Getting Connected at #Data22

Both of us have experienced European Tableau conferences, but this was our first time attending a US conference. Whilst this was a smaller conference in terms of attendees than in previous years, and more on a par with some of the European conferences, the sheer scale of the location & venue made it feel much larger. Personally, we were happy with the size – it felt crowded enough at times when moving between the keynote & breakout sessions, but not so crowded that you couldn’t find each other.

The primary reason we both wanted to attend the ‘in person’ conference this year, was to get a chance to connect and re-connect with people, and we weren’t disappointed.

Data Heroes became Data Friends.

Face to face conversations were had over breakfast, over lunch, between breaks in sessions and at parties we were invited to, with people we’d both respected and admired and only ever interacted with over social media or online meetings.

The merits of the Iron Viz format was deliberated over breakfast with former winners; the future of product development was discussed with a Tableau product manager at the customer party; “how can Tableau help the community more” was a topic for a ‘walk and talk’ conversation with a Salesforce Exec between venues; and “the challenges of meeting product development expectations” were debated with Tableau’s Chief Product Officer during a chance encounter.

These are just a few examples of the conversations that were had, and we are very grateful we were given the opportunity to establish these connections. They are an invaluable resource – so much knowledge and inspiration to call on if we need it.

It’s what makes the Tableau Community so great!

When we weren’t networking (which to be fair was most of the time), we did manage to attend some sessions. A highlight for both of us was the session Beautiful Business Dashboards: The How & The Why.

For Sam, it’s a highlight as he co-presented the session, and it was his first time speaking at a Tableau Conference. The session was so popular it had to be moved to a larger room, and even then, it was a sell-out. It was incredibly well-received by all who attended with lots of positive feedback received directly in person and online.

For me it was a highlight for two reasons; one to see my colleague succeed on such a grand scale given all the effort and preparation that I know went into it; and two, simply because it was a very well delivered and engaging presentation with a lot of relevant and practical takeaways.

The presentation workbook is currently available on Sam’s Tableau Public page, and keep an eye on social media as the duo plan to present at various user groups over the course of the year.

Finally, both of us are Tableau Visionaries, which means we’ve been recognised by Tableau as leaders within the Tableau Community. Being in this role means we are fortunate to be granted additional opportunities.

At the end of the conference, we were invited to a Visionary Summit, a chance for the Tableau Visionaries to sit down with the Tableau Exec team and discuss ways Tableau could look to improve aspects of the Tableau Community, Tableau Public and the Tableau Product Development Process. The round table discussions and debates held during this time were passionate, lively and inspiring, and we both left the session feeling energised and hopeful that we’d all been listened to, and action would be taken.

We’re already excited for next year’s conference (Sam is planning another talk already 😊).  If this sounds like an experience YOU would enjoy, then come and join us at the next TC in spring 2023, we would love to meet you!

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