ODSC East 2019 Review: Training, AI for Business, and more.
After four days chock-full of workshops, networking, and talk of revolutionizing industries with the help of data science, ODSC East closed its doors at Hynes Convention Center, marking another successful gathering in Boston. The event hosted thousands of analysts, business-people, and even just data-curious attendees looking to jump-start a career in data science. If you weren’t able to attend the conference this year and are interested in future conferences, here’s a breakdown of everything you missed throughout the week.
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The event kicked off with the Accelerate AI track, a series of events and talks geared toward using artificial intelligence to create better businesses across a variety of fields. Speakers from companies like Wayfair, Biogen, and DataRobot delivered 30–45 minute talks with experience ranging from beginner to advanced topics, allowing attendees to pick and choose which talks to attend to their own preference for skill level. After the presentations, speakers and audience members were encouraged to engage over free coffee in the hall during networking breaks.
For those who wanted more hands-on training from the conference to bulk their data skills, the conference also held day-long workshops also ranging in difficulty. Whether you’re a journalist looking for the best visualization practices or a senior data scientist looking for innovative ways to improve your statistical model’s efficiency, ODSC has a training session for your needs. Though these workshops cost a bit extra to attend, they could be worth it if you’re looking to learn skills from industry leaders in an intimate setting.
On day three of the conference, the Accelerate AI track wrapped up, but not without ramping up the number of events, workshops, and talks available to attendees. On Thursday and Friday, the Expo Hall at Hynes Convention Center was flooded with eager ears and eyes that took in advice and information from keynote presentations delivered by key figures in the data science community like Hilary Mason, Clive Thompson, Mike Stonebraker, and more. Fans of the speakers were also given the opportunity to meet and chat with them at booths throughout the day.
The conference wasn’t simply for those already employed in the data science field however; in fact, the career fair in Expo Hall D saw dozens of companies looking to recruit talent from the sea of attendees. For those looking to be hired or switch things up in their career, several companies big and small accepted resumes and chatted with folks from 11 am — 5:30 pm both Thursday and Friday. Even if you’re working, the career fair is an excellent way to connect with other data scientists and grow your network, which is what the conference is all about in the first place.
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ODSC was able to bring together a community of data scientists from around the world to laugh and learn together, which is an experience not to be missed. If you didn’t get a chance to make it to ODSC East this year, or aren’t located in or around Boston, there are opportunities to experience ODSC year-round around the globe. For NYC-based data scientists, ODSC New York takes place June 28–29th, and ODSC West is set for Oct. 29th — Nov. 1st. For international attendees, ODSC India is happening August 7th — 10th, and in London November 19th — 22nd, 2019.
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