How to Prepare? What to Expect?

[myastarling]

Hiiiii Everyone!

I'm going to my *first* Alteryx Inspire and I am super stoked! I would like to pose a question to Inspire veterans -- do you have any advice or suggestions for someone attending her first Alteryx Inspire conference? I'm going to assume that comfy walking shoes and allocating a good chunk of available brain space for new material are a must. How loud is the conference? Should I bring earplugs? Anything else?

Thanks in advance :-)

[mbarone]

Hi @myastarling, 

So glad you'll be attending Inspire.  I think you'll find it extremely, well, inspiring!  One of the best conferences out there, in my opinion.

No need for ear plugs - it's not loud.  

Once they have the official agenda builder up and running, you can build out your personal (self-chosen) agenda.  For now, you can check out what "sessions" there will be at https://www.alteryx.com/inspire-2019.  

Monday, Tuesday & Friday are for any trainings and/or certifications you may want to take.

Wed & Thu are for "sessions" which are presentations by certain speakers/users/etc.  Also on Wed/Thu are some keynote speakers.  Usually Wed morning there'll be a big "everybody there attends" keynote and welcoming ceremony.  Then Thu a closing one.  In between will be all the sessions - again, you can scroll through them all on the site I referenced above to see which ones might interest you.

I would highly suggest reading through them all, and jotting down which ones might interest you, making note of the times.  I would then go through all the time slots, and pick 2 sessions for each time slot.  You can only do one (obviously), but some you may not want to go to when it comes time - you might need a rest, you might get held up, you might not make it in time, they might be "sold out" by the time you get there, etc.  But having more than enough planned ahead of time will be helpful.

Then when they release the official agenda builder, go in and enter your selections.

Also, once the app is up and running, you can connect with other attendees.  I usually get the app right away when it's released.  Don't hesitate to connect with me and I'd be glad to offer any guidance I can throughout the event! 

Cheers,
Mike

[ThizViz]

Don't be so concerned about not missing a session that you miss opportunities to build relationship.

Training can often be obtained online or at another conference. But you could have spontaneous conversations with people that could lead to lifelong friendships.

So set aside some time to hang out where others are hanging out and chilling.

[cmcclellan]

What everyone else said ;)  and I would add:

- laptop (if you don't mind carrying it)

- powerbank (or something else to charge your phone)

- on the phone : twitter, whatsapp, space for lots of pics, etc .... 

- you probably don't need a power travel adapter

Then ... 

- meet people before if you can (again, Twitter is great of these forums)

- keep an eye & ear out for parties, etc  during the week

This is only my second year attending Inspire, I don't think it's too noisy but don't worry about the FOMO you WILL have to choose which session you need to go to and miss out on others as well.

Keep asking questions if you need to :)

[MarqueeCrew]

@myastarling,

How to prepare?  I should blog on that!  Reading the Inspire BUZZ was a great start.  You're on the road already.

https://community.alteryx.com/t5/Analytics-Blog/Top-5-Reasons-Inspire-is-a-Must-Do-from-an-Alteryx-A...

Next step for my preparation is to start walking now ....

Cheers,

Mark

[estherb47]

So excited for you!!!

It's not a loud conference, so no need for earplugs, as most have said.

Comfortable walking shoes are a must, as is a way to ergonomically carry all of your stuff. I love a backpack for that. Make sure to bring a warmish layer in case the conference center is chilly.

As for sessions, don't stress - they are all great!! If you have the opportunity, try out the learning on Monday and Tuesday. The courses are expertly facilitated, and I've always picked up great tips and tricks.

I love to pick at least one customer success story. It's inspiring to hear the stories that are told!! 

The community sessions are of course fantastic. Don't miss my brain dump in "Born to Solve" on Wed, Jun 12: 3:15pm - 4:00pm :)  Yes, shameless plugging.

But you don't need to spend all of your time in the sessions. Visit the community hub. Grab some swag from vendors. Talk to everyone. The beauty of this conference is not only the knowledge you'll get, but the connections you'll make.

If you see me, stop me and introduce yourself please

Cheers! 

Esther