“Real Business Intelligence Insights: my Top 12 “Insanely Great” Ah Hah Moments for “Data Leaders”
Fred Isbell
Driving Digital-first Marketing Transformation and the art & science of B2B Marketing through Thought Leadership, Marketing Analytics, and Marketing Intelligence and Strategy
In my 35+ years’ experience in high technology and marketing I have certainly attended and spoken at my fair share of industry events and conferences. I have seen many amazing thought leaders present and share their visions: Steve Jobs and Bill Gates at Comdex (not on the same stage), Steve Wozniak and Hasso Plattner at SAP SAPPHIRE/ASUG, and Ken Olsen at DECworld top a truly distinguished list. I am also proud to have mentored many colleagues over the years. One of my most emphatic recommendations to them is to “get out of the office” periodically and attend industry conferences, network with peers, and gain new perspectives.
Obviously the COVID19 pandemic has severely limited these “in-person” event opportunities.?The literally overnight digital transformation we have witnessed in the last 18 months has forced on-line and virtual events to come of age and fill the gap. And how they have indeed! I joke that while ON24 Chief Webinerd Mark Bornstein, VP of Content, claims to have coined the term “the modern webinar”,?I believe I said it first in my SAP keynote at the very first ON24 Webinar World event in San Francisco “way back” in 2017.?Regardless of the timing and source, the “modern webinar” and with it “modern virtual events” have risen to the forefront of events and the customer experience (CX) in a huge way.
Dresner Advisory Services is no different. 2021 marked the fifth annual Real Business Intelligence Conference.?The first three were in-person events held at the MIT Tang Center in Cambridge MA. Extremely well-executed in-person events with keynotes by an impressive roster of thought leaders, a sponsor expo, breakout sessions and roundtables, and the all-important in-person networking. And yes – meals and receptions to continue the all-important networking.?
However, all that changed in 2020 with the COVID19 pandemic. I have done many virtual events earlier in my career, and of course as the one-time “webinar king of SAP”, no one had to sell me on the power and potential of on-line events and conferences.?The 2020 Real Business Intelligence Conference was our first virtual conference, though the Dresner Advisory Services team has experience with webinars, including our monthly Luncheon Learning series.
I wrote about my role in the 2020 event, leading a Data Literacy roundtable with fellow BI industry colleague Jonathan Sharr “Executive Insights: Data Literacy and Real Business Intelligence”.?The 2020 conference was extremely successful and earned rave reviews; and most importantly, nearly all attendees indicated they would return.
While the plan was for a “hybrid” 2021 Real Business Intelligence Conference, combining the elements of in-person and virtual events, the rapid shifts of the resurgence of the COVID19 pandemic in late spring/summer led to an on-line and virtual-only conference. Also proof that part of being a successful “Data Leader” is the need to be agile and nimble.
With a year of experience under our belts, the 2021 Real Business Intelligence Conference was an enormous success, once again featuring a mix of external though leader speakers, Dresner Advisory Services Analysts, Roundtables with analysts and thought leaders (including the conference board of advisors and steering committee), and sponsors representing BI, data, and analytics solutions.?And to add one more element of the “modern virtual conference,” a reception sponsored by Alation. Like many creative “modern virtual conferences”, this featured a make your own Mai Tais followed by virtual networking time; a box appeared at my doorstep the day before, and the ingredients for a great end of the first day were ready (and no designated drivers needed either).
The 2021 Real Business Intelligence Conference featured content curated expressly for “Data Leaders”, including Data Leadership and the future of BI, Data, and Analytics and both current and emerging best practices. External thought leader keynotes included an eclectic mix, from a “self-professed Martian” to speakers from the TSA, City of Boston, and Bombardier, among others. The analyst team at Dresner Advisory Services led five concurrent interactive roundtable discussions on five cutting-edge, timely and relevant topics and sessions which included analysts, conference alumni, speakers, and sponsors as panelists.?
As I wrote in “Twelve "Insanely Great" Reasons Why the Real Business Intelligence Conference Is a Must-Attend Event for Data Leaders”, it is important to get out periodically and see different perspectives, gain new experiences, and perhaps most importantly, network with your peers.?For years I have written and spoken about the key “ah hah” moments I gained from these experiences.?In that spirit, here are my Top 12 “Insanely Great” Ah Hah Moments for “Data Leaders” from the 2021 Real Business Intelligence Conference:
1.)??In their “The State of Business Intelligence” on day 1, Conference Co-Chairs Howard Dresner and Chris von Simson showcased the significant business Impact of COVID19 and the major role BI has had.?I recalled covering this in an earlier blog “BI and Analytics Shine in a Time of Crisis”, and Howard and Chris showcased how those predictions have become true. They shared research on how success with BI initiatives and Data-Driven Decision-Making is inextricably linked to Data Literacy, having BI competency centers (BICCs), making investment in BI programs, and having data leadership in place (CDO and/or CAO) supported by the executive leadership team. True #BIWisdom and a great way to kick-off a great conference.
2.)??Professor Sarah Williams, Associate Professor of Technology and Urban Planning at MIT showcased in her keynote “Data Action: Using Data for a Public Good” seven key guiding principles to use data for good – excellent guidance for “Data Leaders” in sectors related to government and public endeavors, and relevant across all industries as well:
3.)??Dr. Lorien Pratt, Chief Scientist and Co-Founder of Quantellia, highlighted how Decision Intelligence is a both a blueprint for better decisions, and a key to the future of BI, data, and analytics.?The first-ever live on-line Decision Intelligence Workshop was truly ?“insanely great.” ?The exercise in live decision mapping showcased the focus on outcomes-based results, a critical concept expanded upon by Dr. Pratt. I found the parallels with Design Thinking also quite fascinating, having drunk that “Kool-Aid” years back and once taught a Design Thinking and Marketing/Social Media class to middle school students in Charlestown MA in conjunction with Citizens Schools.
4.)??David Dadoun, Chief Data Officer, Bombardier Recreational Products, presented Data Leadership options including centralized, decentralized, and federated organizational models in his keynote “Winning at Data with a Modern Strategy”.?His insights as a CDO were tremendous, and he shared key guiding principles required before the focus on the data platform and the underlying technology. Classic “people, business, and technology.”?Whether a CDO or a Chief Analytics Officer (CAO) (or both), Data Leadership is truly a key ingredient in the “secret sauce” of BI success.
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5.)??I attended two of the Five Round Table Discussions moderated by Dresner Advisory Services Analysts featuring Real Business Intelligence Conference alumni, steering committee members, and conference sponsors. The Data Governance Roundtable moderated by Brian Lett and Brian Wood was outstanding – yes, “insanely great”!??And probably the best roundtable/breakout I’ve attended in years.?They showcased that “Data Leaders” must leverage Data Governance; this is a classic “greenfield” opportunity that conference attendees communicated in a polling question. ?Likewise, the “Women in data” Roundtable moderated by Elizabeth Espinoza and Lindsay Wise provided great perspectives and advice to women “Data Leaders” to focus upon soft skills, empathy, and prioritization plus perhaps most importantly, ?“do what you love”. ??The discussion of women’s’ roles and "imposter syndrome" pained me, and opened my eyes even more to the imperative shared with attendees to 1.) be your own person 2.) let your work and skills speak for themselves and 3.) don’t EVER back down. These fabulous women in data leaders showed why the glass ceiling should be a thing of the past - just like floppy disks, 20 MB hard disks, and mainframe computers with the power of a modern smart phone that occupied a whole room in the data center.
6.)??As a long-time Edward Tufte fan (my Yale Professor, the "father of Data Science, and more), the Workshop on “Presenting Data Effectively” by Dr. Stephanie Evergreen, Founder of Evergreen Data, was an extraordinary journey into making our communications and messages clearer and easier to understand.?One of many ah ha moments shared by Dr. Evergreen was how “data people” view the required information differently from “information consumers,” and how “data leaders” need to understand this to be more effective themselves. Her “tips and tricks” of great data visualization and presentation were worth the price of admission alone. And a bonus: “have fun” – great advice for “Data Leaders” ?of all kinds!
7.)??A day 1 reception sponsored by Alation and time in the Real Business Intelligence Conference Lounge to network with conference attendees and faculty showcased that virtual events and on-line conferences have really stepped up to provide interactive, engaging, and fun forums during a time when in-person events are not an option.?In fact, the future is one of hybrid events, where the in-person component may indeed be of secondary importance, and the on-line portion will be where the majority of attendees may come from (globally, at that).
8.)???“Your Data Should Show up for Work More Often” by Dr. Laura Downey, Chief, Applied Architecture TSA, showcased the need understand LOB/functional roles and requirements, what their data asset and technology requirements are and more - what we once called “shadow IT” is now often the largest source of our IT spending. ??Dr. Downey then showcased how we need to create outcomes-based solutions and focus upon the results and NOT just the technology.?Wow and tremendous synergy with Dr. Pratt’s session on Decision Intelligence.??During the Twitter/on-line discussion that mirrored sessions (with hashtags #realbievent and #BIWisdom), the “father of MarTech, Scott Brinker, jumped in and replied to my tweet with “it’s all about the data”.?Amen brother!
9.)??Courtney Moores, Director of Performance Management, and Stefanie Costa Leabo, Chief Data Officer (CDO), City of Boston, presented both the case for a CDO who understands and can affect culture in an organization, versus one who focuses upon the technology, and the importance of Performance Management including excellent case studies. ??Anyone aspiring to become a “Data Leader” and a CDO or CAO should view the replay of their session “Step Up and Start Your CDO Journey”.?Stephanie’s message “it’s also all about timing” is so true – when opportunity knocks, seize the moment!?A bonus was Stephanie’s/Courtney’s discussion of a successful data and analytics team; a successful and high performance team is more than an org chart and is the fruition of both successful strategy and execution.
10.) ?I love to visit the sponsors and partners in a conference expo or showcase, and get lots of vendor perspectives on BI, data, and analytics solutions. And yes, collect some “chachkies”, and yes, I’ve seen those given away in virtual conferences too!?The Real Business Intelligence Expo was a great was to meet conference sponsors during both days and featured a “call to action” to schedule follow-on meetings.?This highlighted another element of the reality of on-line and hybrid events: how these digital events deliver a qualified “lead” to organizations without the process and expense of qualification.?Wow, deja vu to the “contact me now” option I created in my early days of webinars, but even more important in this next generation of modern virtual and online events and conferences.
11.) ?As a self-professed “space geek” “See the World, Change the World: Data at a Planetary Scale” presented by a self-professed “real Martian”, Dr. Tanya Harrison, Director of Science Strategy at Planet, was an extraordinary proof point of the power of data literally at a planetary scale and how to harness real-time data acquisition from satellites.?Having seen Dr. Harrison all over recent new coverage of SpaceX, Blue Origin, and Virgin Galactic space missions, she defines a thought leader who is literally “out of this world”.?Her perspectives on using massive amounts of real-time satellite data showcases how current drone- and fixed wing aircraft-based GIS and mapping/modeling solutions will soon be leap-frogged, a paradigm shift that will lead to “infinity and beyond” for BI, Data, and Analytics and an entire industry.
12.) The Closing Conference Session summarized key learnings, conference highlights, and next steps and actions for “Data Leaders” to ensure optimal success for their BI, data, and Analytics initiatives. It was extremely exciting to see the launch of a new “Data Leaders” offering and service, which adds new capability for “Data Leaders” to leverage the extensive data, insights, and expertise of the Dresner Advisory Services team. I loved the parallel to Dr. Downey’s session, and making the data work harder for you – the Dresner Advisory team has an incredible array of both talent and data, and has hardly scratched the surface of what they will soon offer to “Data Leaders” across all sizes of organization and industry sectors. A truly exciting time to be in BI, Data, and Analytics!
Bonus Ah-Ha Moment #13: Hear from a Leading BI Expert and Thought Leader: What Makes a “Data Leader”?
13.) Jim Ericson, VP and Research Director?Dresner Advisory Services, LLC, is a recognized expert in Business Intelligence, Data Governance, Cloud, and Business Intelligence Competency Centers.?He defined three defining qualities of data leadership in his recent blog “What Makes a “Data Leader”, as well as?what attendees could expect to see at the Real Business Intelligence 2021 Conference. ?A great read and being a former journalist, the case examples and quotes are great (as is Jim!).
The close of day two by Howard and Chris wrapped up an "insanely great" two-day on-line conference providing excellent content and thought leadership presentations, sessions, and roundtables curated for “Data Leaders”.?See everyone next year at the Real Business Intelligence 2022 Conference.?A reminder that the conference platform will remain live for 30 days ?post-event -- learn more at https://realbusinessintelligence.com/ . And be sure to join the next series of #BIWisdom tweetchats available from the comfort of your desk - on-line and everywhere.
Fred Isbell is a Research Director at Dresner Advisory Services, a high technology industry marketing veteran and former Senior Marketing Director for a large global ERP solutions and services company with over 35 years experience.