Data Universe Recap

The DataVengers had our first booth

Last week, I had the privilege of attending the Data Universe Conference held at the North Javits Center in New York City, from April 10-11, 2024. The experience was AMAZING, packed with memorable interactions, insightful panels, and so much FUN!

Arrival and Setup

I arrived a day early, on April 9th, to set up our booth.

For the first time ever, DataVengers had its own space at the conference; shared with Deep Vibe (Michael Gilday, Isamar Perez, Brendan Coughlin, Joshua Wachs, and others).

We built a bookshelf display and laid out our books and swag.

Here is the final product:

We took some photos on the keynote stage with Kirsten & Christina:

That evening, I enjoyed a lovely dinner with Serena Huang and some of the DataVengers members and my husband.

We also managed to capture some great video footage as we walked around Javits - the weather was fantastic. Here is Brendan from Deep Vibe holding all of our badges and some phones.

I also had a chance to write the giveaway options on our spinner:

Then we took a group photo with the spinner:

Highlights

The conference kicked off on the morning of April 10th - here’s my badge:

I’m so happy that we partnered with DeepVibe, a creative agency that specializes in data analytics and AI content. Their professional video crew made everything more LEGIT. The day was filled with cool surprises, including an unexpected gift from Herb Hess—a custom-made cape with my name and the DV logo, which looked absolutely stunning

Our live show later that morning was a hit, setting an energetic vibe for the day.

I briefly attended the keynote before meeting up with Teresa Reilly to peek into our panel setup for the next day.

I also had a chance to catch up with Sadie St. Lawrence from Women in Data as we visited each others ‘playhouse’ (booth).

Here’s another photo where we had a lot of WOMEN in data:

And another one at our booth:

Unforgettable Interactions

Throughout the day, I encountered many familiar faces and made new connections. Gina von Esmarch gifted me socks, a bag, and baked goodies.

The day was also filled with photo ops, including one memorable moment where Scott Taylor photobombed my picture with Ethan—not once, but twice! He didn’t even know about it the second time.

I also got to see Mike Ferguson again:

Some DATAcated bears went home with others and are now very happy:

I also had the honor of interviewing a few folks like Kent Graziano (The Data Warrior), Ethan Aaron (Portable), and Gina von Esmarch (Adesso Associates). Oh and of course, the unforgettable IT BEE (Voice by Scott Taylor):

I had an official ‘at booth’ interview with Justin Borgman (Starburst):

Insightful Panels and Discussions

The next morning (April 11), I participated in a breakfast panel with an impressive lineup, including Teresa Reilly, Kristy Wedel, Lauren Burke, and Nimisha Kurup. Thanks to Monica Miller and Jen Hohenstein from Starburst for the opportunity.

The discussions were insightful, covering a range of data topics.

Later, I joined the DataVengers panel with Andrew Jones, Scott Taylor, and Kristen Kehrer, on the Analytics & Business Intelligence stage. Kristen and I had matching shoes (just like we did in London).

I accidentally knocked down a water bottle while speaking with my hands —Scott, in a show of solidarity, promptly knocked his own bottle over, which was perfect!

After the panel, we invited the rest of the DataVengers up on our stage for a photo:

Celebratory Moments

The DataVengers party later that evening was a highlight, complete with our spinner for giveaways and a celebratory atmosphere as Starburst (Adrian Estala) awarded trophies to the DataVengers, Data Universe and the DeepVibe crew.

Our collaboration with Data Universe was incredible, and the feedback from attendees and sponsors was overwhelmingly positive. We even had gnarly from Dremio spin for a prize - where it won the TRUTH hat and Scott said that he hoped it would’ve gone to an ‘end-user’ hahaha.

One of the highlights was that my husband, my brother, and cousin showed up for the event:

Oh and I finally got to meet Mignon Brooks in person, she is the first official DATAcated hire :)

We had an awesome team dinner at Hudson Yards Tavern:

Closing Thoughts

As the conference wrapped up, announcements about next year's event (April 30 - May 1, 2024) were already sparking excitement. I’m already looking forward to what next year will bring!