Hey AWS community!
I’m Bansi, the newly minted AWS User Group Leader for Toronto—and I just hosted my very first AWS User Group meetup! And what better way to kick off this journey than with a recap of AWS re:Invent 2024, held at none other than the Amazon Toronto Office on February 6th, 2025. Let me tell you—it was an evening full of insights, energy, and incredible connections.
Why We Hosted the Recap
AWS re:Invent is the cloud event of the year, and while not everyone could make it to Vegas, we wanted to bring that innovation-packed energy right here to Toronto. The event brought together a diverse audience of professionals looking to stay current on the latest AWS announcements, innovations, and trends. This recap session was our way of spotlighting all the latest updates from AWS across:
- Cloud Computing
- AI/ML
- Compute & Serverless
- Databases
- Storage
and beyond!
Whether you were at re:Invent or just wanted to get the scoop on what’s new, this meetup was for YOU.
Highlights from the Evening
The session opened with a structured overview of AWS re:Invent’s major announcements. Discussions ranged from the introduction of new AI tools like Amazon Q, to enhanced serverless capabilities, and improved observability features designed for large-scale enterprise environments.
What stood out the most was the level of engagement in the room. Attendees actively participated in the discussion, shared their perspectives, and asked thoughtful questions.
Our presenter did a fantastic job of organizing the announcements into digestible themes that sparked immediate interest in the room:
1. AI/ML and Generative AI
The biggest buzz came from Amazon Q, which saw major feature launches across Q Business and Q Developer. Highlights included 50+ built-in actions, workflow automation, and Q Index for independent software vendors (ISVs). We also explored Amazon Bedrock innovations like multi-agent orchestration, RAG evaluation, and Bedrock Marketplace with access to 100+ foundation models. Attendees were particularly curious about use cases for Q in QuickSight and the practical applications of model distillation.
2. Compute & Serverless
New instance types like Graviton4-powered EC2 (i8g) and NVIDIA Blackwell GPU instances (p6) generated a lot of interest. The launch of Amazon EKS Auto Mode and Hybrid Nodes stood out for Kubernetes practitioners.
On the serverless side, builders loved hearing about Lambda SnapStart for Python/.NET, which drastically reduces cold start times. We also touched on enhanced observability with CloudWatch metrics for Event Source Mappings and Step Functions JSONata support for payload transformation.
3. Databases
This year’s focus was clearly on distributed and scalable data.
- Aurora Limitless brought excitement around compute autoscaling without sharding logic.
- Aurora DSQL’s multi-region, active-active setup received applause.
- MemoryDB Multi-Region and DynamoDB Global Tables with Strong Consistency added to the theme of global-first applications.
- Community members asked how these could simplify their existing ETL and failover strategies.
4. Storage & Data Lake
AWS doubled down on making S3 analytics-ready. New services like S3 Tables and S3 Metadata indexing with Apache Iceberg made it easier than ever to turn object stores into analytical engines. We also discussed updates to FSx Intelligent-Tiering, Transfer Family Web Apps, and Data Transfer Terminals—which help enterprises securely move data into AWS.
5. Developer & Observability Tools
Builders appreciated tools aimed at improving productivity and governance:
Q Developer Agents now assist in generating documentation, code reviews, and unit tests—all accessible via GitLab Duo or IDEs
CloudWatch Application Signals for Lambda now allows for correlated trace and metric observability out of the box.
Declarative Policies (DPs) were a hot topic for those managing large-scale multi-account environments.
One of the best parts of the evening was the high level of interaction. Our audience didn’t hold back. Questions ranged from practical implementation to integration concerns and future roadmap speculation:
- “How is Amazon Q Business handling data source governance and access controls across connectors?”
- “Is there a benchmark or early case study comparing Lambda SnapStart to Provisioned Concurrency?”
- “What’s the real-world latency impact of using Aurora DSQL in active-active mode across North America?”
- “Can CloudWatch Logs Insights improvements support centralized dashboards for multi-account setups?”
The presenter fielded questions live, encouraging further discussion and debate—turning the session into more of a fireside chat than a lecture.
The meetup also included time for networking, where participants had the chance to connect with one another, share experiences, and build relationships. Whether it was someone attending their very first user group event or a seasoned AWS practitioner, the community spirit was strong and encouraging.
Looking Ahead
As a first-time organizer, I could not have asked for a more enthusiastic and collaborative group. I’m incredibly grateful to everyone who attended and to those who supported the planning and execution of the meetup. A special thank you to the AWS Community team and Amazon Toronto for providing the venue and resources to make this possible.
This is only the beginning for AWS User Group Toronto. We’re committed to building a vibrant, inclusive, and technically enriching space for professionals in the region to learn and grow together.
If you're in or around Toronto and passionate about cloud, we invite you to join us for future events and be a part of this growing community.
Connect with us on LinkedIn—AWS User Group Toronto | Meetup Page
Thank you once again to everyone who made this event a success. I’m looking forward to what’s ahead.
Before you go, I’d love to hear from you:
What’s been your most memorable experience at a community meetup?
Was it a talk that shifted your perspective, a connection that led to a new opportunity, or simply the energy in the room?
Feel free to share your story in the comments—I'd love to hear how tech communities have shaped your journey.
—
Bansi Delwadia
AWS User Group Toronto Leader | AWS Community Builder
