Students of the Advanced Master in Marketing & Data Analytics programme were at the Big Data seminar at Imperial College Business School (London) in May.The main focus of the trip were two intensive and exciting days with lectures by Professors Mark Kennedy and Julio Amador.

During the seminar, Dr. Mark Kennedy shared a very global vision of big data with the students. A perfect opportunity to gain a comprehensive overview of the different courses they have followed since the beginning of their curriculum. "The holistic vision of the course allowed students to gain an insight into big data practices," points out Françoise COLLARD, Head of Advanced Master in Marketing and Data Analytics, NEOMA BS.

Among the topics covered: the impact of analytics on markets, movement analytics, the power of data visualisation for interpretation and the importance of story telling or data artistry to formulate an analysis and a pertinent recommendation. Julio Amador also spoke on the theme of harnessing social media for disruption. The students were then able to work on a database to build a model using the Python language. Two interactive workshops were set up to allow the students to apply what they had learned and make this holistic approach more realistic.

The seminar is centred around two company visits
To illustrate the power of visualisation, the students were given the chance to visit the Data Observatory, the largest in Europe. A centre built in collaboration with KPMG with 64 screens for a more than 300° visualisation! This data visualisation with a dynamic approach allows for the identification of new insights and deduction of new implications and actions to be carried out. A presentation the students involved found very exciting.

"Thanks to this state-of-the-art equipment, we were able to visualise vast quantities of data from a variety of studies, such as a company's HR flow analysis, driver tracking to establish insurance risk rating, a 24-hour smartphone flow analysis in London and a real-time analysis of all Bitcoin transactions. As such, this presentation confirmed our idea of the major role visualisation plays in the study of big data," explains Nathan FAUCONNIER, AM MDA student.

The group was also invited to visit the King Company where they were given a presentation on 'Marketing for mobile gaining' and the use of data in this sector. "This seminar proposes a new approach to Big Data, a unique experience for our students. It undoubtedly enhances the global MS MDA curriculum," adds Françoise COLLARD.

"The close collaboration between NEOMA BS and Imperial College has shown that innovation is essential around data because the problems of contemporary societies are increasingly complex. It is important to develop links between Data Science and Marketing. That way, it was very exciting to see our class learning new skills through this meeting” Driss El Mekkaoui, AM Marketing and Data Analytics student.

"Being immersed in a different environment with Data Science specialists was a rewarding experience, and we had the opportunity to meet some of Activision Blizzard King, one of the leaders in the video game market. Thanks to this trip, we were able to acquire new skills related to data and use them through various case studies. " Barbara Guez AM Marketing and Data Analytics student.

>Learn more about NEOMA Business School Advanced Master in Marketing and Data Analytics programme