AWS Summit Toronto 2024 Survival Guide

Table of Contents

Introduction

As this will be my third year attending AWS Summit, I wanted to share some information, resources, and some recommendations that will help make your visit to Toronto a bit easier.

I first attended AWS Summit Toronto in 2022. I had just switched to a team that was supporting a SaaS application fully built on AWS, and I was fortunate enough to be able to go. I was able to meet a number of connections from LinkedIn, and a few of the community members that I had met through training courses and communities.

As a side note, I believe this was the first time I had heard about the AWS Community Builders Program from Augusto Valdivia, who was wearing one of the T-Shirts. As a new user to AWS, hearing about the program and the free conference was eye opening, and I jumped right in. I joined the AWS Community Builders program a few months later, and it’s been an absolute game changer for me.

Unofficial Discord

To facilitate an easy way to network and share information during the conference, I’ve created a temporary Discord community.

You can join using this invite link.

Travel and Transit

MTCC – How To Get Here

Driving and parking in Toronto can be a stressful, expensive, and tiring exercise. If you have the option, I would recommend parking at your hotel, or a free GO station parking lot, taking the GO Train or TTC Subway into Union Station, then walking to the convention centre. It’s maybe a 5 minute walk – just head towards the CN Tower.

If you are driving, there is an MTCC parking garage, or you can park at a Green P Parking Lot nearby.

If you are flying in from the Toronto Pearson Airport (YYZ), you can take the UP Express directly to Union Station.

Arrival and Registration

AWS Summit Toronto 2024 will be at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre (MTCC) South Building.
You can access it through the PATH Network from Union Station, or from the Delta Hotel. The direct entrance is off Lower Simcoe St and Bremner Blvd. Just walk across from the Delta Hotel. Here is the Google Maps view:

You can access the MTCC from the North building on Front Street, however you’ll be walking quite a bit up a few floors via escalators and various walkways to get to the South building. It would be faster to go directly if possible.

Once inside, there will be signage directing you to the registration area where you can pick up your badge.

I would recommend going early to pick up your badge if possible, as the line can get quite long. If you are able to pick up your badge the day before on September 10 between 10AM – 7PM, you can get $25 in AWS credits or some free swag. In previous years, your badge would be scanable so you can register at booths for communications, contests, and swag.

You should get an email a few days before the conference to “Prepare for Badge Pickup”, with a QR code to scan. Have your physical government-issued photo ID ready to show.

Agenda

Above is the high level overview of the Summit. There are a lot of labs and sessions going on throughout the day, and it can be a bit overwhelming. There is usually electronic signage that should make this easier, but if you want to plan ahead, you can review the session catalog on the AWS page.

Even better would be to download the AWS Events application for Android or iPhone, and build your schedule with it. It’s quite good, and will let you have a calendar view of all of the sessions you select, as well as access other features during the conference, such as maps, surveys and contests.

On top of the more formal presentation sessions, there will also be Dev Chat sessions in the theatre, presented by AWS Community Builders and other AWS Community members. Come check it out!

Networking and Questions

Outside attending keynotes and the more formal presentations, make sure to leave some time to wander around the Expo area and visit the vendor booths. It’s a good opportunity to check out the products, ask questions, get names of contacts to reach out to, or maybe score a nice piece of swag.

Visit the AWS Village area, and find someone to chat about one of those burning questions you have. They also frequently have extra AWS credit vouchers they can give out.

The AWS Community Lounge is also a great place to talk to other AWS users, discover local meetups, and chat with other community members.
I’ll be helping out in the lounge from 3:00 – 4:00 PM, so come by and we can chat!

Food and Drink

Refreshments like coffee, tea, and water should be available at kiosks in the Expo area throughout the day, starting at 8AM.

Lunch will start at 12:00PM. I would highly recommend leaving the keynote a bit early to avoid the rush, so you can grab some food. Last year there was not enough meals, and they ran out in only 10 minutes. Typically there have been various meal boxes with different proteins, or vegetarian/halal. There is usually soda and other drinks available as well.

If you aren’t able to get lunch during this time, there are a lot of food places within easy walking distance outside of the convention centre.

Socializing and After Parties

AWS Summit is a great place to meet other AWS users, industry leaders, and a great opportunity to network. Don’t be afraid to strike up conversations while waiting in line, having lunch or coffee, or in the Expo area.

There will be an official networking reception, usually in the Expo area, from 5:00PM – 6:00PM. There is typically bar service with beer, wine, and non-alcoholic beverages.

After the conference, many companies will have sponsored after parties nearby. You can usually find out about them when you chat with the company at the booth, and some of them will be posted on social media. If you’re a customer, AWS Partner, or just in the know, you’ll be able to register and get an invite. Reach out to your account manager if they’re sponsoring the Summit and have a booth.

Tips

If you will be attending any of the Spotlight or Self-Paced Labs, do bring your own laptop as you will need it to follow along.
A phone battery pack and an extra phone/laptop charger are a good idea to make sure you’re not scrambling to find an outlet.
Set up the AWS Events app on your phone to set up your agenda for the day and know where to go.
Leave the keynote early to grab lunch and beat the rush. Last year they ran out of food.
Bring a travel mug for water/coffee/tea – they will have free kiosks to refill. There will be other drinks during lunch, and during the networking reception.
Bring a backpack for holding swag and your laptop.
Plan to spend some time in the Expo area and visit the booths to do some networking.
Talk with the AWS employees at their booth area – usually they’ll give away free AWS credits.
There are usually sponsored after-parties with food and free drinks. Register for a couple and you can tour around between them a bit.
Don’t forget to take a photo with the giant AWS sign!

Resources

AWS Summit Toronto 2024:

Transit and Location: