Make Claris Engage 2024 a Great Experience

The premier Claris Engage event for FileMaker developers is coming up soon in Austin, Texas! Following are some essential tips to help those who are perhaps attending for the first time and some things that may interest those who have attended many conferences in the past.

Where to Sleep

Get plenty of rest before Engage so you can be well energized for the time away. There are several suggested local hotels on the web site in an area of town called The Domain.

We found a good hotel option that is very close to the Apple venue (not in The Domain) at
Fairfield Inn & Suites Austin Northwest/Research Blvd
13087 Research Blvd Austin TX 78750

Another Domain Area hotel not listed on the Claris website is the
Residence Inn by Marriott Austin Northwest/The Domain Area
11301 Burnet Road, Austin, Texas 78758

Arrival

The Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (AUS) is about a 20 minute drive to The Domain area in north Austin with tolls. It’s about 30 minutes if you want to avoid the toll road.

Claris is providing a shuttle to and from The Domain area but the specific hotels and running times are not listed. At this time having a rental car would seem to be your safest and most flexible option.

What to Wear
There is no official dress code. Be comfortable with business casual and wear layers as the weather in February can be cooler. There will be a coat check at the Apple campus if you don’t want to carry a coat around all day.

What to Eat
Lunches at Engage are provided in your registration price including some snacks. The Welcome Reception the first night usually has food in an hors d’oeuvres kind of way. For any other time, you can explore a new restaurant in The Domain or other areas nearby.

Sessions and Location
The tentative Engage schedule is posted here.

Day 1, February 6 – Training Options and evening Keynote/Party
Apple Campus 6900 West Parmer Lane Austin, Texas 78729

Day 2 and 3, February 7-8 – Sessions
Apple Conference Center 5505 Parmer Lane Austin, Texas 78727

All of the sessions are recorded so you have the opportunity to time-shift and see them after Engage when you can’t be in two places at once. If you find yourself in a session that turns out to be not quite what you needed, don’t be afraid to move to another room and see what is going on there.

Overall, Engage isn’t where you’ll learn everything you need to know to create a successful Claris FileMaker solution… that’s a lot to learn in only 2-3 days. But you will learn new techniques, meet many people that can help you, and get inspired about what is possible with FileMaker. Follow that up with some offline work using the resources provided, and you’ll be able to take it all in and become proficient over time.

The days are long and your laptop battery may not last the entire time. Use an app that synchronizes your notes in the cloud as a backup. Put your iPhone on low power mode to save on battery.

Get Your Questions Answered
I suggest you make notes of any questions you have about FileMaker and take them with you to Engage so you can get expert advice in person.

Have Fun!
There are some interesting entertainment venues nearby in Austin you might want to try with your friends.

• TopGolf 2700 Esperanza Crossing Austin, TX
• K1 Indoor Game Carts 2500 Mc Hale Ct, Austin, TX 78758
• Dave and Buster’s 9333 Research Blvd Service Rd #A600, Austin, TX 78759
• Museum of Illusions Austin 11010 Domain Dr #100, Austin, TX

There are many advantages to going to Claris Engage. You can learn, network, and be inspired. In general, no matter how much you know…there’s always more you can learn.

It’s easy to get overloaded with all the information. Make some new friends. Say hello to people from all around the world. Enjoy!

FREE App!

If you’re interested in seeing the history of Claris FileMaker and previous conferences, we’ve created a Claris Conference History example FileMaker database app with lots of information that you can download.