A staple date on the Ottawa networking scene, Beer & Analytics is coming to Toronto on September 14th at High Park Brewery. A mix of networking and industry speakers, it’s been a boon in Ottawa, even during COVID-19 where a pivot to virtual and safe networking allowed the events to continue. It’s the brainchild of Martin McGarry, president and chief data scientist of Bronson Analytics. “I wanted to create the kind of energy and excitement about all this new technology in a digestible and fun format.”

McGarry seems to be onto something. With networking coming back, the timing to come to Toronto seems perfect. “I have never liked the fireside chat format at conferences; too stuffy, and the audience participation is so contrived. What’s more, the cost of conferences is so prohibitive for even medium-sized-business owners.”
Analytics is literally changing the world. Not unlike what COVID-19 has done for the craft brewing industry, modern tools and techniques are proliferating at an extraordinary rate, and analytics can make your business succeed or fail. The problem is, it’s hard to understand what this means to the average business. What Beer & Analytics is looking to achieve is to cut through the jargon. “Analytics for all” is the message from Alteryx, one of the sponsors of the event since 2018.
 
There is no doubt that there’s a renaissance in the analytics world, not only in AI but also giving the average Joe the chance to use the techniques and tools once only available to Amazon or Google. Self-service analytics is giving smaller businesses the ability to unlock the value in its data and discover hidden insights to make better business decisions.
 
“Analytics should be for everyone, not just large corporations.” It’s a recurring message from McGarry. Indeed, organizations of all sizes benefit from maximizing their data insights. Each and every business has data in some shape or form — from tracking sales to counting stock and inventory to keeping track of patient information.

As for his consulting business, McGarry says he “didn’t like the large consulting approach to maximizing revenue from clients.” Bronson does things differently. “Our approach is to help clients help themselves rather than trying to embed in the fabric of the organization.” They do small-business consulting and analytics projects, and they bring their clients closely along for the entire journey. Bronson has been in business for over 30 years, working closely with the public and private sector.

After over two years of living with the COVID-19 pandemic, the team at Bronson has been eager to get back to networking events. In October 2021 and May 2022, they successfully brought back their in-person Beer & Analytics events with safe networking at a limited capacity. Hosting networking events in a COVID-19 climate has definitely come with its difficulties.

In fact, Beer & Analytics was one of the first in-person events to resurface last fall in Ottawa, challenging Bronson to navigate the paradox of networking while social distancing. Bronson has managed these difficulties by planning and operating with the utmost precaution and catering to the varying levels of social comfortability. They understand that the pandemic has impacted people in different ways, but also know that so many of us are itching to get back to engaging with one another face-to-face. If you are keen to get out and meet people and network, Beer & Analytics is a great event at which to do so. As an attendee, you can also earn professional development credits for your professional body.

“What we have created is an evening where you can enjoy craft beer and great food with your friends and colleagues. The analytics is a bonus!”

MARTIN MCGARRY, PRESIDENT, BRONSON ANALYTICS

To purchase tickets to the September 14th event, visit https://beerandanalytics.ca/torontotickets.

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