The 2013 Direct Marketing Association (DMA) conference was a huge success and great learning experience. Hosted at the McCormick Place in the heart of Chicago from October 12th – 17the, I networked with some of the world’s experts on data-driven marketing, learned the emerging trends in data analysis, and listened to keynote speeches featuring some of the most successful entrepreneurs of our time (i.e., Terry Jones and Nate Silver).

Throughout my experience, I learned about the ever-evolving landscape of direct marketing, as “Big Data” and advanced methods of data analysis play a larger and more significant role in making informed business decisions. I also learned about the emerging trends in the data-driven marketing world, such as data visualization, predictive modeling, and customer experience analytics. In one of the workshops, I even got the chance to work out a real-world optimization challenge with my fellow classmates. This not only gave me a whole new perspective in which to tackle future data challenges, but also allowed me to view these future challenges as opportunities in which to add value to my company.

Overall, the 2013 DMA Conference was a great success, and I will take the learnings and insights from it to better serve both current and future clients in the Measurement and Analytics functions. The attached presentation is a summary of my key learnings and insights, taken directly from the workshops and classes I attended.