Analytics Pioneers Summit is a conference organised for the first time by the Analytics Pioneers group. They are an educational and interest group for analysts from all over Europe and above all from German-speaking countries.
Under the baton of the analytics studio Mohr & Stade and with the support of partners Tealium, Piwik Pro and Jentis, this grand event took place on 13 September in the BMW Park basketball arena in Munich, Bavaria.
Yes, you heard right: this analytics unconference in the barcamp format really took place on a basketball court. Mohr & Stade, as the main organiser, thus built on its experience from last year, when it held the first Munich MeasureCamp (also an analytics and data unconference) at the Allianz Arena football stadium in Germany.
The unconference format may be confusing for some. It means that participants sign up for their tickets before the programme of the event is known. The programme is not planned in advance but is created on the spot. The specific schedule is put together right after the event opens. In the analytics community, which is famous for these events, attendance is also often free of charge. The conference is financed by sponsors.
The Start of the Conference
The conference opened in grand style at 9:45 right on the basketball court. For the occasion the court was fitted with a canopy made of screens and, just like the scoreboard cube, it displayed accompanying videos and graphics. The opening included the announcement of the Analytics Pioneers Awards, now in their fourth year. They recognise the activity of individual prominent community members who create blogs, social media posts or podcasts.
Before the opening, every participant could also enjoy a rich breakfast in the VIP lounge of the local basketball club, which belongs to the famous football club FC Munich.
Six blocks of talks followed, interrupted by lunch and coffee breaks. The presentation spots were placed right in the stands of the arena, so it was a truly unconventional experience for both speakers and listeners.
The talks ranged from very technical topics about Server GTM, excluding bots from traffic and implementing various improvements around the GA4 tag, through philosophical topics such as measuring brand activities, the approach to marketing mix modelling and campaign attribution, to softer topics such as planning educational activities or communicating with clients.
During the talks and the networking I had the chance to get to know the main people of the community better, such as David Vallejo, Markus Baersch, Mikko Pappo, Gunnar Griese, Steen Rasmussen, Philipp Loringhoven, Enrico Pavan and many others. We use their knowledge, tools and scripts on a daily basis in our work with clients. Thanks to those named above, and to many others, for their openness and enthusiasm for the topic of digital analytics.
The End of the Conference
The event was followed, as is tradition, by an after-party held right in the VIP lounge and on the basketball court.
For me the whole event was great, and besides knowledge and new contacts I am taking away the enthusiasm to bring the Analytics Pioneers community and similar events to the Czech Republic.