Informs News: Business Analytics Conference ready to roll into Las Vegas

Caesars Palace, site of the 2017 INFORMS Conference on Business Analytics & O.R., sits on the famed Las Vegas Strip. Image- Thickstock

Caesars Palace, site of the 2017 INFORMS Conference on Business Analytics & O.R., sits on the famed Las Vegas Strip. Image- Thickstock

The 2017 INFORMS Conference on Business Analytics & Operations Research will take place in Las Vegas on April 2-4 at Caesars Palace.

Analytics 2017 will bring together nearly a thousand leading analytics professionals and industry experts to share ideas, network and learn through real-life examples of data-based analytical decisions. Long-formatted talks offer an outlet to hear the complete story of successful analytical projects from inception through implementation. This conference also offers substantial networking opportunities, making it the analytics event of the year for anyone who works in the analytics, operations research or management science fields.

Hand-picked topics and speakers. The Analytics Conference has seen huge growth and success year after year due in part to the conference program committees. They develop the topic tracks, select speakers and organize the presentations that comprise the heart of the conference. Maher Lahmar, IBM solution executive (see Q&A on page 49), chairs the Analytics 2017 Committee. The 38 members of the program committee include analysts and managers from companies such as Accenture, BNSF Railway, Chevron, Deloitte, Gartner, Google, Innovative Decisions, Intel, InterContinental Hotels Group, Kroger, Lockheed Martin, Mayo Clinic, The MITRE Corp., SAS, Schneider and Walt Disney Company, as well as leading universities and government agencies.

The conference committee has designated nine topical tracks for the 2017 invited speaker program: Analytics Leadership and Soft Skills, Analytics on Unstructured Data, Decision and Risk Analysis, Emerging Analytics, Entertainment and Gaming, Internet of Things, Marketing Analytics, Revenue Management and Pricing, and Supply Chain Applications. Leading analytics professionals from companies such as American Airlines, Amazon, Boeing, Caterpillar, Disney, General Motors, Google, Netflix, UPS and many others, as well as operations researchers from top universities and government organizations have signed on to speak at the premier conference on business analytics and operations research. The program will be rounded out by six tracks of hand-picked member-contributed talks, software tutorials from vendor sponsors and poster presentations.  

Poster presenters offered discounted registration rate. Interested students and professionals may submit a poster proposal and receive a discounted registration rate if selected to present at the meeting. The poster format is great for works-in-progress on which the speaker is looking for feedback or successful projects that may not be extensive enough for a 50-minute talk. The deadline for all poster presentations to be submitted is Feb. 20. If your poster is selected you can take advantage of a discounted registration rate of $1,070.

Conference venue. The conference will be held at one of the most prestigious resorts in the world, Caesars Palace. This iconic resort is one of the largest on the Las Vegas Strip. Caesars includes five towers of rooms, a pool garden, numerous bars, restaurants and other nightlife locations, and much more. It is connected to The Forum Shops, which include approximately 160 specialty stores, fine restaurants and attractions.

If you venture outside of the hotel you will find yourself in the middle of a global crossroads. The Las Vegas Strip is the entertainment capital of the world, with shows and restaurants galore. The Hoover Dam is a short 30-minute ride away. If you are feeling really adventurous you can venture a bit farther and take a 2.5-hour drive to the Grand Canyon. Las Vegas really is fabulous and offers a little bit of something for everyone.

Organizations can take advantage of the $1,070 team discount rate when they send three or more attendees to the conference. A $1,070 newcomer rate is also offered. This special rate applies to any INFORMS member who is attending the conference for the first time. All meals for two days are included in all registration fees.

For more information regarding conference registration or submitting a presentation, visit: meetings.informs.org/analytics2017.