Alexa Blogs
In less than two weeks, AWS re:Invent will kick off in Las Vegas. If you’re attending re:Invent in person, check out these top Alexa sessions you won't want to miss and tips from the Alexa team on how to get the most from the re:Invent experience.
There’s something for anyone at re:Invent who’s interested in voice technology, with more than 50 Alexa technical sessions that include hands-on workshops, interactive chalk talks, and technical breakout sessions. Attendees will learn to design voice experiences and dive deep into the technology behind the Alexa Skills Kit, Alexa Voice Service, and Alexa smart home. In addition to the technical sessions, there will be a variety of re:Invent activities for you to experience Alexa at the event.
Here’s a short insider’s guide to help you get the most out of Alexa at re:Invent, whether you’re attending re:Invent in person or following re:Invent activities from home.
#ExperienceAlexa at the Alexa Stations
This year the Alexa team will delight attendees and encourage them to experience Alexa skills throughout the conference. Meet the Alexa team and participate in our #ExperienceAlexa activities at each station:
- Giant Echo Stations: Visit the Giant Echo stations, located at the Aria, Venetian, and MGM, to play with new Echo devices and engage with Alexa skills. For a chance to earn exclusive developer perks, attendees can tweet about their most memorable Alexa experience and include a selfie with the Giant Echo and the #ExperienceAlexa hashtag.
- Alexa Booth: Stop by the Alexa Booth in the Exhibit Hall for the opportunity to talk with Alexa team members, try popular multimodal skills, and engage with a variety of Alexa devices. To participate in the #ExperienceAlexa activity at the event, try an Alexa skill on our newest devices and share your feedback with the Alexa team at the booth.
- Alexa Kiosk: Visit the Alexa Kiosk in the AWS Village to meet the Alexa team. AWS re:Invent attendees can participate in the #ExperienceAlexa activity by completing a questionnaire at the kiosk to tell us about their skill-building experience.
Learn more about the #ExperienceAlexa activities here and follow us on Twitter and Facebook for live updates.
Participate in Alexa Hack Day
In addition to attending the technical sessions, attendees can participate in Alexa Hack Day, an 8-hour hackathon that challenges developers and designers to build voice-driven experiences. Participants can build whatever type of voice experience they’d like–it can be a voice-first game, a personal life hack, an Alexa skill that helps a community, or a voice experience specific for businesses. Integrate the skill with your favorite AWS service and other APIs. The opportunities for what you can build are endless. All you need is an Amazon developer account (sign up for one for free here), an AWS account, and your laptop.
If you've never built an Alexa skill, our team will help you get started with skill-building basics. You can also follow this step-by-step guide to create your first Alexa skill and check out our software development kits for Java, Node.js, and Python. If you’re attending AWS re:Invent and want to participate in the hackathon, register here.
Sign Up for an Alexa Builders Session
The Alexa team is also hosting 60 Builders Sessions, which are 60-minute small group sessions with up to five customers and one AWS/Alexa expert who is there to help, answer questions, and provide skill-building guidance. Below are a few general Builders Session topics to choose from, but Alexa experts can cover any subject you may have questions about:
- Build Your First Alexa Skill
- Add Screen Support to an Alexa Skill
- Add In-Skill Purchasing to an Alexa Skill
- Speed Up Alexa Skill Development with the ASK Command-Line interface (CLI)
- Designing the Voice User Interface for an Alexa Skill
Get the AWS re:Invent Experience at Home
If you’re not planning to attend AWS re:Invent but want to get in on the experience, tune into the Amazon Alexa Twitch channel throughout the conference. Each day Alexa evangelists will be streaming live interviews with professional skill builders, session recaps with speakers, and live coding sessions to bring the re:Invent experience to developers at home. Follow our Twitch channel to get notified when our streams go live.
In addition to following along on Twitch, connect with Alexa on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn. Join the conversation at AWS re:Invent using the #ExperienceAlexa hashtag.
