I have been an Alteryx ACE for almost a year now and the most common Alteryx related question is, "what the heck is an ACE?" There are a few parts to that response. As ACEs, we are proficient in the platform, we know our craft, and, more importantly, we know how to apply our skills to the situations we face daily. We are all incredibly passionate about our own journeys and how Alteryx has given us back our will to do our jobs and face each work day as a challenge, rather than a chore. We believe that, with the platform, in hand we truly can "alter everything."
To me, the Inspire conference is a physical manifestation of both the original goal of Alteryx, which is to get data scientists and analysts excited about doing their jobs in creative ways, and an opportunity for all of us, as members of the community, to branch outside of our own concentric circles and see the challenges that others face within their organizations. There is incredible value in this for those of us who choose to see it and embrace it. I promise you that no matter where you are in your own journey, there will be someone at this conference who has faced a similar issue. If you decide to come to Inspire 2018, I urge you to speak up about your problems! Come find me or any of the other ACEs. Typically, we are incredibly easy to find as we have shirts on that say "ACE" and are losing our minds about something we just got to talk to someone else about. It's all so cool to experience.
For me, my two opportunities to attend have yielded vastly different experiences.
Last year I listened to three different panels. One speaking to investors, one regarding women in analytics, and one with a bunch of ACEs just talking shop. Each one of these opportunities provided a venue to not only inspire others, but to also be inspired by the stories of the incredible people who attended. I also swore a lot into a microphone and Mark Frisch even established a swear jar for me. This blog yields 2 more dollars, but I just get so excited that I can't help myself! (Editor's note: we cut his swear words, but Treyson may as well still add $2 to the swear jar.)
Two years ago, I skipped all my classes and went to the learning center. This is by far the greatest Alteryx resource of the entire event. I went with a friend of mine and we spent eight hours brainstorming and created a web portal where clients could log in and pull their data. Which was sort of a mind-blowing revelation to the true power of Alteryx + Imagination.
The other big moment happened when someone from Alteryx asked me to give a demonstration of what I'd been up to at work to a potential Alteryx client. This got me excited because I was just this kid (Editor's note: Treyson is actually an adult) who showed up with an odd/unique solution for a legacy software issue and they wanted me to help out one of the largest retailers in the United States create solutions that would help them run their business. Long story short me, and this other dude sat down and grumbled about AS/400 and then crushed a use case and our brains exploded and it was awesome. I want to use this to make a point that, no matter where your company is at in their analytic journey, you are not alone in your struggle.
Everything above is to say that you should absolutely attend Inspire 2018. Call your sales rep and ask them how you can attend. Hitchhike. Start walking now if you have to. Whatever you need to do to be in Anaheim in the beginning of June, do it. You will not want to miss the display of total analytics badassery ($3) and the opportunity to see how you can alter everything.
