14-10-2020 16:55    Vincent

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A first virtual experience to follow Big Data Paris

This year's conferences and trade fairs must show a lot of perseverance. After having had to postpone its initial event, Big Data Paris was finally able to take place last September. 

Visitors had the opportunity to attend the event live and obviously had to follow strict sanitary regulations. However, due to international constraints related to the pandemic and travel restrictions imposed by various countries, many foreign visitors were unable to come to Paris. Luckily for them, the organisers of Big Data Paris invested in a digital platform to enable as many people as possible to attend. 

For the first time ever

I had the opportunity to follow the event via the digital platform; and for me it was a first to follow an event in this way. 

So, what should you remember from this rather special 2020 edition? 

Content was what it should be

One of the reassuring elements is that after seeing a few keynotes and presentations, I feel Big Data Paris has remained true to itself despite the circumstances. Regardless of the form, whether you follow the event from home or on location, at a conference of this type you expect above all a certain level of content, and this year this was again the case. For those who want to know, my favourite session was the one where Monoprix presented its projects in the cloud with Verteego. (Just a little tip if you want to watch the replay on the platform). 

Thank you because otherwise we had nothing

Fortunately, the digital platform made it possible to give access to all those who didn’t have the opportunity to come, be they visitors or speakers. Due to the circumstances, I didn’t intend to travel to Paris, and I'm sure that many other visitors did the same. So, thanks to the digital platform, I got to experience and attend the event this year. 

It will take some getting used to 

Now, not everything is perfect with a digital platform. Following a conference from your living room is nice, but not as nice as going there. Sometimes I had the feeling that I had just turned on my TV and watched a programme. And then the interaction with the exhibitors was not as easy. There was a messaging system on the platform, but I found it a bit slow. 

My 20/CENT: Successful nonetheless 

First of all, I would like to stress that, given the context, Big Data Paris has managed to bounce back well and still offered a beautiful 2020 edition. Not all events in the sector (and even in other domains) have managed to reinvent and challenge themselves so quickly in the light of the complicated circumstances caused by the global health crisis. 

Finally, after this first digital experience, I think I can say that many more events will be able to use this technology in the future. But I don't think that digital or virtual will take over and replace physical events. On the contrary, these technologies will be new improvements and experiences that will grow in importance. 

We will no doubt have the opportunity to talk about this in the near future.