Powering AWS innovation: how Lumen delivers world-class connectivity for global events

AWS re:Invent is one of the largest, most complex temporary network deployments in the world, and failure isn’t an option. So true to Las Vegas form, the stakes are high.

Over more than a decade, this flagship event has grown from 7,000 attendees in a single ballroom to over 60,000 spanning multiple venues across Las Vegas. Behind the scenes—in dried-up desert lakebeds, casino service hallways and catwalks 40 feet above convention floors—Lumen enables every keynote, demo and live stream to run flawlessly. Because in a world where milliseconds matter, connectivity is everything—and the experience cannot stop.

Scaling connectivity for AWS’s most ambitious global event

AWS re:Invent operates like a temporary city, redeployed each year across multiple venues with unique networking constraints. Network demands have increased by orders of magnitude annually, both in scale and complexity, from less than 10,000 attendees and 1 Gbps peak throughput in 2013 to the 2025 event that boasted over 60,000 attendees, supported about 430 TB of total traffic, and delivered peak throughput of more than 23 Gbps across seven venues. That scale demands flawless execution: thousands of network switches and access points, supporting nearly 50,000 peak wireless devices—all operating with zero tolerance for downtime.

Behind this massive undertaking is the Amazon Event Network team, started by Brian Searcy, Principal Technical Program Manager for Networking at Amazon Integrated Security. The team supports large and high-profile events across Amazon and AWS. That means they design and orchestrate every network build for re:Invent, ensuring mission-critical applications run seamlessly. Their work extends beyond technical specs; it’s about anticipating challenges, engineering resilience and delivering an experience that reflects AWS’s reputation for reliability and innovation. As Brian puts it, “Walking around at the end of it and just knowing that we’ve pulled off something that almost nobody can do—it’s a pretty epic undertaking.”

The stakes rise even higher when events collide with global moments. During the World Cup in December 2022, AWS had to ensure uninterrupted connectivity for AWS re:Invent while global traffic surged—an unprecedented challenge in balancing bandwidth and prioritizing mission-critical applications. Then came November 2023, when the Formula 1 race transformed Las Vegas into a logistical puzzle, forcing AWS and Lumen to adapt network deployments for AWS re:Invent around road closures and shifting infrastructure—all without compromising speed or reliability.

This is where the Lumen Network architecture and operational model matter most. With a global network backbone, edge capabilities and deep expertise in event-scale orchestration, Lumen empowers AWS to confidently scale, adapt and innovate—whether it’s powering real-time demos, hybrid sessions or mission-critical workloads. This customer obsession is what earns Lumen the status as AWS’s trusted provider for global event networking.

Delivering a seamless experience from arrival to keynote

AWS re:Invent isn’t just about technology—it’s about creating an exceptional experience for every attendee. That experience begins the moment they land at Harry Reid International Airport. In 2025, Lumen extended its innovation beyond the strip and local data centers by building dedicated and burstable Ethernet connections to multiple airport terminals to support event staff and registration kiosks. This upgrade enabled faster, more efficient attendee check-in upon arrival, helping to reduce wait times and setting the tone for a frictionless event.

Once inside Las Vegas, the scale of connectivity required is staggering. Tens of thousands of devices, hundreds of switches and thousands of access points must work together flawlessly across seven venues. Lumen rose to the challenge with a redundant fiber ring across Las Vegas that was designed for resiliency and scalability. This bespoke infrastructure connects major properties and attendee hubs, enabling AWS to maintain a single, seamless network across multiple venues—all with zero tolerance for downtime.

How Lumen supports AWS re:Invent

• Dark Fiber: Dedicated, unlit fiber gives AWS full control, maximum scalability and long-term cost efficiency for a high-capacity, custom network.
• Wavelengths: Fully managed optical channels provides AWS with predictable performance, rapid deployment and scalable bandwidth to support massive data movement.
• Lumen® Private Connectivity Fabric® and Direct Connect Integration: Dedicated, flexible on-demand solutions allow AWS to spin up capacity or reroute when needed.
• Dedicated Ethernet: 10G connections with 1G dedicated bandwidth at key airport terminals are burstable to 5G for peak demand.
• Always-On Support: From design to deployment, Lumen teams work side by side with AWS, earning trusted provider status.

The human power behind invisible connectivity

Behind every flawless connection at AWS re:Invent are extraordinary people making the impossible look effortless. While attendees experience seamless Wi-Fi and high-speed networking, it’s the dedicated teams working behind the scenes who help ensure everything “just works.” These are the planners who anticipate challenges, engineer resilience and deliver reliability at a scale few can imagine.

That commitment is mirrored by Lumen experts—people like Kevin Ryberg, who leads the Amazon account team, and Orencio Reantazo, a field technician who keeps the network humming even in remote desert sites. Whether it’s rerouting fiber due to city construction or replacing hardware on Thanksgiving, the collective “whatever it takes” attitude drives success. This human element transforms complex technology into a frictionless experience for attendees.

The results

• No customer-impacting infrastructure outages in over ten years of partnership
• Around 430 TB of data transferred during re:Invent, with peak throughput exceeding 23 Gbps
• About 50,000 concurrent Wi-Fi users supported seamlessly
• Global scalability featuring the same high-performance standard delivered at other AWS Summits and events worldwide

Looking ahead: powering innovation across the globe

As AWS pushes the boundaries of AI, machine learning and next-gen cloud services, Lumen is evolving to meet new demands. From extremely low latency for real-time demos to flexible connectivity for global events, the partnership continues to set the bar for innovation at scale.

Brian and his team stay on the road nearly year-round, scouting locations and designing solutions for more than 30 AWS events annually—from London to Brazil. Their mission is to anticipate infrastructure challenges, evaluate venue capabilities and ensure every event delivers the same seamless experience attendees have come to expect at re:Invent. With Lumen as a trusted partner, AWS can confidently expand its global footprint while maintaining the reliability and performance that make these events world-class.

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_{Current Lumen customer compensated for their endorsement.}

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