Amongst the already many reviews and conference prep blog posts surfacing within the data viz community, I too wanted to add to the conversation.

I had hoped to attend for many months but didn't find out I would actually be going until 3 weeks prior. So when I had found out that my director had approved my ask, I was ecstatic. I arrived on the Tuesday morning and was immediately struck by the sheer size and general amount of attendees.

For this review I've decided to focus on my favourite portions of the conference by keynote, session and random highlights. But firstly, a special shoutout to the Mandalay Bay staff who were amazing despite having dealt with such tragedy just a week prior.

Keynote Highlights

Freakonomics
- As a long time podcast listener/fan, I was incredibly excited for this keynote and it did not disappoint.
Adam Savage from Mythbusters
- I loved his speech thesis stating that making mistakes in life brings about other opportunities, so does persistence post-screw up.
Devs on Stage
- This was amazing, seriously. The devs were incredibly charismatic and great public speakers (reminds me that I should really sign up for Toastmasters...). I loved hearing about the upcoming feature additions including grid formatting (yay!).

Session Highlights

Level of Detail Expressions
- In all honesty, I was going into this session not understanding LOD expressions at all. However, I was looking for a better way to dig into my data when simple table calculations weren't going to cut it. I can say that I left the session feeling *slightly* overwhelmed but overall had a good grasp of the syntax.
Effective Dashboard Design
- I love a good information design session and this did not disappoint. I especially loved the "Unicorn Puke" slide (aka use colours strategically).
Introduction to Tableau Server Administration
- As the admin of my team's Tableau Server, I was very grateful for this session. It was easy to follow and gave me ideas on how to better utilize and organize our server site.

Other Highlights

Data Village
- Basically the place to hangout when you're not attending sessions. Loved the cheeky use of viz language (Gantt chart park etc). I ended up purchasing the Data+Art book from the Tableau Store but noticed post-purchase that no dashboards made by women were highlighted in the book, which was kind'of a bummer. A second shoutout to the Mandalay Bay employees for making meals that were both nut and gluten free.
Data Night Out
- Food! Alcohol! Music! Data people! Especially amazing to have seen Walking on a Dream - a song I was sort'of obsessed with in 2008 - played live for my late-20s self and all other millennials in attendance.
Iron Viz
- Essentially Iron Chef for data. Three contestants had 20 minutes to prepare a dashboard to present to the judges.

Takeaways

In retrospect, I shouldn't have purchased new shoes right before the conference. When previous attendees said that you'd be walking great lengths, they really meant it. Next time, I'll stick to a pair I know won't cut up my feet :')))).
As well, I'll take time to properly eat/drink water/sleep. On Wednesday evening - I realized I had only eaten two bites of my breakfast and had essentially been working/moving non-stop since 7am. Needless to say, I wasn't feeling my greatest at the Data Night Out party.
If I have the opportunity to attend again, I'd spend more time networking. I filled every inch of my schedule with sessions and keynotes. I didn't really network as much as I would have liked. It's easy to forget that 16K other attendees are also passionate about the same subject and I should have taken advantage of that.

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#Data17 Conference Review