Join the Social Impact Analysts Association for Talking Data this November

Talking Data is the fourth international annual conference from the Social Impact Analysts Association (SIAA) on the 3^rd and 4^th November in Toronto, Canada. Join impact analysts from across the globe to discuss questions around how we can ensure that the data we collect is creating the most social impact or value.

Help drive the impact agenda forward across charities, businesses, and governments at this fantastic international opportunity to participate in two days of workshops, dialogue and networking at an international level. Find out more information here: http://talkingdata2014.org/  

Why are we Talking Data?

Collecting data is not enough. Data will not speak for itself. Work needs to be done to ensure that measurements deliver the right message. From writing social impact reports for our funders to telling stories to inspire our stakeholders, how we present data has a huge effect on how it is interpreted and then used. This is why at SIAA’s annual conference this year we will be talking about data and how we make it speak.

This event offers a fantastic opportunity for anyone interested in social impact analysis to engage with expertise that is driving the impact agenda forward across charities, businesses, and governments across the globe.

The day will include:

·         Workshops: Participate in in depth discussions on the key challenges and opportunities in the field of social impact analysis.

·         Plenaries: Hear leading professionals presenting inspirational ideas.

·         Interactive activities: Get hands on in fun and collaborative tasks.

·         Networking: Meet, learn from, and share with those working in social impact analysis internationally.

When: 3^rd – 4^th November 2014

Where: St James Cathedral Centre, Toronto, Canada

Program: Available at http://talkingdata2014.org/program/

Tickets: $325 CAD (+ booking fee). Available at https://talkingdata.eventbrite.co.uk/

There is a $75 discount on tickets for SIAA members. Members should email hello@siaassociation.org to receive their discount code.

OR56 The OR Society annual conference

Only 3 weeks to go until #or56. A great place and a great conference for academics and practitioners. 

OR56 is a unique opportunity to develop your professional skills, build your knowledge of the latest developments, use other people’s experiences to spark your imagination, and meet, discuss and share with others in the field. 

24 STREAMS and around 200 presentations of interest to academics and practitioners alike, including for example, case studies and presentations in methodological areas such as simulation, analytics, forecasting, problem-structuring; and application areas such as health, public policy, third sector, and supply chain.

PRACTITIONERS – be they Analytics professionals, Data Scientists, Systems Engineers, Decision Supporters, or just plain analysts, a dedicated Making an Impact (MAI) day on Wednesday 10th September: focused sessions for consultants, analysts and decision makers – and anyone with a passion for making the world work more effectively.

PLENARY talks from : -
- Ursula Brennan (Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Justice) 
- Andrew Jennings, (Senior Vice President and Chief Analytics Officer at FICO)
- Stewart Robinson, (Professor of Mgmt. Science at Loughborough University and President of the OR Society).

A DEBATE – Our first! “Is Good Enough Good Enough?”
Come and join a contest between optimisers and satisficers with Join Jacek Gondzio, Professor in the School of Mathematics, Edinburgh University and Konstantinos Katsikopoulos a senior researcher and associate professor at the Centre for Adaptive Behaviour and Cognition of the Max Planck Institute for Human Development.

PANEL DISCUSSION - On the emerging field of Behavioural OR. 
This plenary panel will try to help to shape a conceptual view of what ‘Behavioural Operational Research’ is, what it should be, and what its perspective can contribute to the theory and practice of OR.

There's still time to book  OR56