AWS re:Invent 2021. Hiro chat with (AWS) Heroes. Interview w/ Hiromi Ito

Hello, all! This is Hiroko Nishimura, an AWS Community Hero, founder of AWS Newbies, and Technical Instructor at LinkedIn Learning teaching “Introduction to AWS for Non-Engineers” series! While re:Invent 2021 was technically my second re:Invent as an AWS Hero, I was sadly unable to attend in person (last year’s was, as you may recall, 100% virtual thanks to a certain virus).

Tony Chan of CloudForecast and I were having re:Invent FOMO from our couches, so I asked five different AWS Heroes from five different countries to chat with us about re:Invent 2021! Let’s call it… “Hiro chat with (AWS) Heroes” series! (I didn’t clear this with Marketing. I don’t know if it’ll go through.)

Hiromi Ito: AWS Community Hero from Japan

Our second interviewee is Hiromi Ito from Trainocate Japan, Ltd., residing in Osaka, Japan. A “few” things she is involved in:

• She is an AWS Community Hero, and has been working with the AWS Cloud for about 7 to 10 years, and her first IT job was a web director/consultant.
• Japan AWS User Group Community Leader: https://jaws-ug.jp/
• AWS Asian Woman’s Association Leader/Originator: https://www.meetup.com/ja-JP/AWS-Asian-Womens-Association/
• Shifter Community Leader: https://www.getshifter.io/
• Salesforce Community Leader

When she was a kid, she saw a lot of UFO’s, and hoped that one day, they’ll take her with them. That’s pretty cute (and also kind of scary)

Hiroko: Hi, Hiromi! Thank you so much for taking our interview! So, how many times have you attended AWS re:Invent, and what was different about re:Invent 2021 compared to previous years?

Hiromi: This was my third time attending AWS re:Invent, and I thought there was an increase in the number of female participants over the past events.

Hiroko: A re:Invent veteran! So, what did you like about the changes they implemented with re:Invent 2021?

Hiromi: I liked that the venue was more compact and easier to navigate, and everything went smoothly so I was able to participate stress-free. Since there weren’t too many Japanese attendees, I feel like it strengthened the bond between us!

Hiroko: AWS re:Invent except at a smaller scale actually sounds really nice! What parts about AWS re:Invent 2021 did you dislike?

Hiromi: I felt that it was a bit lacking in presentation of diversity and genderless issues. That was my main concern. Other than that, I don’t think I have anything bad to say about re:Invent itself, though the COVID-19 situation was definitely not optimal.

Hiroko: What was the most exciting event or moment at AWS re:Invent 2021?

Hiromi: Reunions and new encounters with community friends, Hero colleagues, and AWS people I’ve missed were the most exciting moments. Meeting people and discovering new things that you can’t experience virtually is definitely a pull of attending in-person events like re:Invent.

Hiroko: What was your biggest disappointment at re:Invent 2021?

Hiromi: My biggest disappointment was that I was not able to attend all of the sessions and workshops that I was interested in because some were held at the same time. Also, it was decided on short notice that I would be on air, but I regret that because of that, I wasn’t able to meet the people I wanted to meet because of time constraints.

AWS re:Invent Announcements

Hiroko: Yes, I feel like time is a commodity when we are at events because you only have so many hours in the week to see everyone, do everything, and attend all the events you signed up for! I guess you have to be really cognisant of where you spend your time. Ok, let’s move on to actual re:Invent questions. Which announcement surprised you the most?

Hiromi: The announcement of AWS Private 5G was a surprise.

Hiroko: I think that announcement was a surprise to a lot of people, judging from the real-time tweets. For those of you interested, here’s the link discussing AWS Private 5G: https://aws.amazon.com/private5g/

Moving on, which announcement was your favorite?

Hiromi: I was very excited about AWS Amplify Studio and Amazon SageMaker Canvas.

Hiroko: I saw a lot of comments about those, too. Let me link them here:

• AWS Amplify Studio: https://aws.amazon.com/amplify/studio/
• Amazon SageMaker Canvas: https://aws.amazon.com/sagemaker/canvas/

Let’s move on to your wildest dreams. What were you hoping would be announced at AWS re:Invent 2021, but wasn’t?

Hiromi: I was hoping Metaverse-related, Amazon Sumerian-related, and Amazon Connect-related announcements would happen, but they didn’t.

Hiroko: If you got a dream service (or service upgrade) from AWS, what would it be?

Hiromi: An AWS car, with all the AWS technology to help make it completely accident-free to prevent people from driving dangerously. Or solutions to protect you from bullies or people who unintentionally say hurtful things. I think society that strives for diversity will be biased if humans are involved, so we need solutions that use the power of technology to solve many human problems.

AWS re:Invent Newbie Advice

Hiroko: I, too, am awaiting a fully-autonomous car, because I hate driving. Let’s hope that comes about within our lifetimes!

We’re wrapping up here, but we’re now onto the most important question… If a newbie is looking to attend for the first time next year, what’s your biggest advice?

Hiromi:

• I recommend that you attend workshops, JAMs and other experiential content rather than sessions.
• We also recommend stopping by the Hero Lounge and Community Lounge. We also encourage you to enjoy social events such as gaming events.
• I hope you will value meeting people and actually experiencing things with your hands there.

Hiroko: I personally also think that experimental content really makes the re:Invent experience. You can likely watch sessions (where speakers talk the whole time) later after re:Invent, but you can’t enjoy the social events later on! And yes, come stop by the Hero Lounge, and if you have certification, come by the Certification Lounge for some nice swag!

Do you have any last words for the readers?

Hiromi: I have a few unfinished businesses with AWS re:Invent, so I can’t wait to go back. I didn’t get to speak as a speaker, and I didn’t get involved with diversity programs. If there’s anything I can do or help for next year, I would like to be actively involved!

Hiroko: Thank you SO much for the good, bad, exciting, and boring of AWS re:Invent 2021, Hiromi! And you can find her on social media here:

• Twitter
• Instagram
• LinkedIn
• Facebook