The Future of Innovation through Analytics and Operations Research to Converge in Florida this April

ORLANDO, Fla., March 17, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Nearly 1,000 of the leading minds and visionaries in the fields of analytics and operations research will converge in Orlando, Florida, April 10-12 for a unique conference dedicated to mastering business analytics strategies and tactics that drive innovation and benefit society in new and exciting ways. 

The annual event, which is expected to draw attendees from across the globe, is presented by INFORMS, the leading international association for professionals in analytics and operations research. 

Analytics 2016, (the 2016 INFORMS Conference on Business Analytics & Operations Research) will be held at the Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress, Orlando, Florida and feature keynote presentations and panel discussions from top leaders in analytics at Uber, Ford, and numerous other world class organizations.  Paul Ballew, Global Chief Data & Analytics Officer of Ford and Samuel Eldersveld, Uber's Lead and Director of Operations Research are the keynote speakers.

Those attending will hear the latest on real-life implementation of analytics and operations research from leaders driving innovations throughout society through sophisticated analytics applications.  From established organizations and exciting new start-ups, executives will explore how companies leverage advanced analytics to increase productivity, improve competitiveness, manage costs, increase revenues, improve margins, enhance safety and security, improve quality of products and services, assure more reliable and consistent law enforcement, enhance emergency management, and take intelligence gathering and natural security efforts to new levels.  Prominent industry experts will provide key insights on how to use analytics for better management decision-making and better business outcomes.

Learning Tracks

Attendees have 13 learning tracks from which to choose:

• Analytics leadership & soft skills
• Analytics Process
• Data Mining
• Decisions & risk analysis
• Fraud detection & life sciences
• Internet of Things
• Marketing analytics
• Predictive Analytics/Forecasting
• Optimization
• Revenue management & pricing
• Transportation
• Sports & entertainment
• Supply chain analytics.

Member-contributed talks, in-depth technology workshops, poster presentations, panels, and numerous networking opportunities supplement the program.

An invitation-only Executive Forum will provide top-level decision makers with a bottom-line understanding of how business analytics drive better organizational decisions.

Franz Edelman Awards Finalists

Each year, INFORMS conducts the Franz Edelman competition, which attests to the contributions of operations research and analytics in both the profit and non-profit sectors. Since its inception, the cumulative benefits from Edelman finalist projects have topped $235 billion.

Edelman finalist teams have improved organizational efficiency, increased profits, brought better products to consumers, helped foster international peace negotiations and saved lives. The purpose of the Franz Edelman competition is to identify, recognize and reward outstanding examples of operations research, management science and advanced analytics in practice.  Six leading finalist organizations will compete onsite for the 2016 INFORMS Franz Edelman Award:

• 360i (Marketing)
• BNY Mellon (Financial Services)
• Chilean Professional Soccer Association (ANFP) (Athletics)
• New York City Police Department (NYPD) (Law Enforcement)
• UPS (Logistics)
• U.S. Army Communications-Electronics Command (CECOM) (National Security)

In addition, an awards gala will include presentations of the 2016 INFORMS Prize to General Motors for overall achievement in analytics and operations research, and the 2015 Daniel H. Wagner Prize. The Wagner Prize will be presented to a CDC team whose unique application of math to epidemiology has the potential to open the door to a universal influenza vaccine. Led by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the team includes researchers from Georgia Tech and Emory University.

A fourth major award, the UPS George D. Smith Prize, is presented to an academic department or program for effective and innovative preparation of students to be good practitioners of operations research, management science, or analytics. Accompanied by a $10,000 cash award, the prize is named for the late UPS CEO who was a patron of operations research at the Fortune 50 Company.

The 2016 finalists for the Smith Prize are:

• School of Information Systems & Management, and School of Public Policy and Management, H. John Heinz III College, Carnegie Mellon University
• Institute for Advanced Analytics, North Carolina State University
• Operations Research Program, United States Air Force Academy

Analytics 2016 will include two programs for future analytics leaders: an Early Career Connection and the INFORMS Professional Colloquium. For more information and to register for Analytics 2016 visit http://meetings2.informs.org/wordpress/analytics2016/.

About INFORMS

With nearly 12,000 members from around the globe, INFORMS is the leading international association for professionals in analytics and operations research. INFORMS advances research and promotes best practices in analytics and operations research through an array of highly-cited publications, conferences, competitions, networking communities, and professional development services.

More information about INFORMS, analytics, and operations research is available at www.informs.org or @informs.

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