It’s T-minus two weeks to Forrester’s second Data Strategy & Insights Forum, in Austin, Texas. Over 300 data and analytics leaders will gather to share, learn, and get inspired! For those of you who have already registered and plan to attend, you answered one key question during the registration process: What is your top priority in the next 12 months? As a data and analytics professional, you might have thought to yourself, “I wonder what they are going to do with this registration data?”
Well, this is a data strategy and insights conference, after all. So we have been looking at the data so far, and it quickly revealed common pain points, key business imperatives, and goals that we hear a lot from clients. One response sums it up well: “too many to list.” Your job as a data and analytics leader is changing rapidly and becoming more complex. While our time during this event will be short, we’ve planned a packed agenda to address many of these priorities to help you usher in 2020 with clarity and confidence.
Our event registration data revealed four main priorities, and we have some great sessions planned to help you think through these priorities.
Transform Data Leadership And Data Culture
The insights-driven business transformation is as much a leadership and culture story as it is a technology one. We heard from many of you that your priorities include “building out an internal analytics consulting function to make analytics more consumable and actionable for stakeholders”; “enabling analytics and fostering a data-driven culture”; and “establishing a data analytics practice that continuously utilizes insights to shape decisions.” We have several mainstage and deep-dive sessions and panels dedicated to tackling these priorities. Brandon Purcell’s opening keynote will talk about transformation as a data leader, while Cinny Little and Gene Leganza’s deep-dive session will discuss the human skills you should plan for. Industry leaders from Ticketmaster, BECU, and WeWork will also share how they have transformed the data culture in their respective organizations.
Formalize An Enterprisewide Data Strategy And Technology Footprint
Data governance, data management, data catalogs, privacy compliance, data security, data and information architecture . . . oh my! There is plenty of interest in these core and foundational areas of an insights-driven business, and we’ll address them in various ways. Michele Goetz, along with leaders from Shell, Accenture, and American Express, will help you reimagine the data and information architecture of the future. Fatemeh Khatibloo will introduce you to the world of decentralized digital customer identity as a way to regain consumer trust. Speakers from WordPress, AITruth.org, Virginia Tech, and formerly from the World Economic Forum will help you tackle thorny issues around data uncertainty and AI ethics and bias.
Use AI, ML, Data Science, And Advanced Analytics To Accelerate Innovation
For the AI and machine learning (ML) enthusiasts, we’ve got you covered. We’ve got lots of content in store to dig deep into AI strategy and the future of ML and advanced analytics. These will range from live demo sessions on analytics technologies that Boris Evelson will lead to mainstage sessions and deep dives on reimagining your business with AI from Kjell Carlsson and Michele Goetz. You’ll hear from Procter & Gamble on how the company has been using AI to transform its business. And Michele Goetz, along with speakers from Capgemini Invent, GE Power, Crunchyroll, and VRV, will take you into the future of business, as will our Forrester analysts on a sure-to-be-lively futurology panel.
Drive Growth And Better CX With Data And Analytics
Across verticals, we heard from many of you that your data and analytics priorities were tightly connected to customer experience (CX) and growth. For instance, “using data insights and machine learning to drive a better experience for our end customers,” “using analytics and insight to drive targeted/segmented acquisition marketing and more segmented prospect experiences,” “delivering best-in-class analytics tools to help business partners improve the customer experience,” and “supporting customer-first culture and product delivery as part of the digital transformation org” were just some of the stated priorities. Our deep-dive sessions on how to use ML and advanced customer analytics to create the next best experience and how to democratize and deploy ML will get to the heart of these priorities. Industry speakers from Brinker International and Starbucks will share how they monetize data and operationalize analytics to drive better CX and growth in their companies. Don’t miss these sessions!
We heard you and can’t wait to meet you all in two weeks. See you in Austin!