IEEE VIS 2026 is excited to announce Cluster, the inaugural Practitioners’ Summit, an event that brings together data visualization freelancers and industry professionals with academics and scientific researchers to encourage cross-pollination of ideas and the crafting of deeper collaborations. Cluster: The Practitioners’ Summit will present a host of programming, including an FAQ event for attendees who are curious about beginning a career in data visualization freelancing. Check out the full programming below!
Keynote: Data Viz Isn’t a Chart You Drop In at the End
Cluster will kick off the morning with a quick, 10-minute keynote from Sophie Sparkes discussing how practitioners can make the case for data visualisation as a design discipline, not an afterthough. Sophie is a Data Experience Designer and PhD researcher at the Diverse CDT, City St George’s University of London, with over 13 years in data visualization practice.
Live Policy Viz Podcast
Next, Cluster will host a live Policy Viz podcast in discussion over AI’s role in visualization practice, research, and the job market. Hosted by Jonathan Schwabish, our three panelists, Yannick Assogba, Amber Thomas, and Doug Elmendorf, will bring their extensive experience in visualization and AI industry research, visualization consulting, visualization engineering, and public policy, to the stage to weigh in on how AI does and does not impact vis career trajectories in industry and freelancing. The podcast taping will be punctuated by a coffee break, followed by a live Q&A session.
Lightning Talks
After the Policy Viz podcast, Cluster lightning talks will take center stage. These 4-minute presentations will highlight fun and challenging problems that people in freelance, industry, and academia are facing now, and invoke discussion about strategies for successful vis practice. See our exciting roster of lightning talks below!
Kate Miller, Senior Business Intelligence Analyst at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
The Unsolved Problem of Visualizing Patient Journeys
Pranavi Aourpally, UX / Data Experience Designer
The Insider’s Dilemma: I Help Build the Grid My Art Says Is Burning California
Amanda Makulec, Founder of Viz Responsibly / Advisor in the Data Visualization Society
The Messy Work of Changing How Organizations Use Data
Md Dilshadur Rahman, Incoming Postdoctoral Fellow in the HIDIVE Lab at Harvard Medical School
Designing Annotations in Practice: Decisions, Challenges, and Tool Support
Tanvi Sharma, Designer at Emory University & Apple, and
Jay Varner, Software Engineer at Emory University
How Do You Teach a Chart That Was Built to Teach?
Helen-Nicole Kostis, Data Visualization Developer at NASA Scientific Visualization Studio
Wall-Sized Public Exhibits: The Tension of Storytelling with Earth Science Dashboards
Rosa Romero Gómez, Director of Data Visualization Engineering at Graphicacy
Editorial Power without Editorial Chaos
Hongxin Fu, PhD Student at Florida State University
How Much Do I Need to Know Before I Can Visualize It?
Danyel Fisher, Independent Consultant at Fisher Insights, LLC
Let Them Kill It Themselves
Freelancing FAQ
Cluster will wrap up with a Freelancing FAQ session, to advise curious attendees on how to start and build a successful visualization consulting business. This FAQ session will cover a range of topics, including negotiating rates, legal considerations (in the US), building a brand, marketing one’s business, and finding clients. This session will have multiple tables, each focusing on specific FAQ areas, so that everyone from freelance-curious to current business owners can benefit from the discussion. We are still soliciting FAQs from the community – add yours here. Come learn about self-employment as an alternative or supplement to industry and academic careers!
Anonymous Data Vis Draft Feedback
We are also collecting data visualization drafts for anonymous, asynchronous feedback from the community throughout the day. Drafts will be printed and posted around the coffee chat and lunch area for the duration of Cluster. Drafts can be anonymous, or list your name. This initiative is a great way to prompt converstion, display interesting work, and get valueable opinions on your latest vis endeavors. Submit your drafts here.
(NEW!) Registration Discount when Booking with the Westin hotel
The IEEE VIS 2026 OC is extending early-bird registration prices for anyone who books with the VIS room block at the Westin hotel (a discount of up to $200!).
More info on this Google form.
Book and register by Oct 23rd to take advantage of this deal!