AWS re:Invent 2023 swag review

There's a lot of swag to be found at the world's biggest cloud conference. Find out about all the loot that was on offer in 2023 and bask in its glory.

By Faye Ellis

Dec 01, 2023 • 4 Minute Read

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To misquote Donkey from Shrek, “Everybody loves swag.” It’s impossible not to like free things, especially when those things are both cloud-themed and as cool as what was on offer at re:Invent this year.

If you weren’t there, we’ve taken photos of all the best swag so you can vicariously experience it in a bitter-sweet way, both reveling in how cool it is, while cursing that you (or a friend) weren’t there to get your hands on all the sweet loot.

NOTE: I am more than happy to add your company swag to the post if I missed you on the expo floor! Please reach out on Twitter or LinkedIn.

The top swag from re:Invent 2023

1. Splunk’s custom graffiti-style bucket hats

Want a tailored hat? Splunk was offering these cool hair-hiders in a boss merch move. It also doubled as a way to monitor the productivity of their artists!

2. Informatica’s fluffy foxes

Just as soft and cuddly as the cloud. In terms of merch, this was thinking outside the fox!

3. MongoDB party sunnies

There’s a lot of parties at re:Invent, so the folks from MongoDB were making sure everyone was prepared with these literally lit sunnies.

4. Lots of lego from NinjaOne, SquaredIp, and Amazon

Two of the recurring merch themes at re:Invent 2023: Lego, and customizable merch. Drew and I built Lego figures of ourselves with NinjaOne — quite the resemblance!

And here’s the SquaredIp version. They did a fantastic job tying it to their product!

If you were in the certification lounge, there were also these cool blocks to round out your collection.

5. Lacework incorporating the Barbie trend

Because of the movie, Barbie is back, and Lacework have jumped on that in a clever way — using it to share the story of an awesome CISO who is living the security dream!

6. Datadog’s cozy shirt

The T-shirt from datadog is iconic! It’s one of the most comfortable shirts and the design has remained constant throughout the years. A re:Invent classic.

7. Use Partyrock and get a cool friendship bracelet

Some of the very best swag is homemade! You can get this great friendship bracelet if you talk to Brooke Jamieson (her details below) and tell her about a PartyRock app you created.

8. Capital One banked on Vegas-themed t-shirts

Loved these Vegas theme t-shirts! You see a lot of swag around, but few of it is specific to Las Vegas. It’s a nice souvenir of where all the magic happens, and shirts are great quality. Plus, they also had a Vegas skyline if you want to get artsy.

9. Can’t gloss over Red Hat’s chapsticks

Vegas is a dry, dry desert, so anything that helps ease the dryness is quality swag to me. Thank you Red Hat for the Chapstick and cute pin!

Honorable mention: Cloud Economist’s poker chip

What better theme for an event held in Las Vegas than a poker chip? Cloud Economists have put a QR code on the back with a discount for swag, which while not technically swag, it’s so cool I had to add it here.

Flat Ryan was also in attendance

And now for a bit of shameless self-promotion! Visitors at re:Invent 2023 sent us reports of a strangely two-dimensional version of Ryan Kroonenburg attending sessions, hanging out with AWS heroes, and even DJing!

Want to check out what the swag was like in 2022 to compare? Check out our 2022 AWS re:Invent swag review! Also, you can check out the rest of our re:Invent 2023 coverage below, if you're interested in all the AWS announcement goodness as well as the merch:

Faye E.

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