Agenda
Successful Applications of Analytics: How Analytics Drives Disruption
Conference Agenda
The 2019 conference is a day-and-a-half event. The main day of the conference will take place on May 16th at the Inn at Penn.
On May 15th, pre-conference technical workshops are available at an additional cost of $125 (you must register for the conference to be eligible to attend a pre-conference workshop). Use the buttons above to toggle between the schedules for each day.
Conference Schedule
Please note that our agenda is subject to change as more details and speakers are announced.
8:00-9:00 a.m.
Registration and Breakfast
Lobby, Inn at Penn
9:00-9:15 a.m.
Welcome Remarks
Mary Purk, Executive Director at AI and Analytics for Business Initiative
9:15-9:30 a.m.
Dean’s Remarks
Geoff Garrett, Dean and Reliance Professor of Management and Private Enterprise at The Wharton School
9:30-10:20 a.m.
Keynote Address
From the Back Office to Data Company CEO: The Ever-Evolving Role of the CDAO
A. Charles Thomas
Chief Data and Analytics Officer at General Motors
Q&A Moderator: Raghu Iyengar, Professor of Marketing at The Wharton School
Presentation Description
Drawing from his experience as the chief data and analytics officer at three different companies, Charles will discuss the critical role that data-driven insights have on business results, operational efficiency and effectiveness, as well as the role of customer, corporate and business data as a strategic asset.
10:20-10:50 a.m.
Morning Break
10:50 – 11:40 a.m.
Lightning Talks: From Ideas to Implementation – Part 1
AIABI works with many companies each year to pair them with researchers of various types – undergrads, graduate students and academics, to work with their data on real business problems. From Ideas to Implementation lightning talks will walk through several examples of successful applications of AIABI projects.
Moderator: Raghu Iyengar, Miers-Busch, W’1885 Professor, Professor of Marketing and Faculty Co-Director, AI and Analytics for Business Initiative
Presentation Description
Evite Launches Machine Learning Project with No In-house Data Scientists
Victor Cho, W’93, CEO at Evite
Levani Zandarashvili, Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Pennsylvania
Evite and AIABI teamed up to create a datathon for Penn students to design and implement data-driven solutions for improving the user experience of the Evite platform and increasing revenue for the company.
The Barnes Foundation – Analytics Accelerator Challenge Project
Margaret Zminda, EVP, CFO and COO at The Barnes Foundation
Catherine Bache, W’21, Undergraduate Student at The Wharton School
A review of The Barnes Foundation’s progress in implementing a predictive model for determining forecasted revenue and impacts of changes in pricing. Model also was constructed to determine the impact of special exhibitions on the Foundation’s revenue expectations.
11:40 – 12:15 p.m.
The Future of Technology + Data Science in Investment Management
Nobel Gulati, W’94, Former CEO at Two Sigma Advisers, LP
Q&A Moderator: Eric Bradlow, W’88, Professor of Marketing at The Wharton School
Presentation Description
The ubiquity of data has led to seismic changes in investment management. In public markets, firms large and small already tap into big computing power and advancements in data science to find an edge. But what about taking a similar approach with private markets? Nobel Gulati will help explore what is coming next in investment management.
12:15 – 1:30 p.m.
Lunch
Regent & St Mark’s Room at the Inn at Penn
1:30 – 2:05 p.m.
Innovative Evidence in the Changing Health Care Landscape
John Whang, Head, Integrated Evidence in Cardiovascular and Metabolism at Johnson & Johnson / Janssen Pharmaceuticals
Q&A Moderator: Mary Purk, Executive Director at AI and Analytics for Business Initiative
Presentation Description
Health care will be disrupted by wearable technologies. To gain capabilities to participate and shape this future, Johnson and Johnson has entered into a collaborative arrangement with Apple to understand how these technologies permit new ways of generating health evidence and delivering health value into the market.
2:05 – 2:55 p.m.
Lightning Talks: From Ideas to Implementation: Part II
AIABI works with many companies each year to pair them with researchers of various types – undergrads, graduate students and academics, to work with their data on real business problems. From Ideas to Implementation lightning talks will walk through several examples of successful applications of AIABI projects.
Moderator: Elea McDonnell Feit, Assistant Professor of Marketing at Drexel University and Senior Fellow at The AI and Analytics for Business Initiative
Presentation Description
NFL Big Data Bowl: Penn Students Contribute to the NFL Data Revolution
Adi Wyner, Professor of Statistics at The Wharton School
Jack Soslow, W’19, Undergraduate Student at The Wharton School
For the first time, the NFL released some of their highly valuable player-tracking data to the public to see what insights they could find. Four Wharton and Penn undergraduate students entered the competition and were named finalists, where they presented to team executives at the NFL Combine. Hear how four undergraduate students analyzed a completely new data-set in only a few days and how data is changing the course of the NFL.
Dynamic Contextual Game Recommendations
Jason Park, Data Scientist at Electronic Arts
Ryan Dew, C’13, Assistant Professor of Marketing at The Wharton School
Jason Park and Ryan Dew will provide an overview of how their teams collaborated to implement a robust and scalable game recommendation solution. The goal was to achieve the best possible recommendations and to match players with games that they will like in EA’s online gaming platform. Ryan and team built an innovative model to predict a user’s preference ranking over all available games at any given point in time, and to suggest what to play.
2:55 – 3:25 p.m.
Afternoon Break
3:25 – 4:00 p.m.
Creating a Frictionless Customer Experience
Katrina Conn, Customer Experience Practice Lead at Teradata
Q&A Moderator: Mary Purk, Executive Director at The AI and Analytics for Business Initiative
Presentation Description
TBA
4:00 – 4:35 p.m.
Implementation of a Decision Making Model in Player Selection
Brad Grant, VP, Baseball Operations – Strategy & Administration at the Cleveland Indians
Q&A Moderator: Jennifer Brann, W’20, Undergraduate Student at The Wharton School
Presentation Description
In 2012, the Cleveland Indians were at a low-point having lost 94 games and finished 20 games behind the Central Division Champion Detroit Tigers. The club had just released their manager of only two years and claimed only one franchise player who they had drafted and developed during the previous fifteen years – -CC Sabathia — who they drafted in 1997. After much reflection it was clear that the front office needed to change their methodologies in both scouting and player development. The first move they made was the implementation of an evidence-based player selection process during the Major League Baseball Draft. While the Indians where successful in implementing an analytical approach to player selection, they also created a uniquely difficult set of challenges in managing the tension between innovation and scouting. This presentation will focus on why the Indians needed to change their selection process, how they approached these changes, and the tensions that arose as a result of a process shift to analytics.
4:35 – 4:45 p.m.
Closing Remarks
Raghu Iyengar, Miers-Busch, W’1885 Professor, Professor of Marketing and Faculty Co-Director, AI and Analytics for Business Initiative
4:45 – 6:00 p.m.
Closing Reception
Regent and St. Marks Room at the Inn at Penn