AWS Midwest Community Day has been organized to share our passion for all things AWS. As a volunteer-led event, we rely on our fellow AWS user group members to provide educational information for attendees and count on them to not use this speaking opportunity to pitch their products and services. We appreciate your time and passion in preparing for your speaking session!

Each speaking slot is 30 minutes for a long-form talk or 10 minutes for a lightning talk. We hope to have an entire track for hands-on workshops.

The AWS user group community is very interactive. For the long form talks, we recommend that you plan on roughly 25 minutes for your actual talk, leaving 5 minutes for Q&A. This is a community driven event and the content, slides, conversation, etc should not be sales related. We also require all speakers, sponsors, and attendees to abide by the Code of Conduct.
Event info : https://www.midwestcommunityday.com 

FAQs: 

What topics / experience ranges will attendees have?
We will have everyone from pros to beginner. Please at least cover basic overviews of technologies before jumping in. A variety of topics/levels are welcome.

What should I talk about?
+ Experiences or failures and what you learned
+ demos/workshops involving AWS services
+ testing out a new AWS service with a demo
see more ideas: https://community.aws/content/2pOziGeyjl5wXVmxaL82dpihvq4/10-aws-cfp-ideas-for-2025-how-to-write-your-own-with-partyrock-and-amazon-q

What can I NOT talk about?
This is a community driven event so all content should not be sales related. Please avoid anything that may seem like a sales pitch. Only mention your company or product if it is directly related to the AWS services used. 1 slide with 'background' at most.

Did my talk get approved?
We are gathering talks now. We hope to get as many talks as possible. The organizing committee will select the best content and let you know as soon as we finalize the lineup. Our aim is to set the speaker lineup by May 11, 2025.

Where is the event?

Potawatomi Casino Hotel
1721 West Canal Street
Milwaukee, WI 53233-2662

How long can I talk?  
These are 30 minute time slots, but it’s fine if the actual talks are closer to 25 minutes. These are fairly informal and meant to be a bit interactive, so you’ll want to have time for Q&A.

Do I need to send in my slides early?
Yes. You will be asked to submit your slides or outline as a part of the speaking approval process. Presenters will project from their own device but the A/V team may require slides beforehand. We will provide a slide template, mainly for consistency with the title/cover slide.

Why should I speak?
+ Complimentary ticket to AWS Midwest Community Day
+ Recognition on website and printed materials
+ Exposure to the AWS community as a thought leader
Please note that as a volunteer, non-dues-paying organization we are unable to provide speaker honorariums or expense reimbursement.

As a speaker, we ask that you:
+ Submit your slides and AV requirements via email by June 1 for consideration.
+ Be responsive to any requests for additional information and, if required, a conference call to discuss your proposed talk.
+ If chosen, please do not deviate from your submitted topic.
+ Provide your knowledge to our audience and not include a sales pitch, either overt or veiled.
+ Be in your speaking area not later than 15 minutes before your speech is to begin.
Speaker substitutions are highly discouraged. If an emergency arises, please clear your substitute with the event organizers.

Do you have any guidelines?
Each speaking slot is 30 minutes for long form talks or 10 mins for lightning talks.
The AWS user group community is very interactive. We recommend that you plan on roughly 25 minutes for your actual talk, leaving 5 minutes for Q&A.
Should your audience not engage in Q&A, please thank them for their time and release them to their next session.
Please do not read directly off of your slides. There is no such thing as being over-prepared!
Less slides always make for a more engaging speech. For a 30 minute talk, aim for 1 slide for every 3-5 minutes.
Don’t make your slides too cluttered. 24 pt. type and above works well.
Try to keep each slide focused on only one point or thought at a time.
Have fun!