A brand-new event designed to showcase the North of England’s cloud computing community will take place in Newcastle this October.
The AWS North Community Conference, powered by Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Leighton, which will be held at The Catalyst on Thursday 16th October 2025, is the first of its kind in the region, bringing together cloud professionals, developers, architects, and innovators from across the North. It promises a day of world-class speakers, learning, and collaboration for the AWS community.
To find out more, Prolific North, a media partner for the event, spoke with Steve Morland, AWS Community Builder and Chief Technology Officer at Leighton, who’s been instrumental in bringing the conference to life.
Building a regional platform for global innovation
“The initial idea came from a discussion with Dynamo North East, who were keen to encourage more tech-focused conferences in the region,” Morland explains.
“Traditionally, professionals in the North East who wanted to attend AWS or cloud events had to travel to Manchester or London. We wanted to change that to create an event that connects local talent with the global AWS community without leaving the region.”
The conference aims to connect technologists, developers, and business leaders, highlighting the North East’s role as a growing hub for cloud innovation and talent.
“We wanted to promote best practice, stimulate new ideas, and shine a light on the amazing opportunities cloud technology creates for the region,” he says. “More importantly, it’s about community — helping people learn, collaborate and innovate together.”
A packed agenda with global names
The one-day event will feature four tracks, each hosted by leading AWS advocates and experts from the region.
Morland himself will host the first track, covering automation, AI, and event-driven architecture, alongside internationally renowned speakers, including delegates travelling from as far as Texas.
Other tracks will explore topics such as software system design, AI-driven development, resilience engineering, and the intersection of AI and cloud architecture. Speakers include well-known AWS Heroes such as Sheen Brisals (LEGO.com), Luca Mezzalira (AWS), and Allen Helton (host of Ready, Set, Cloud!).
Morland says the aim was to balance deep technical insight with accessibility.
“We’ve worked to strike that balance so that the content feels meaningful for people at all skill levels,” he explains. “There’ll be something for everyone — from those just starting their cloud journey to seasoned developers.”
A global event with strong Northern roots
While the line-up includes speakers from across the UK, Europe and the US, the event’s mission remains firmly grounded in regional development.
“The North East is incredibly independent but sometimes modest,” says Morland. “We don’t always shout about what we’re good at. This event is about showcasing our local talent and giving people here a reason to stay, learn, and grow their careers.”
Local AWS community leaders such as Mark Sailes, Dan Pudwell, and Lee Gilmore have helped shape the programme — ensuring Northern voices are at the heart of the event.
“We want to inspire local teams to go out, build great technology, and come back next year to share their success stories,” Morland adds.
Empowering growth through cloud and AI
The conference will tackle some of the biggest challenges and opportunities facing businesses today – from modernisation and AI integration to cloud architecture and migration.
“Over the next couple of years, we’ll see modernisation and AI dominate the conversation — and often in combination,” says Morland. “Many organisations are realising that to truly leverage AI, they need the right cloud foundations first.”
He believes the North East’s growing ecosystem of scale-ups and innovators is ideally placed to lead this transformation.
“For scale-ups, the cloud isn’t just about infrastructure anymore; it’s about enablement. AWS is lowering the barrier to entry for innovation — giving smaller teams access to technologies that were once enterprise-only.”
A collaborative future for the Northern tech ecosystem
With Prolific North joining as a media partner, the event’s reach will extend far beyond the day itself. “It’s fantastic to have Prolific North onboard,” Morland says. “They’ve helped raise awareness and highlight how important this event is for the region’s tech ecosystem. Their audience of agencies, tech businesses and innovators aligns perfectly with what we’re trying to achieve.”
The Leighton team is already planning for the future, hoping this first edition will spark more regional AWS and cloud-focused events.
“Success for us isn’t about being the biggest,” Morland concludes. “It’s about being meaningful – creating something that empowers our community, drives collaboration, and shines a spotlight on the North East’s incredible tech talent.”
