Outlier 2026: What to Expect at This Year's Data Visualization Society Conference

About this episode

The episode discusses the Outlier 2026 conference and features insights from its organizers on planning a virtual data visualization event.

Episode #310! This week I sit down with Jennifer Roscoe and Shrishti Vaish, two of the key organizers behind Outlier 2026, the annual data visualization conference hosted by the Data Visualization Society. We talked about what it takes to pull off a fully virtual, global conference, and why going virtual this year was a strategic choice, not a compromise. Jennifer and Shrishti walked me through the conference dates (June 23–26), the brand-new pre-conference data challenge in partnership with the United Nations, and the exciting new feedback and career clinic designed to give attendees a safe space for honest critique and professional growth. We also get into the behind-the-scenes logistics: the 30-person volunteer committee, the technology stack (mostly Google Sheets, if you were wondering), and the delicate art of playing Tetris with 34 talks across a 12-hour global schedule. Whether you're a first-time attendee or a longtime DVS community member, this episode is your guide to making the most of Outlier 2026. Keywords: data visualization, data viz, Outlier conference, Data Visualization Society, DVS, data viz conference, Jennifer Roscoe, Shrishti Vaish, virtual conference, data…

People in this episode

Host: PolicyViz Podcast

Guests: Jennifer Roscoe, Shrishti Vaish

Topics covered

• data visualization
• virtual conference
• conference planning
• professional growth
• data challenge

Keywords

• data visualization
• Outlier conference
• Data Visualization Society
• virtual conference
• data challenge

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Data Visualization Society, United Nations

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