AWS re:Invent

The Customer

Amazon Web Services (AWS), the world's leading cloud platform with over 200 services available globally, empowers millions of customers, from startups to major enterprises and government agencies, to reduce costs, enhance agility, and accelerate innovation.

AWS annually hosts re:Invent, a major in-person conference in Las Vegas attracting over 58,000 cloud computing professionals and enthusiasts. This event serves as the platform for AWS to announce new services, features, and updates, while also providing valuable learning and networking opportunities through keynotes, technical sessions, and hands-on labs.

The Challenge

Organizing this large-scale event across multiple Las Vegas venues requires significant coordination among hundreds of AWS employees, each with distinct plans for presentations, booth spaces, and demo showcases. To effectively highlight solutions and industries within the re:Invent Expo, AWS teams often seek support from creative services agencies like 900lbs for developing compelling demos.

Our Approach

Building on the success of delivering multiple interactive experiences for AWS re:Invent 2023, 900lbs partnered with AWS again for the 2024 event. We collaborated with five business units to create innovative and engaging storytelling demos that showcased their specific areas within AWS. Our process involved working closely with each unit to understand their objectives and goals for re:Invent 2024.

Featured Experiences

• AWS for Aerospace & Satellite: We designed a gamified interactive demo where attendees became "Orbal Guardian Operators", protecting Earth using space technology and AWS cloud services. Missions included commanding satellites, analyzing real-time data, and responding to planetary threats. The experience featured a 3D animated introduction and an augmented reality globe for mission selection. Attendees earned points contributing to a global progression score throughout re:Invent.
• AWS for Education: We developed a self-guided interactive tabletop experience visualizing a University Campus in 3D. Attendees explored various campus areas to learn how AWS enhances the student experience, streamlines processes, and improves efficiency for educators and students, from enrollment to research. The experience featured a 3D environment with audio cues and visual stories highlighting AWS's impact on education.
• AWS for Government: Partnering with the Government sector, we created a multi-player tabletop simulation illustrating how government agencies can utilize AWS solutions during natural disasters like hurricanes. Attendees assumed roles (e.g., Executive Leadership, Hospital Staff) and, guided by an ambassador, implemented AWS solutions at each stage of disaster management (mitigation, preparedness, response, recovery). The experience included an interactive touch table and supporting video vignettes.
• AWS for Healthcare: In collaboration with the Life Sciences and Genomics team, we developed experiences illustrating the application of generative AI in healthcare. Our interactive visual stories highlighted end-user experiences in areas such as:

• Transforming Pharma R&D with Generative AI: An interactive visualization allowing users to manipulate 3D antibody molecules using ESM3 and various prompts.
• Transforming Clinical Trials with Data: An experience demonstrating how generative AI assists pharma clinical research organizations in trial design, amendment prediction, and trial manager support.
  Our team demonstrated the potential of AWS generative AI capabilities for strategic and technical healthcare and life sciences use cases.

• Modernization, Migration and Build: We conceptualized and created an augmented reality scavenger hunt to encourage booth exploration. Attendees used iPads to scan markers at five stations (AWS Silicon Innovation, Networking & Content Delivery, global Infrastructure, Hybrid Cloud & Edge Computing, and IoT). Each scan triggered an AR animation and visual content showcasing AWS expertise in that area. Completing all stations earned attendees a prize.

The Impact

Our collaboration with AWS resulted in the delivery of five interactive experiences at AWS re:Invent 2024 in Las Vegas. Thousands of attendees engaged with these demos, underscoring AWS's innovation in Generative AI and its comprehensive suite of industry solutions. 900lbs provided end-to-end services, including design, development, setup, on-site support, and teardown, allowing AWS to concentrate on delivering a successful event. The Modernization, Migration and Build experience saw exceptionally high engagement, marking the largest booth engagement for AWS at re:Invent thus far. We value our long-standing partnership with AWS and look forward to future collaborations, including AWS re:Invent 2025.