How the AWS Community Builders program made re:Invent 2022 feel like “coming home” even tho I went there on my own
Published: 2022-11-25 22:40:48

**re:Invent 2022** is about to start in Las Vegas and I am really looking forward to all of the sessions, the gamified learning possibilities and all of the other things that make the conference great. But more than that, AWS re:Invent this year feels for me like “coming home” instead of “going to a conference”.

Let me explain you why:

![AWS Community Builders Acceptance](https://lockhead.info/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/community-builders-acceptance-768x201.png)

In march 2022 I received my acceptance to the [AWS Community Builders program](https://aws.amazon.com/developer/community/community-builders/).

 After that a lot of things changed for me and I would like to share some of them with you!

I got added to the [Community Builders](https://aws.amazon.com/developer/community/community-builders/) program and with that I gained access to great networking opportunities, sessions, talks and events and also some information that are not publicly available. Next, I introduced myself to a bunch of folks and people and quickly interacted and connected with other Builders around the globe. I saw the Call for Papers (CfP) for CDK day and we had a great panel discussion with a few builders – [Danielle](https://www.linkedin.com/in/deeheber?miniProfileUrn=urn%3Ali%3Afs_miniProfile%3AACoAAA8qhb0Bsp4h4t4AlermvW1Fw_KibCaMM8c&lipi=urn%3Ali%3Apage%3Ad_flagship3_search_srp_all%3BYKzR0i%2BOQyeK%2B3Fy49l3pw%3D%3D), [Saima](https://www.linkedin.com/in/saimajavaid?miniProfileUrn=urn%3Ali%3Afs_miniProfile%3AACoAAAdyLLwBdvv5Bgnssry75i1CpwMhcDnzA-s&lipi=urn%3Ali%3Apage%3Ad_flagship3_search_srp_all%3B8OXM4ah7SeG8vhrteZDT9g%3D%3D), [Christian](https://www.linkedin.com/in/christian-bonzelet/) and [Matt](https://www.linkedin.com/in/saimajavaid?miniProfileUrn=urn%3Ali%3Afs_miniProfile%3AACoAAAdyLLwBdvv5Bgnssry75i1CpwMhcDnzA-s&lipi=urn%3Ali%3Apage%3Ad_flagship3_search_srp_all%3B8OXM4ah7SeG8vhrteZDT9g%3D%3D) – about “The local cloud” at CDK Day 2022. Afterwards I attended the AWS Summit in Berlin and got to know a lot of great people of the AWS Community DACH in person (just to mention a few: Linda, Markus, Thorsten,  Aaron, Stefan, Nora, Henning…). This summit made me understand how important community work is for me and how much I gain from talking and networking – re:Meet, as Christian recently said.

I kept enjoying conversations with a lot of builders, getting to know a lot of them better. Later in the year, I kicked off the “AWS UserGroup Bergstraße” and we started having regular meetups. I also joined the “AWS Community Day DACH” organizational group and helped to found the “AWS Community Support Organization” for the AWS DACH community…and was able to give a presentation at the AWS Community Day 2022 in Dresden. I met more great members of the AWS community, got to know them in person and spend time with them.

![Flutter CI/CD - COM307](https://lockhead.info/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/flutter-cicd-pipeline-1-768x431.png)

As part of the Community Builders program there also was a CfP for talks & sessions at re:Invent 2022 – I submitted four talks and as I already mentioned I was fortunate and one of them has been selected as a DevChat for this year’s re:Invent.

At that time I decided that I would be attending re:Invent in person, to get the chance to give the talk and share my experiences. I did not know that no one from my company or close friends would be joining me in Las Vegas. I was expecting to take along a few of my close friends and colleagues. Instead, I’m on my way to re:Invent alone.

**And still, I’m coming home and I have  the feeling its going to be the best re:Invent I have ever attended.**

I’ll be meeting a lot of Community Builders I have never seen before – even on the flight today there were a few people I knew “from the community” and from my other investments into AWS (Tobias, Oliver, Henning, …). **On Sunday, we’re going to be doing the ever-first pre:Invent Community Builders Hiking event with more than 10 builders I’ve never met before**. Afterwards, we will be meeting up with more than 20 builders for a self-organized dinner event.

And then, on Monday, the conference will start where, I will feel like being part of the “big AWS builders family” that Werner was talking about at his keynote a few years ago.

The whole week is filled with meetings, 1on1, sessions – and dinners, parties,…

These things make me feel at home in Las Vegas!

**Looking forward to meet all of you in person and talk, learn and have fun. Reach out if you want to meet me “live”. 😊**

_**I can’t be more thankful to be part of this great community.**_