#TC19 - Second time lucky
I am about to embark on my second Tableau conference and I am getting nervous. The stakes are high - this is my second conference so I can’t just say I am a newbie. I have been there before and I have a few tricks under my belt. Although, since we are switching venues, avoid escalators cannot be one of them… I’m looking at you, New Orleans Convention Center.
As Mark Bradbourne’s countdown will make obvious, the time is fast approaching. There are lots of blogs out there for newbies that will highlight the most important factors.
The venues are large and there is a lot going on. The best advice is usually wearing comfortable shoes. Most of the crowd will show up in jeans and their best Tableau T-shirt so sneakers will fit right in with your wardrobe. You will not regret wearing some kicks.
Lots of #datafam on Twitter are also discussing portable chargers. The schedule for the conference runs in the app. You keep track of your sessions, braindates, submit evaluations - all in the app. And then there is the tweeting…. This will require a lot of battery and if your phone is not new out of the box it will likely require a recharge during the day. A battery pack will save a mad dash for a plug or being tied to a cord at an inconvenient time.
Mostly, what I learned last year was to come out of my shell, just a little. All the participants, especially Zen Masters and Ambassadors, are very friendly and welcoming. This may sound like it is very daunting (or to some it may sound easy). I found it easier to pick a few people to meet, attend their sessions and ask them a question afterward but that was my strategy.
But as I said above, I feel I need to ‘up my game’ this year and stretch myself to get more involved with the Tableau Community. I did not enter the Iron Viz feeders so I am will not be appearing on stage anytime soon but I do have a few goals for this my second conference of I hope many exciting conferences to come.
This year I have topics of interest. I have tailored my schedule to suit the topics I am currently working on or hope to work on in the near future. Last year, I wanted to learn everything and anything and mostly stuck to beginner or intermediate sessions. This year I feel ready to take on any difficulty level and can focus more on the topic without being intimidated by the level. Also, as a reminder, the sessions are all recorded so if two sessions of interest are scheduled at the same time, you can catch up later.
Braindates - Apparently these are a relatively new addition to Tableau conference. I had one Braindate last year that was not super helpful but this year I have questions. There are a variety of topics so there is always something interesting and applicable for your practice. This year I threw in a topic of my own and I have already joined another.
Meet more people - This year I will know people. This is comforting but Tableau is such a collaborative process and the conference is so welcoming, I would really like to engage with new people. There will be familiar faces but there are still many more people to meet. There are community people doing interesting charts I like. There are people who approach Tableau with the same sort of thought processes as I do. I will still have a target list of people to meet but I will make the most of the networking which I didn’t last year.
Relax and enjoy the week - Last year I was so overwhelmed by the whole immenseness of the conference. This year my biggest goal is to enjoy the ride.
Here’s to you #DataFam. See you in… not that long.
