When is the last time you attended a conference that you want to attend again AND would recommend to a colleague? Given the rise in virtual events over the last few years due to the health crisis, plus the traditional stuffiness of conferences in dimly lit rooms, it’s probably been a while.
Well, we’re thrilled to share that we had our second Everyday AI Conference of 2022 (just after London) and the first in-person Dataiku conference in New York since EGG 2019 and the results speak for themselves: A staggering 96% of attendees surveyed after the event would recommend it to a colleague and 94% would come again. Want to hear what made the conference such a massive success? Hint: It was more than just the perfect weather, networking, and rooftop drinks and apps. Find out for yourself below!
1. Silent Disco Style Hands-On Labs
Hands-on labs led by Dataiku experts were designed to allow attendees to experience key features in Dataiku through interactive (and entertaining) use cases. Using a Dataiku trial, attendees were able to follow instructors step-by-step and learn about new ways to use the product. There were two dedicated tracks on day one — Core Essentials and Going Further — so that attendees could customize their labs based on their unique user experience. Plus, attendees were given silent disco headphones so that they could really focus and get the most out of Dataiku while also still feeling connected to the rest of the conference.
2. Customer Fireside Chats
Day two was all about thought leadership and equipping the more than 700 data leaders and practitioners with practical insights on topics such as scaling AI, how the role of the data scientist is evolving, Responsible AI, data quality, enablement and upskilling, and much more.
Fun fact, the last time Dataiku executive Kurt Muehmel and Debbie Reynolds (VP Enterprise Data Solutions and Engineering, Pfizer) were on stage together was in 2018 when they discussed Pfizer’s shift out of analytic silos to analytic democratization. They discussed how far Pfizer has come since then — how they have been able to put data at the core of everyday business decisions, transform organizational behavior, and embark on the next phase: from democratization to Everyday AI.
Other notable customer fireside chats included a talk on cloud migration with Josh Beglau (Strategic AE, Dataiku) and Hank Roark (Director, Architecture & Core Engineering, Data & AI, Boeing) and how to move from theory to practice with Responsible AI moderated by Dataiku’s General Manager of Business Solutions, Sophie Dionnet, with participation from Noelle Silver (Founder, AI Leadership Institute) and Nicole Alexander (Head of Marketing, Meta).
3. The Announcement of Dataiku 11!
Next up, we would be remiss if we didn’t highlight the announcement of our latest product release, Dataiku 11! While it was officially unveiled a few days prior at Everyday AI London, we needed a chance to celebrate the news on this side of the pond. In a dedicated session on what Dataiku 11 brings to the table, Dataiku’s VP of Platform Strategy Jed Dougherty highlighted how this new release has something for everyone, from technical experts to line of business managers like marketers or finance teams and executive stakeholders. Dataiku 11 will be available this month.
4. The Innovators of Data Science Activation
This was, arguably, the most fun room in the entire venue (and I’m not just saying that because I was staffed there during the show!). If you haven’t heard, in 2021 Dataiku released a comprehensive online experience and the first-of-its-kind graphic novel, “Innovators of Data Science,” to showcase the trailblazers of data science who shaped the way we live and think today. Now, you might be wondering, “So, what does this have to do with the Everyday AI Conference?”
Well, the answer is that it’s inextricably linked. Dataiku has never been solely focused on product features. We take great pride in how we set our clients and partners up to systemize the use of data and AI across their organizations. We’re convinced that, in order to reach this level of frictionless collaboration, you need a shared data culture among collaborators from diverse business and academic backgrounds. After all, how can a data science and machine learning platform function seamlessly without acknowledging those that paved the path for us to do so?
The room was set up as our homage to the twelve innovators highlighted in the book — from massive samples of our comics that feature their work, to their portraits, to a swag store featuring sweet merch, and even the chance to beat the linear regression algorithm or scroll through the history of data science timeline. The pictures speak for themselves!
5. Academic and Frontrunner Award Highlights
Toward the end of day two, we had the opportunity to highlight our wonderful Dataiku Academic Program and some of the great work they’re doing to foster the next generation of analytical talent via free access to Dataiku, sponsoring student awards and scholarships, and much more. In partnership with phData, we gave Farida Abdelmoneum an award in recognition of her commitment to the study of data science and technology (see picture below).
Farida is a rising junior at Carnegie Mellon University with a major in statistics and machine learning, and a minor in innovation and entrepreneurship. In her time at CMU, Farida has not only excelled in the classroom, but on the tennis team as well. She is currently in an internship as a software engineer with the Facebook Meta team and was recently awarded her first patent for her creation of a “smart” tennis ball.
Not pictured, Yueer (Mia) Tang also received a student award. Mia is a rising senior with a major in statistics and machine learning, an additional major in human-computer interaction, and a minor in business analytics and optimization. Mia is currently in an internship with Box as an Incoming Product Analytics Intern.
For our Frontrunner Awards — which recognize the success of Dataiku customers, partners, nonprofits, academics, and all individual users — we were proud to award the below pioneering data leaders and practitioners:
- Alex Patamat, Director, Enterprise Data Science Center of Excellence, NXP
- Perry Beaumont, Ph.D., Lecturer, Columbia University
- Tom Brown, Analytics Advocate for Nonprofits and Founder of 41xRT
By the way, the 2022 edition of the Frontrunner Awards is now open to recognize more inspiring data leaders and practitioners and submissions close on August 1! And that’s a wrap — be on the lookout for much more content from our Everyday AI events in London and New York, including results from the on-site surveys and recordings of all the sessions to watch them back when you want!