Iron Viz 2025: Behind the scenes!
The 2025 Iron Viz competition just wrapped up and, amazingly, I managed to come out on top.
Let’s take a trip behind the scenes of Iron Viz week and learn a little more about what it’s like to compete!
Saturday, April 12th
I arrived in San Diego on Saturday, four full days before the competition. After walking around San Diego to buy sunscreen, sparkling water, and throat coat tea, I said hello to my Sous Vizzer, Clara Wu. It was a blast to meet Clara face to face after so many hours of virtual planning meetings. In future posts, I’ll talk more about how Clara and I worked together!
Then, I grabbed dinner with some friends from the Tableau community. I avoided alcohol, spicy food, and talking too much, because it was competition week and I knew I’d need to save my voice!
Sunday, April 13th
Rehearsals for a lot of the crew started in the morning, but the three contestants joined around lunchtime. From there, we started practicing parts of the Iron Viz show! You already know everyone who appeared on stage, but Tableau employees like our “showrunner” Alyssa Jenson played such a critical behind-the-scenes role.
This was the first time we had seen each other’s projects and heard each other’s presentations. It was clear right away that we had three amazing finalists who had brought their “A” game!
After hours of rehearsals, we received our chef jackets that would be worn during the competition and then shared dinner as a team. I liked the shrimp. Here’s a photo of my empty plate.
After dinner, I went back to the hotel and watched TV, falling asleep around 10:30 with the help of some melatonin.
Monday, April 14th
My Monday started at 3:30 AM. Although it’s just a two hour time difference between my hometown of Austin, Texas, and San Diego, I’m not sure I ever really adjusted to the time change. I’m an early riser, but this was pretty excessive.
After some nervous phone scrolling, I took a long walk and ended up at a croissant shop my Sous Vizzer Clara described as the “best in California.” California’s a big state, but my olive + chocolate croissant was fantastic (see pic below). I also stopped by the entrance to the conference to snap a quick, quiet picture.
Then, it was time for more rehearsals! Well, rehearsals and my first EARTHQUAKE. A 5.2 magnitude earth quake struck the San Diego area during our Monday morning rehearsals. In a room full of people from across the world who had limited earthquake experience, we kind of just sat there and giggled nervously until it was over.
On Monday afternoon, I shared the gifts that I’d made for everyone in the Iron Viz crew. One of my favorite hobbies is screen printing - using silk screens to hand print shirts and prints. I love the aesthetic of vintage fight posters, so I designed and handmade Iron Viz 2025 posters in that style. We all took a few minutes to sign next to our names so we’d have a fun keepsake to bring home and hang on our walls.
In the evening, I joined the traditional Tableau Conference welcome party, Data + Women. This was my first chance to say hi and give hugs to so many friends who I hadn’t seen since last year’s conference.
Many people described me as “surprisingly relaxed” and “the most chill Iron Viz contestant ever.” I assured them that my outside appearance was not reflective of my inside feelings.
All that work to appear relaxed broke my brain, and around 9:30 PM, I realized I hadn’t eaten anything since lunch. I grabbed hummus and vegetables at the hotel bar and tried to have another early night.
Tuesday, April 15th
On Tuesday morning, it was back to rehearsal time! As Tableau Conference began for most attendees, the Iron Viz crew were exhausted after days of hard work.
Tuesday afternoon saw the finalists joining the Salesforce+ livestream to chat about our Iron Viz experiences. This little break from rehearsal also allowed us a chance to explore Data Village together.
I can’t say enough good about Kathryn and Ryan. They’re not just top-notch competitors, they’re top-notch people. Despite the wild stress of this week, their professionalism and effort made our preparation so much easier and more fun.
Tuesday night was the community leader appreciation party, where I enjoyed a familiar meal of tacos and churros. I chatted with friends new and old, but not too much, because my voice was juuuuust starting to fade.
Wednesday, April 16th
Iron Viz day! I woke up at 3:30 am again but got to sleep again an hour later, waking up for good at 6:00. 6 hours of sleep is plenty… right?
I walked to get coffee and a bagel. I have an uncommon name, so whenever I order food, I over-explain and spell my name for them so they don’t end up calling “Bill” or “Paul” instead. So, my typical response when a restaurant asks for my name is "Bo, just spelled B - O.”
At the coffee shop, the gentleman in front of me was asked for his name and he told the barista “Bo, just spelled B - O.” I don't usually believe that we live in a simulation, but there are moments that give me doubt.
After getting back to my hotel, I think the emotions hit, and the tears began to flow. It’s been a tough few years. I lost my dad and all my remaining grandparents, and things haven’t been easy. I took a long time to sit and reflect about how far I’ve come and everyone whose memories I was bringing with me.
I met up with Clara for one last pre-competition meal of fruit and yogurt. Then, we headed over to the convention center, and things got real.
Have you ever spoken to 7,000 people before? I hadn’t! I enjoy public speaking, but finally seeing the Iron Viz setup was overwhelming.
We did a final dress rehearsal and then headed for hair and makeup before competition time.
The last 30 minutes before we went live were so weird. Everyone responds to that moment differently. A lot of contestants seek calm and quiet. Personally, I was bouncing around backstage listening to my favorite pump-up songs, looking like a goofball. I channeled the energy I used to find before playing soccer or tennis, because at that point, I felt like I needed to loosen up a lot more than I needed to relax!
Then, the show began! Below, I’ll share two videos taken from the crowd by my friend Zach Bowders.
The first shows me entering the stage, saying hi to my daughters and almost tripping on my way to the podium.
The second shows the announcement of me as the winner.
After smiles, champagne, tears, and a big deep breath, I headed back to my hotel room for a quick break before Data Night Out.
When I was alone in my hotel room, the first thing I did was listen to the last voicemail my dad left me before he passed away. In that voicemail, he told me that he loved me, how proud he was of me, and how I should take care of everyone.
Dad, I’m doing my best, and I hope I’ve made you even more proud.