Big Data 2020: Big Data, Business, and the Pandemic

Big data, data analytics, advanced computing, and algorithms are rapidly and profoundly changing every sphere of human activity. Advanced computing gives us the ability to reliably and cost effectively store petabytes of data; and machine learning algorithms can crunch through massive datasets in real time to extract business intelligence and socially relevant information, giving firms new marketing tools, like mobile geo-social targeting.

These tools have also empowered customers, making them more savvy in their interactions with business. The businesses, nonprofits, health care providers, government agencies, entrepreneurs, and educational institutions that harness these trends have an historic opportunity to gain an advantage over their competitors. However, the current pandemic poses new challenges to business at all levels and offers both perils and promises for the future. This conference will address issues at the intersection of data science, artificial intelligence, and business, given the current state of the global crisis. The fifth annual Big Data Conference focused on Big Data, Business, and the Pandemic and gathered industry leaders via Zoom to address these topics:

How is the pandemic affecting, both positively and negatively, businesses in diverse industries?
How has big data and AI technologies helped businesses in the challenges that they faced because of the pandemic?
How do our panelists see their business model change in the post-pandemic world?
What role will data science/AI technologies have in that post pandemic business model?

The Keynote Speaker was Manos Spanos, Senior Vice President of Brand Marketing for the yogurt business unit at Danone, North America. Big Data 2020 was held on Thursday, December 3 via Zoom.

Manos Spanos, University of Miami Institute for Data Science and Computing, Big Data 2020 Conference "Big Data, Business, and the Pandemic" December 3, 2020 Keynote Speaker

Keynote

Manos Spanos, Senior Vice President, Brand Marketing, Yogurt Business Unit | Danone, North America

Manos Spanos leads the marketing efforts for such brands as Activia, Dannon, Danimals, Light & Fit, Oikos, Two Good, and more. Previously at Danone, Mr. Spanos was SVP of the Marketing Center of Excellence and led a cross-functional team that included media, insights, analytics, consumer engagement, and design. Prior to Danone, Mr. Spanos worked at PepsiCo, where his last role was marketing VP of flavors and energy drinks. Mr. Spanos is an alumnus of Hartwick College of New York, with a bachelor’s in management and an MBA in marketing from the University of Miami.

TALK “Brand Story Telling in the Age of AI”

Marketing technology, and particularly, the use of AI in leveraging Big Data, is a trend that has been building progressively over the last few years . . . However, recently, we see a significant acceleration in both the interest from Marketers and the solutions that are being offered. This can be attributed to the technological advancements and the coming regulatory environment/changes (i.e. cookieless world), as well as the fast shift towards digital that the Pandemic has accelerated. In this discussion, we will take a look into some practical applications of AI Marketing technology in Brand Storytelling for Danone that are helping us drive significant growth!

Thursday, December 3, 2020 | 3:00-5:00 PM

Moderator

Pete Martinez
Chairman and CEO | Game Changer Tec and SIVOTEC Analytics

The Big Data 2020 Conference moderator was Pete Martinez. Mr. Martinez serves as Chairman and CEO of Game Changer Tec, LLC and SIVOTEC Analytics; high innovation enterprises at the intersection of sports, health, technology, and big data analytics.

Pete Martinez, University of Miami Institute for Data Science and Computing, Big Data 2020 Conference "Big Data, Business, and the Pandemic" December 3, 2020 Moderator

Panelists

Big Data 2020 panelists discussed how organization has changed, what the perils and promises are in a virtual environment, and, working in enterprise AI and data science during a global pandemic.

Athina Hadjixenofontos, PhD
Data Science Manager, Quantitative Analytics Manager
Wells Fargo | Athina is a data scientist with extensive experience with large datasets and complex study designs typical of statistical genetics. She is experienced with text, financial, genomic, and image data, and is passionate about effective study design and the clear communication of technical results.

Christine Johnson, panelist, University of Miami Institute for Data Science and Computing Big Data 2020 Conference, "Big Data, Business, and the Pandemic" December 3, 2020

Christine Johnson
Vice President, Innovation, Economic Development
The Beacon Council | Christine leads recruitment, retention, and expansion efforts for the technology and innovation sector, supporting the entrepreneurial landscapes by leveraging resources and brokering relationships to foster community growth.

Ashwin Kumar, panelist, University of Miami Institute for Data Science and Computing Big Data 2020 Conference, "Big Data, Business, and the Pandemic" December 3, 2020

Ashwin Kumar
Associate VP, Revenue Cycle Management
Jackson Health System | Ashwin creates complex tech-enabled solutions to drive process improvement and growth in all revenue cycle areas, including health information management, patient access, clinical documentation improvement, revenue integrity, and denials management,

Travis Montague, panelist, University of Miami Institute for Data Science and Computing Big Data 2020 Conference, "Big Data, Business, and the Pandemic" December 3, 2020

Travis Montague
Founder and CEO, Holler | Travis leads a top-notch team of animators and AI scientists in building Holler, the next-generation messaging experience. He’s been included in Forbes 30 Under 30, Entrepreneur Magazine’s Most Daring Entrepreneurs, and has led Holler to a place on Fast Company’s 2020 Most Innovative Companies List for developing greater emotional expression in today’s digital conversations. He is passionate about enhancing digital communication with creativity and technology, and has taken the stage at Cannes Lions, CES, Social Media Week, Advertising Week, SXSW and Harvard Business School to ignite conversations on the topic.

Yelena Yesha, panelist, University of Miami Institute for Data Science and Computing Big Data 2020 Conference, "Big Data, Business, and the Pandemic" December 3, 2020

Yelena Yesha, PhD
Innovation Officer, and Head, International Relations
UM Institute for Data Science and Computing | In her IDSC roles, Dr. Yesha assists faculty in engaging government and industrial partners to collaborate with the University, and consults faculty on developing research ideas into innovations. Dr. Yesha is also a tenured Distinguished University Professor at the Department of Computer Science and Electrical Engineering at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, and, she is the Director of the National Science Foundation Center for Accelerated Real Time Analytics (CARTA).