The use of big data and analytics is on the agenda of virtually all businesses. It’s no longer about staying ahead — it’s about staying in business. In response to this growing need, The University of Akron’s Center for Information Technologies and eBusiness (CITe) will hold its first Business Analytics Innovation Summit on Thursday, Sept. 13, from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Quaker Station, 135 S. Broadway, Akron.Registration for the summit is open to business professionals, in addition to University faculty, staff and students.
The Business Analytics Innovation Summit will feature networking opportunities, along with panels and presenters who will discuss the real-world applications of business analytics across a variety of industries, and explore the tools and disciplines needed to gain a competitive edge. The theme for the 2018 summit — “Data Analytics in Your Business DNA” — was chosen to bring awareness to the importance of analytics in day-to-day and strategic business decisions in organizations.
Though most business leaders recognize the need for analytics, few know how to put them into practice in their own companies. According to a recent article in MIT Sloan Management Review, 59 percent of managers reported they are using analytics to gain a competitive advantage, yet only 20 percent of their firms are considered analytic innovators, and 34 percent stated they are “analytically challenged.”
The summit, sponsored by Blue Chip Consulting, Talend, Oracle Corporation and Microsoft, will have a series of presentations and Q&A panels featuring seasoned analytical practitioners. The presenters will include:
- Rob Heiser, CEO, Segmint;
- Gerard Daher, president and CEO, Speedeon Data;
- Sherry Neubert, CIO, Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company;
- Eric Hixson, senior program administrator—Business Intelligence, Cleveland Clinic;
- Mitchell Campbell, director of business and cloud analytics, Oracle; and
- Scott Arbogast, Master of Ceremonies, managing partner and COO, Blue Chip Consulting Group.
“We selected practitioners and representatives of companies that are thought leaders in business analytics within their unique domains,” said Dr. Bundiganvale S. Vijayaraman, CITe director and a professor of management. “They were chosen to share their experience and vision and how their companies are leveraging analytics to enhance their organization’s performance.”
All net proceeds will support student scholarships and attendance to the Summit. Registration information and details about the event can be found on the Business Analytics Innovation Summit website. Registration for professionals is $75; cost for UA faculty, staff and students is $50.
About CITe
The Center for Information Technologies and eBusiness (CITe) is a multidisciplinary center within the College of Business Administration. CITe was created in 2000 with the mission to teach students and develop faculty in the principles and practices of the related disciplines of Information Technology and electronic business. CITe accomplishes its mission by providing scholarships, mentoring, internships & co-op opportunities to students in the information systems discipline, providing resources to conduct research in the IT discipline to faculty, and conducting several outreach activities that promote IT among the local companies.
Media contact: Alex Knisely, 330-972-6477 or aknisely@uakron.edu.