Why You Should Attend the Gartner BI Summit: Sydney, March 2 & 3, 2010

Now that everyone has made their way back from the break, it is time to start thinking about projects for 2010. With BBQs and beaches seemingly a distant memory, it is time to think about the other "B" that will consume us at the office - Business Intelligence. 

At least half of large corporations will be increasing their budgets in Business Intelligence this year. One of the best ways to prepare for discussions internally, and be in a position to sell your strategy and ideas is to take an opportunity to meet your peers and the industry specialists at Gartner for this invaluable conference. 

For a link to the conference details, you can click here Gartner BI & Information Management Summit but in the meantime here are some of the reasons I think you will get value from this Summit.

1. You Can Get More Value from Your Data. 

Every organisation has data that is locked up, and understanding the tools, solutions and methods to reaching this data and converting a diamond in the rough into a sparkling gem is truly money in the bank. There is no stronger business case than one that tells the story of how to not only inform management, but add value back to existing ERP systems. One of the themes of the Summit is "Exploit Your Data or Become Obsolete". I couldn't agree more.

2. Nils Vesk

I am a big fan of Edward De Bono, or rather lateral thinking. Nils Vesk will bring lateral thinking to the fore front on the topic of Creative Intelligence. He promises to deliver an exciting and though-provoking key-note. This session will be sure to energise and re-set the way you look at your organisation and its challenges. I can't wait for this one.

3. Discover New BI Trends and Tools

An informed decision needs to start with understanding what tools are available to get the job done. Sometimes the answer is that it requires no tools at all and with direction and leadership that the task at hand can be achieved. With a new world order post the GFC, we need to be creative with our solutions and exploit technology to its fullest. What's hot and what's not. What will work for you, and what has worked for your peers? These are all themes of the Summit, and let's face it, we all love to see new technology work for us!

4. A Clever and Relevant Agenda

The agenda has been devised in a way that caters to different competencies. I have copied it below to see what you think.

Gartner BI and Information Management Agenda Tracks

Track A: The People & Process - Building Stronger Relationship with the Business
Adoption of BI usage is predicted to double within organisations in the next five years, and IT is struggling to manage this increased demand. Because of this, Gartner predicts that 40% of BI budgets will be held by business units by 2012. It is therefore imperative that all areas of the business and IT work together to ensure success through the effective use of BI, analytics and performance management initiatives. This track focuses on the management frameworks and process issues, compliance to achieve consistency as well as best practices for establishing excellence centres.

Track B: The Planning & Performance - Managing Performance Rather Than Just Measuring It
Information derived from business intelligence systems is rarely linked directly to business decisions. Most organisations still struggle with fragmented BI initiatives, proliferation of BI tools and silos of departmental analytic applications. Bringing these initiatives together into a coherent strategy is vital for success in BI, analytics and performance management. Learn how to link performance management to planning, budgets and operational and governance activities to aid strategy execution, as well as identifying the right metrics to improve organisational performance.

Track C: The Platform - Evaluate Market, Tools & Technologies for Better Investments
The BI marketplace continues to grow more complex. Markets are increasingly dominated by mega-vendors, which is forcing organisations to re-examine their vendor selection. Meanwhile, emerging trends and alternative delivery models are radically changing views of how to build and deploy BI. Sessions in this track provide a deeper understanding of these shifts in areas of BI platforms, data warehousing, data integration and quality, and ways of integrating those emerging technologies with existing infrastructure - as well as a view on how the market will change in the next few years.

I hope that I will see you at the Gartner BI Summit this year, it could be the most important Business Intelligence Event of 2010.