentic Architectures on AWS Serverless
  
  • (Breakout session, Level 300, Tuesday, December 2, Venetian)
    Use Lambda and API Gateway for secure agents.

• ARC309: The Frugal Architect GameDay
  
  • (Interactive lab, Level 300, Monday, December 1, MGM Grand)
    Exercise on cost-optimized builds across services.

• COP411: Intelligent Automation for Governance and Compliance
  
  • (Chalk talk, Level 300, Thursday, December 4, Mandalay Bay)
    Set up AWS Config rules with AI for easy reporting.

Pro tip: Sessions fill quickly, add them to your wishlist as soon as the catalog updates.‍

You can also check the topic-wise sessions here - reinvent.awsevents.com/topics.

Meet Xurrent Team at AWS re:Invent

We’re going to be there in full force, ready to show you how Xurrent can make your incident management smoother than a Vegas blackjack win. 

Come say hi at our booths (yes, we have 2 of them)  #1730 & 1828 and chat with our team about how we keep your systems reliable and incident-ready. Not only will you get to see our real-time alerting and automated workflows in action, but we’ve also got some pretty cool swag for you to take home.

And here’s the kicker, book a live demo with us during the event, and we’ll show you how to tame the alert storms, cut out the busywork, and actually give your on-call team their nights (and sanity) back. Trust us — your feet aren’t the only things that deserve a break this week.