I would adjust my AWS service limits to prevent scaling past a certain number of instances. Set the limit to serve enough hypothetical users to demonstrate the

I would adjust my AWS service limits to prevent scaling past a certain number of instances. Set the limit to serve enough hypothetical users to demonstrate the demo is successful but prevents you from going bankrupt (better to load shed extra users than to end up with a bill you can't pay). If there is no number of instances that fits that criteria, I would consider rearchitecting to be cost conscious (I've heard positive things about Lambda-based services for keeping costs down).