From cloud noob to AWS re:Invent speaker : my story

It's November 29, 2023, 2:30 PM in Las Vegas. I've just had a tattoo done, and here's what I hear: "Please let me welcome Sébastien on the stage, here at re:Invent." I'm not sure if a translation is needed, but here it is anyway: "Thank you for welcoming Sébastien to the stage, here at re:Invent." Before delving into this magical moment, let me tell you how I transitioned back into the cloud and secured a speaking role at the prestigious AWS re:Invent in less than 2 years.

I won't go through the entire history since my inception in the cloud; I've already described that in this article. Let me start a year ago.

The beginning of the story

A year ago, a flame began to grow within me: the flame of sharing. I've always enjoyed sharing, whether through articles, with my colleagues on assignments, or during presentations. But everything started to accelerate from December 2022. While scrolling through LinkedIn, I came across a post promoting a program of a group of tech enthusiasts specializing in AWS. This program is called AWS Community Builder. Since registrations were not yet open, I inquired about the requirements, and bingo, I ticked all the boxes:

• Participated in the AWS community (blogging, open-source, presentations,...) - DONE
• Have a passion for sharing - DONE
• Have a specific expertise - DONE (serverless in my heart)
• Passionate about AWS - DONE DONE DONE

So, it was time to join the waiting list to receive a notification when registrations opened. One fine morning, I received an email saying that registrations were open. After filling out a form with a short letter of motivation, my application was submitted! Now, all that was left was to wait because not everyone is accepted as a Community Builder; you have to prove yourself.

A few weeks later, another email arrived: congratulations, you are now a Community Builder! If only I knew that at that precise moment, my career would take a turn. From that point on, you're entitled to several benefits:

• A Slack channel with over 3000 enthusiasts, including AWS employees and AWS Heroes
• $500 AWS credit just for you
• Goodies (swag, as we like to say)
• Access to the Community Builders group on dev.to to publish under this banner
• And many more!

The most significant aspect here is access to a community of enthusiasts. Picture a Slack filled with 3000 individuals producing content on AWS. It's a real goldmine, but not just that, it's also a fantastic way to expand your network.

So, here I am, a Community Builder. With a bit of time on my hands during my assignments, I take advantage of it to write several articles, prepare Call for Papers (CFP) for the upcoming conference season, and create materials for presentations. I can already deliver these presentations at Ippon and local AWS User Group events.

When speaking becomes a passion

I'm starting to gain some experience with AWS User Groups. I've given 2 talks in Nantes, one for the opening of the Ippon agency in Tours, and 3 internally at Ippon. I feel more and more comfortable speaking in public. One fine morning, I received a message on Slack. It's from Brian Tarbox, an AWS Community Hero and leader of the bAWSton user group. He saw one of the articles I wrote about the new Verified Access service. He asks if I'd be interested in presenting it in a talk for the AWS User Group in Boston (virtually, of course). The format? A 1-hour presentation with 5-10 minutes for questions, all with a little time difference, starting the presentation at 11:00 PM French time. Without hesitation, I accepted the offer, and here I am, a speaker... in English this time!

It's not an easy challenge; you have to ignore your "French accent," get through the first 5 minutes, and then everything flows smoothly. You don't even realize you're giving the presentation in English (except when you can't find your words, of course...). However, this presentation has given me confidence in giving talks in English.

The time for Call for Papers (CFP) arrives, it's the moment to send our famous "abstracts" everywhere we want to go. DevFest Nantes, Lille, ServerlessDay Zurich, Cloud Nord, AWS Community Day Hungary... Then comes the waiting time. The wait is long, but the results come in: rejection, rejection, rejection, rejection... Except for one, I got a slot for the AWS Community Day Hungary, the only conference in English! No problem, this one is also online, with a little twist; the sessions are pre-recorded (I found out on the day of the conference, too bad...). But another valuable experience to add to my speaker's CV. Unfortunately, no "major" French conferences wanted my topics. Too bad, but well, maybe next year!

The selection and the three months before re:Invent

A few weeks pass, and then Jason Dunn, the leader of the AWS Community Builder program, posts a message on our Slack:

"AWS re:Invent is coming! We are fortunate to have slots open for you builders (as well as AWS heroes) this year. Some of you will have the opportunity to have a talk at the Dev Lounge, right in the middle of the expo hall! We will open a Call for Papers (CFP) shortly. Choose up to three topics that you can propose; we will then make a selection and retain a little over a dozen. The format is 20 minutes with or without questions.
What an announcement! I think I've never spent so much time on an abstract; I wanted to make it perfect. In addition to that, the abstract came with a letter of motivation. Why should we send you and not someone else? Because being selected here means you will be invited by AWS to re:Invent, no ticket to buy (except, of course, for the plane, hotel...). Here I am spending almost a day selling myself to the fullest and making this CFP a real teaser to spark interest in hearing the rest of the talk.

The talk selection process then left us waiting for over a month. A month during which I completely forgot that I had participated. It was unthinkable for me that my topic would be selected by AWS. Me, the little cloud newbie, speaking at one of the world's biggest tech conferences? Never, it will never happen. And then, one beautiful evening in the middle of the week, I receive an email:

I'll spare you the details of the following two hours; I called everyone, I was over the moon. So, here I am, a speaker at re:Invent 2023! BOOM! As a bonus, I get to present the topic that interests me the most: event-driven architectures.

The talk preparation

Now that we are speakers, what exactly happens? Well, we begin a lengthy process with AWS internal teams. The first step involves administrative formalities, personal information, and so on.

Nothing too complicated, but it needs to be done. We have access to a timeline to know the key dates. One month before having to submit my presentation, I received the official AWS template for the slides. There's no deviation from the template, no room for variations with copyrighted images (farewell to memes...). However, the template is really nice; I like the colors and fonts used.

One month before departure, it's time to submit the finalized presentation. Quite pleased with my slides, it's now time to practice. The 20-minute format makes training much easier. You don't end up as exhausted as after a 1-hour presentation. After a few solo practice sessions, I extended an invitation to my colleagues in the company for an internal run-through and feedback. Everything goes smoothly; I receive great feedback, and my narrative about a bartender engages well, which is cool!

As a speaker, we're invited to a tips & tricks session on how to capture an audience and ensure that our talk is a true experience for the listener. I learned a lot of great tips, with the best one being to always use the word "YOU." It should be everywhere to ensure that the person listening can relate. Pay attention to posture, gestures...

We also have the opportunity to have a session with a coach, this time personalized. I jumped at the opportunity without knowing exactly what to expect. We then have a 50-minute slot with someone more accustomed to the stage. The experience was really cool; I could do a live demo of my presentation with their highly relevant feedback. One of the feedback points that helped me the most was to engage the audience during the presentation. Asking questions, getting people to raise their hands in the room. Especially at the beginning of the presentation, it helps to hook the audience.

Arriving in Las Vegas and the Pre-Talk Experience

The big day arrives, time to depart. Well, the journey from Nantes to Vegas was long, but after more than 16 hours of travel, I finally made it to Las Vegas. On the Sunday just before the conference kicks off, it's advisable to pick up your badge. So, I set foot for the first time in the Venetian convention center. Armed with my retrieved badge and a little AWS re:Invent speaker and AWS Community Builder pin in my pocket, I headed back to the hotel for some rest before the first day of the conference.

The first day of the conference was fantastic. I won't go into a recap of all the sessions I attended (however, my colleagues have written two great articles on the subject, check them out: recap 1 and recap 2), but one thing struck me: I have never seen an event so well organized. You cannot get lost at re:Invent; it's impossible. Despite being 60,000 people strong, I never had to queue once for lunch. The only line I saw in Vegas was the one to attend my talk (just kidding, although I did have to wait a long time for tattoos!).

Furthermore, on the second day, I had to go register as a speaker. This is a process that needs to be done at least 24 hours before our presentation, and at the latest, up to 4 hours before our slot. It's a large room (there are actually several, one in each major hotel), where you confirm your presence. You also have the opportunity to make 2-3 modifications to your slides. That worked out well; I had a few adjustments to make. After a 30-minute wait, it was my turn. 10 minutes later, I was done, perfect!

Now, I'm all set for my talk tomorrow (theoretically). I had the chance to do 3 more rehearsals these days. I hadn't really practiced standing up without having to touch the mouse or pad to advance the slides. So, I downloaded a little app to simulate a mouse and be able to click from my phone while standing, as if I were addressing a crowd (well, in reality, I was talking to my bed and the 4 pillows in my room at the Horseshoe...).

By the way, if like me, you have problems with jet lag (at least in this direction), the melatonin remedy works wonders for me. From that moment on, I slept like a baby (unlike waking up every hour without it...).

Show time !

What better way to relax than getting a tattoo? So, there are three good hours spent – arriving an hour before the opening to wait in line, waiting to get your slot, and finally, getting the tattoo.

Then we go on to shoot some videos for Ippon and social media, and finally, we head to the meal.

One hour before: we make our way to the Dev Lounge to watch the ongoing sessions. I meet the person accompanying the speakers; he tells me to meet behind the booth 10 minutes before the start of my talk. I comply. Here I am, backstage! The person just before me hands over, and now I have a magnificent microphone around my neck, getting acquainted with the environment (screens down here, on the stand, big presentation screen, the remote control, the stage as seen from here). Backstage again, the person helps us relax, we chat about our tattoos, we talk about everything and nothing, we almost forget that we're about to step on stage (or not)!

And then suddenly, you hear, "We are now pleased to welcome Sebastien on stage, here at re:Invent." It's time to enter the stage. You are gently pushed onto the stage, you grab the remote control, and it's showtime, baby.

I won't lie to you, the first 2 minutes, I was completely disoriented. Some slightly approximate English, and then I got into the groove. I managed to forget the present world (and there were a lot of people, about a hundred, it seems that event-driven architectures attract a crowd). Once that little moment passes, you find your bearings, you relax, you look at people in the audience, you think about articulation, gestures... And 20 minutes later, it's already done. Then, you go back through the backstage, remove the microphone, and decompress. It's time to savor it; we did it! We take the opportunity to grab a beer on the way out because it's now time for the happy hour in the expo hall. For the rest of the evening, as they say, what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas!

To conclude my experience as a speaker and my little journey in the world of AWS cloud: the watchword for me is as follows: try. Nothing ventured, nothing gained as they say! If I had listened to myself, I would never have submitted my CFP for re:Invent. I'm currently writing this conclusion on the return flight from re:Invent, and thankfully, I tried. I undoubtedly had one of the most enriching experiences of my life thanks to my boldness. So, if you also enjoy sharing, if you also want to "accelerate your career," TRY. Find a company that can support you in this path, as Ippon has done. Try to enter a program that suits you (go for the Community Builder program, there aren't enough French participants). You are then the master of your own destiny.

I'll finish with a photo of all the speakers at this year's Dev Chat. Congratulations to everyone; it's certainly an adventure we won't forget. I hope through these few lines, I've also inspired you to try.