“Wow, that’s so far away!” remarked almost everyone that I spoke with during my five-day lightning visit to Las Vegas for TC19. They were right: a 21-hour journey is long, but let me say that it was well worth it.

When I wasn’t being asked if I was British, there were some top-notch conversations with a lot of movers and shakers, both with my colleagues at InterWorks and some of the 20,000 other conference attendees. There was a fantastic mix of people from all walks of data life, as well as a nice representation of people new to Tableau.

Above: A quiet moment in the Data Village at TC19

Here are the top reasons I would absolutely attend another TC.

Engaging in Meaningful Conversations

I was amazed at how engaged each person was whom I spoke to. They were certainly engaged for different reasons; some from a tech perspective, some from a business-value perspective and others simply because I am … Australian. Getting anywhere at TC is a 25-minute commitment given the sheer size, but the travel was engaging as you were able to see and soak in so much of the conference’s great energy. I really feel that everyone walked away more equipped to tackle their challenges and seize new opportunities than when they arrived.

Understanding the Tableau Ecosystem

Personally, I learned so much about the Tableau ecosystem. Outside of enhancing my understating of the core Tableau platform, I was really intrigued by the number of partners that had built their businesses in alignment with one another. I did not realise the depth and breadth of the Tableau community, and as such, I am even more excited by what is possible when you maximise the capabilities of Tableau by integrating with the right complementary product and working with the best partners.

Connecting with Amazing People

Attending TC made me so proud to be part of the InterWorks team. I loved seeing our team in action not only at our booth but also at all of the other events and sessions we ran throughout the week, such as Jimmy’s Designing for Data hands-on lab. Not only does our sales team understand the tech, but our consultants understand sales. Our approach to sales is really about engaging in meaningful conversations and demonstrating to our clients that we have the skillset necessary to deliver a value-focused solution. It may even be a challenge to distinguish between sales team members and those from other teams.

Above: A snapshot from Jimmy’s hands-on lab session at TC19

Tips on International Travel

I was asked numerous times whether a five-day trip to the other side of the world was worth it, as well as how on earth I managed the transition across time zones.

Worth it? Yes.

In terms of adjusting across time zones, I’ve been playing with this concept for years, and for me, it’s fairly simple. I will put a caveat on this; what works for me doesn’t work for everyone:

1. Set all clocks to your destination’s time as soon as you get on the plane. This includes watch, iPhone, iPad, computer, etc. The reason you need to do this is because the time at your departure location no longer matters, and you should be entirely focused on the time of your destination.
2. Adjust your sleep accordingly. Obviously, this will depend on the time of your flight. In the case of TC, I went to sleep as soon as I could, which was 9pm at my destination (even though it was only 4pm in Sydney), and I woke up at 5am destination time (12am Sydney). If you need help sleeping, there are plenty of natural sleep remedies on the market.
3. This goes without saying, but once you arrive, do your best to stick to the new time. If you need to have a power nap, don’t make it any longer than 30 minutes.

Hopefully, these tips help if you’ve got international travel plans upcoming. I hope you’ve seen the value of attending an event like Tableau Conference, and I look forward to meeting you next year!

Above: Some of my fellow InterWorkers and me having a ball at TC