As I left Las Vegas, I started reflecting on #data15. Tableau hit the jackpot (obligatory Vegas reference) with this conference. There were a lot of great sessions offered and I'm definitely planning to try to watch them. Chief among them are: Chuck Hooper's session, understanding order of operations, & Nelson Davis's data storytelling session..

As I think about conference, there were a few thoughts that popped to mind.

I am so tremendously proud to be a part of this initiative. We saw significant growth in large part due to the support of Tableau employees Ashley Ohmann & Erin Stevens. Anya of datablick totally kicked ass too. I loved hearing from the panel but I especially loved the conversations we had at our table. Sir Ken Robinson spoke about needing diversity to flourish. I think it's initiatives such as this that have a far-reaching impact. I already have some ideas on how to continue this initiative during the year.

I was so excited to be able to chat with some amazing folks at the show. We were fortunate to talk with Francois, Jock McKinlay, devs, & Kelly Wright. Each have a unique perspective and I was all ears. I may have scared Roger Hau with my super excitement. But as a result of that conversation, I learned that I'm fuzzy and Matt's a techy. Sounds about right.

I was a late addition to the Atlanta TUG lineup thanks to a zen master conflict. Thanks Andys! I totally loved chatting with the group. I'm such a nerd, I had my outfit planned around my talk (note the green silk top and red lips). I'm easily entertained as you could probably guess. I converted my #seeallthedata post into a talk which included some quotes from my family. See the presentation here. By the way, I loved loved loved this. I was nervous but it's a good character building exercise for me.

First, I am so extremely proud of my data BFF, Matt Francis. He was at the Grand Garden Arena stage (the same used for keynotes) and totally killed it. He seamlessly went from color theory to practical application and 320 slides in one hour. Chuck Hooper described Matt as a class clown of sorts until he starts talking and then he's one of the most brilliant guys you'll meet and I agree.

I always enjoy listening to Andy Cotgreave. I attended this session on new ways to visualize time. I enjoy watching Andy on stage and now he nerds out on the historical aspect and presents it in a consumable (read: non boring) way.

Bethany Lyons is always a favorite of mine. Her stuff is over my head but I like how she gets so super excited about this stuff. Her session on LOD calculations helped aid in my understanding of this relatively new calculation type.

While I had to leave Nelson Davis's session early, I love Nelson's stage presence combined with his smarts. He had some really good takeaways from his session. One of which is to be fanatical about understanding the point and purpose of every detail on your dashboard.

The keynotes were really good this year. Dr. Tyson needs a 3 on his badge next year! I love how funny and informative he is. You just feel like he gets it. Dr. Hannah Frye was clever and presented some pretty good points and I loved Daniel Pink's talk. Two big takeaways for me:

• Go take your own genius hour
• Pay people fairly and pay them enough so they focus on the work

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And from Dr. Tyson's keynote...

The one thing I love about Tableau is the community. It's the reason why I'm as engaged as I am. With the theme was data+you, I definitely felt the community presence at the conference. I had great conversations at a community leaders appreciation party where I met people behind the avatar. I fed off of the energy and loved the exchanged of ideas.  What's interesting is that even though the show has gotten expotentially larger than in prior years, I felt the community vibe more so than last year and that's totally awesome!

In addition to the great training, I love conference is because I get to see my tableau friends I've met at other conferences, meet Twitter friends, and expand my network.  

I hope that new users to Tableau also felt the same sense of community. From the awesome training to the genuine connections made, data15 was certainly a valuable experience for me.

And I'm super excited to see how I apply the takeaways and the energy this year. 

You know when you hear an interesting story and you want to share it? That's what I thought when Aaron of Veni Vidi Vizi shared his story with me one morning.  My hope is that you find this interview interesting and useful!  So take a listen (please and thank you)...

Do YOU or someone you know have a great story to share? Let me know! I'd love to chat with you!!