Top 6 tips for building your Tableau Conference schedule

It's year 12 of Tableau Conference and we are always striving to improve attendee experience. We want the four days you spend at conference to be the most educational, valuable, inspiring, memorable, and fun four days of your entire year. To realize this goal year after year, we rely on a recipe of a large dose of feedback from you, a sprinkle of magic, heaps of top-notch sessions, and loads of ways to prepare for and access these brilliant breakouts, meetups, trainings, and more. One notable improvement for TC19 is that you have the ability to reserve your seat in all sessions.

To make the most of your TC19 experience, we have six tips for building your Tableau Conference schedule. Read through these tips so that when the TC19 mobile app and web schedule builder launch on October 16, you can fully plan your conference agenda and secure a spot in your must-see sessions. With over 350 sessions to choose from, it can be hard to know where to start, but we’re here to help.

Use the same email address and password you created during registration to log in to the mobile app and website schedule. Forgot your password? No problem. Reset your password at id.tableau.com.

It’s so important to research the TC19 Session Catalog to find the sessions you can’t miss. Grab a pen and paper and start building your conference schedule around your priority sessions first. Filter the Session Catalog or search by keyword to find sessions that are most relevant to your goals, interests, and needs. Don’t forget to pay close attention to the session level to make sure the content matches your experience. Take advantage of the filters to narrow results.

Be aware that there are also new filters this year like Category, Theme, and Topic to be even more dialed into your goals. I recommend two to four, 60-minute breakouts per day with shorter 15-30 minute sessions sprinkled throughout.

Beyond sessions, it’s so valuable to diversify your learning. You can find solutions from over 100 partners in Data Village, visit with Zen Masters in Tableau Community, see demos from developers at Tableau Showcase, and much more. There are so many ways to build your skills and make connections outside of sessions.

Something new this year that I’m really excited about is Aha! Theater. This is a brand new piece of TC named after the famous aha moment—that special moment of sudden insight or discovery. At Aha! Theater, expect to catch quick tips and tricks in 15-minute increments in Data Village.

Cure your data ailments with a scheduled Tableau Doctor appointment or pencil in a walk-in appointment. Once you have your hands-on training and breakout sessions locked in, browse Tableau Doctor for available appointments. Remember, if you can’t find a convenient time for a reservation, we recommend dropping by the Minute Clinic. Last year, there were over 2,000 cases solved at Tableau Doctor and this year there will be even more appointments available.

Attendees loved Braindates last year because it helped to expand their network and connect with other like-minded people on any topic. To have your own Braindate, log in through the app, browse topics, and choose one that’s on the list or create your own. These are small group discussions that can help you find solutions, discuss ideas, build relationships, and just share knowledge with other people about something you love.

More seats will open up for sessions as we get closer to TC. Having flexibility and options is key: if you’re unable to reserve a session at first, check back or consider adding alternate sessions to your schedule in the meantime. Reservations do lock 24 hours before each session, so keep that in mind.

With the amount of learning, socializing, observing, walking, and growing you'll be doing over the four days, I suggest you give yourself room to take it all in by blocking time to digest the information you're consuming and decompress. Most breakout sessions will be recorded and made available with their presentation deck after Tableau Conference ends. We’ll also share the resources for hands-on trainings even though they aren’t recorded.

I hope you feel more prepared for the TC19 and the launch of the mobile app and web schedule builder happening October 16. If you don’t already have your TC ticket, get it now! With 20,000 of the brightest minds in attendance, meetups, hallway conversations—any interactions with your data fam—have a greater chance of leading to your next big idea. See you in Vegas, November 12 – 15!