Predictive Analytics World FAQ

What is Predictive Analytics World?

Predictive Analytics World is the leading cross-vendor event series for predictive analytics professionals, managers and commercial practitioners. The PAW conferences deliver case studies, expertise and resources over a range of applications of predictive analytics, across industries. For more on this conference’s scope, see About Predictive Analytics World.

Who is Predictive Analytics World for?

PAW attendees range across verticals and across enterprise functions. See the breakdown of delegates.

No matter what your role in or relationship to predictive analytics projects, you will find value in the sessions, case studies and networking available at Predictive Analytics World.

  • Managers. Project leaders, directors, CXOs, vice presidents, investors and decision makers of any kind involved with analytics, direct marketing or online marketing activities.
  • Marketers. Personnel running or supporting direct marketing, response modeling, or online marketing who wish to improve response rates and increase campaign ROI for retention, upsell and cross-sell.
  • Technology experts. Analysts, data scientists, BI directors, developers, DBAs, data warehousers, web analysts, and consultants who wish to extend their expertise to predictive analytics.

What is predictive analytics?

Predictive analytics is business intelligence technology that produces a predictive score for each customer or other organizational element. Assigning these predictive scores is the job of a predictive model which has, in turn, been trained over your data, learning from the experience of your organization.

Predictive analytics optimizes marketing campaigns and website behavior to increase customer responses, conversions and clicks, and to decrease churn. Each customer’s predictive score informs actions to be taken with that customer — business intelligence just doesn’t get more actionable than that.

Visit our Predictive Analytics Guide for reading, training options and other resources.

How is predictive analytics different from forecasting?

Predictive analytics is something else entirely, going beyond standard forecasting by producing a predictive score for each customer or other organizational element. In contrast, forecasting provides overall aggregate estimates, such as the total number of purchases next quarter. For example, forecasting might estimate the total number of ice cream cones to be purchased in a certain region, while predictive analytics tells you which individual customers are likely to buy an ice cream cone.

Predictive Analytics World events often include select sessions on forecasting since it is a closely related area, and, in some cases, predictive analytics is used as a component to build a forecast model.

Do I need to learn about predictive analytics before coming to Predictive Analytics World?

The best way to ramp up before attending Predictive Analytics World is to take the course “Machine Learning Leadership and Practice: End-to-End Mastery,” from Eric Siegel, the founder of Predictive Analytics World. This end-to-end curriculum will empower you to launch machine learning. Accessible to business-level learners and yet vital to techies as well, it covers both the state-of-the-art techniques and the business-side best practices.

If you are completely new to predictive analytics, we suggest you read the Predictive Analytics Guide.

Beyond that, the best way to increase your knowledge of predictive analytics is to come to Predictive Analytics World, listen to case studies sessions, participate in its full-day training workshops, and meet and mingle with colleagues and experts.

What will I learn at Predictive Analytics World?

  • New apps: New ways to apply predictive analytics.
  • Do better: How to achieve better results with predictive analytics.
  • Companies: What companies are at the leading edge of predictive analytics and what are they doing?
  • Solutions: Which are the best predictive analytics solution providers, what do they do and how do they compare?
  • Colleagues: Who are my colleagues facing the same challenges as I and how can we work together?
  • Resources: What other resources are available?

Does this conference cover non-business applications of analytics and data mining, such as engineering, medical and other applications?

Yes, Predictive Analytics World industry events include PAW Business, PAW Financial, PAW Government, PAW Healthcare, and PAW Manufacturing.

Does PAW cover deep learning?

Deep learning is covered at PAW’s co-located sister conference, Deep Learning World, the premier conference covering the commercial deployment of deep learning. Click here for more information about Deep Learning World.

Is this a “machine learning” conference?

Yes. Predictive analytics means the commercial deployment of machine learning (the two terms are often used synonymously). Although the term “machine learning” used to be common only within the walls of research labs, it’s now also used more and more in the context of commercial deployment. Whichever term you prefer, we are discussing technology that learns from data to predict or infer an unknown, including decision trees, logistic regression, neural networks, and many other methods.

Is this a “data mining” conference?

Yes. Data mining is often used synonymously with predictive analytics, and, in any case, predictive analytics is a type of data mining.

Is this a “data science” conference?

Yes. Predictive analytics is a form of data science. Moreover, it is the most actionable form. A predictive model generates a predictive score for each individual, which in turn directly informs decisions for that individual, e.g., whether to contact, extend a retention offer, approve for credit, investigate for fraud, or apply a certain medical treatment. Rather than solely providing insights, predictive analytics directly drives or informs millions of operational decisions.

Is this a “big data” conference?

Yes. Predictive analytics is a key method to truly leverage big data. At the center of the big data revolution is prediction. The whole point of data is to learn from it to predict. What is the value, the function, the purpose? Predictions drive and render more effective the millions of organizational operational decisions taken every day.

Is this an AI conference?

Yes. Artificial intelligence (AI) is a broad, subjective term with many possible definitions—but by any definition, it always includes machine learning (predictive modeling) as an example of AI technology/capabilities.

Is Predictive Analytics World run by a software vendor?

No. Predictive Analytics World provides a balanced view of predictive analytics methods and tools across software vendors and solution providers.

Is Predictive Analytics World a research conference?

No. Predictive Analytics World is focused on today’s commercial deployment of predictive analytics, rather than academic or R&D activities. Separately, there are a number of research-oriented conferences; in predictive analytics’ commercial application, we are essentially standing on the shoulders of those giants known as researchers.

What do attendees, media and press have to say about Predictive Analytics World?

See the press about prior PAW events, as well as numerous attendee statements of testimony.

How may I be notified of upcoming PAW events?

To receive updates regarding future Predictive Analytics World events, sign up for the PAW newsletter.

Are you considering new speakers for Predictive Analytics World?

For speaker information and proposal submissions, click here.