AWS re:Invent was awesome last year but I'm not planning to go to any conferences this year. I'm really tired of the mask police and a few encounters with Karens last year really soured the experience for me. I'll wait until we are all either mask-free or wearing the scarlet letter on our chest. I really hope the social environment this year is not a repeat of the last two years with lockdowns, masking and vaccine booster mandates. As you stated, if there is no social element to the conference, then it's better to watch at home.