Get Out of Your Gut, Get Into Your Data
On January 20, 2015, the Acadia Institute for Data Analytics hosted a full house of small and medium sized businesses in Clark Commons at Acadia University. Companies came from as far as Charlettown, Prince Edward Island with each Maritime province represented to learn and discuss how data analytics can help businesses make better decisions while improving productivity and competitiveness.
The purpose of the seminar was to identify the value and importance of data collection and analysis to modern business and to discuss implementing organizational change based on the findings. The event highlighted the business metrics that matte and methods and tools for capturing, visualizing, and conducting basic analysis of the data. The focus was on the business solution as well as the required resources and technologies needed.
The seminar included four short talks featuring: the Institute's Director Danny Silver, the event coordinator Wes Booth, Daryl Fraser from LiveLenz, and Clean Simple's Matt Cooper. Danny Silver gave an introduction to data analytics as a whole while Wes Booth talked more specifically about lean analytics and how data can make better businesses. Daryl Fraser provided insight from his extensive career in the restaurant business as well as his most recent undertaking at LiveLenz. Matt Cooper wrapped up the short talks with a case study on his startup Clean Simple and how it makes data driven decisions.
The seminar's keynote speaker was Cathy Simpson from T4G who explained how technology has affected corportate culture over the past 20 years and what steps businesses need to taken to change the attitude around data in a company.
The seminar finished with a panel discussion, hosted by Peter Moreira of Entrevestor, that dove deeper on a number of important topics that came up during the talks.
The envent was free and lunch was provided. Thank you to our sponsors: Nova Scotia Economic and Rural Development and Tourism and Acadia University.
