Das Ist Walter - AWS Community Day Adria 2025 in Sarajevo
Am 5. September 2025 hatte ich die Ehre, als Sprecher auf dem AWS Community Day Adria in Sarajevo aufzutreten.
No, this is not a post in German, it is a blog entry about my experience at the AWS Community Day Adria 2025 in Sarajevo. The title “Das Ist Walter” is a chef's kiss from the organizers, and you will find out why at the end of this post.
Before I dive in, a little disclaimer: I had nothing to do with organizing, planning, or running this event. I was there simply as a speaker and attendee. What follows is me giving credit where credit is truly due—no bias, just appreciation.
Let's start with the basics. The AWS Community Day Adria 2025 took place on September 5th, 2025, in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. It was a one-day event packed with sessions, workshops, and networking opportunities for AWS enthusiasts from across the Adria region and beyond. The event was also very well attended. While it is hard to give an exact number, that can only be announced by the organizers, it is safe to say that participation easily went beyond expectations.
It's not every day that a conference welcomes Jeff Barr as its guest of honor—but AWS Community Day Adria had it all, including Jeff delivering the opening keynote. The attention to detail was visible everywhere: from a professional moderator brought in especially for the occasion, to the support teams making sure every talk ran smoothly and on time.
Jeff Barr Keynote @AWS Community Day Adria 2025
From the very beginning, you could feel the professionalism and how well-driven the event was—from badge pickup to volunteers stepping in wherever help was needed. Community members in t-shirts were giving directions, answering questions, and helping set up speaker rooms and projectors. The spirit of collaboration was visible everywhere.
What is the conference without photo booth?
I have attended many events over the years, and if we exclude re:Invent—which is in a league of its own—this was easily one of the best organized, if not the best. And speaking of giving credit where credit is due: the local Bosnia and Herzegovina community was wholeheartedly supported by fellow members from the wider Adria community.
You could see community members and leaders from Montenegro, Slovenia, and Macedonia—and even friends from Croatia and Serbia, who joined and participated despite not being official members of the Adria tour. That spirit of support and togetherness made the event feel even more special, like a true regional celebration.
Main Stage Boarding Before Keynote @ AWS Community Day Adria 2025
The venue itself was fantastic. The conference took place in the Hotel Hills Sarajevo Congress Hall. The rooms were spacious, the AV equipment worked flawlessly, and the Wi-Fi was reliable—an essential factor for any tech conference.
As a speaker, I talked about real-world scenarios of building and processing messages at scale with AWS Lambda and Amazon MSK (Kafka). The session was well-received, and I had some great follow-up conversations with attendees who wanted to dive deeper into the topic—even continuing the discussion at the closing dinner.
The subject itself is very broad, and there is no way to cover everything in a single talk. You would need an entire conference dedicated to it. Still, I managed to bring it to a close with a live demo: a custom-built dashboard showing 500 TPS running for a full minute without issues. That moment really landed with the audience and showed the power of the architecture in action. There is always room for improvement, and I always aim to do better, but overall I feel this was one of my strongest talks, both in terms of subject matter and presentation.
Presenting @AWS Community Day Adria 2025
Finally, we came to the close of the conference, where the organizers made sure to thank all the sponsors—from bronze to the shining gold—because without their support, the event would not have been possible. Sponsor representatives were invited to the stage to receive a letter of appreciation and a small gift from the organizers.
This is something that deserves to be highlighted. Unless you have organized an event yourself, it is easy to overlook just how much effort goes into attracting sponsors and planning a budget. And let's not forget: the entire event was free to attend, yet it included everything from coffee breaks to a full lunch for all participants—and yes, it was genuinely excellent.
I should also mention that the day didn not end in the conference hall. The organizers hosted a closing gala dinner for sponsors and speakers in a restaurant on one of the hills above Sarajevo, with a breathtaking view of the city lights below. It was the perfect way to wrap up an unforgettable event.
And as I promised: for those unfamiliar with "Das ist Walter," keep an eye on the last paragraph of the thank-you note below, and don't miss the video that follows.
Closing Gala Dinner Note
The whole movie builds around the Gestapo trying to catch the resistance leader codenamed Walter—until they finally realize who he really is...
The dialogue translated from German goes:
— Now, when I am leaving, I know who he is.
— You know who Walter is?! Tell me his name!
— I will show you... do you see that city? ... That is Walter! (music)
IMDB Link to the Movie
China’s Favorite Foreign Movie Is a Yugoslav War Film From 1972
They finally realized it!
This post may have turned into a letter of appreciation, but somebody needed to say it. It's a wrap! The event was fantastic, and I am truly glad I didn't miss it. I am already looking forward to what's next.
See you in Ljubljana at AWS Community Day Adria 2026!