AWS Developer Hackathon, Portland

Designed and ran a developer hackathon for AWS in Portland, bringing 147 builders together over a high-energy event to prototype real solutions on AWS. I owned the full program, from promotion and registration to run-of-show, sponsor coordination, and the on-site experience, turning a community build event into brand awareness, developer relationships, and qualified pipeline.

01The Challenge

Developer attendance at AWS's virtual and onsite events had been lower than anticipated, driven by weak promotion and thin engagement. AWS needed a flagship in-person moment that would draw builders, energize the local developer community, and generate real leads.

02My Approach

• Ran targeted event-marketing campaigns across social ads, email, and personalized outreach to drive registrations.
• Built an interactive run-of-show with live challenges, judging, prizes, polls, and Q&As to keep energy high all day.
• Coordinated sponsors, venue, staffing, and logistics end to end.
• Set up structured lead capture and post-event networking to convert attendees into pipeline.

03The Results

The hackathon drew 147 attendees, grew the community by 236 new followers, and earned a 4.7/5 satisfaction score, a 30% lift in attendance over prior events. Most importantly, it generated 300+ new business leads, proving that a well-run build event can be a serious pipeline engine.