What do you get when you cross data experts and analysts (perhaps data nerds!) with a whisky tasting? Cornerstone Performance Management and Alteryx’s Whisky Analytics event of course.
Data analytics may be a dry and complex subject for some (much like whisky), but when you use the technology to create a good time and give everyone what they want, there are virtually no complaints.
Last Friday (10 May, 2019) our team showed how simple it was to use data and leverage predictive clustering, create data catalogues and build a whisky recommendation system for our willing guinea pigs, ahem – we mean guests, at our inaugural Whisky Analytics event at Psychic Bar / Employees Only in Sydney, to celebrate our new partnership with Alteryx.
We kicked off the evening with a welcome note from Hamish Dwight our Group Services Director who spoke about Cornerstone and our partnership with Alteryx before handing over to Anthony Johnson, Solutions Engineer at Alteryx.
Anthony spoke about how users can discover and prepare data with Alteryx before taking guests through the whisky recommendation system. This got everyone in the mood for some more whisky and analytics discussions.
The whisky tasting was a hit even before the official whisky expert, Gee David, guided us through a one hour tasting.
With tasting glasses set up prior to the event, it was some effort for guests to resist having a few sneaky sips before the tasting session got underway.
Once it did, Gee poured five different whiskies that varied in profile, aging process and maturation. This even included a clear whisky from Kentucky, which was historically drunk unaged straight off the still – back in the days before distillers realised that the aging process creates a smoother and more enjoyable drop. The clear whisky was definitely not for the faint hearted!
For those who couldn’t quite manage an evening of whisky alone, we also offered a variety of other drinks, from pink gin cocktails, beer, wine and mixers. Everyone enjoyed a selection of canapes too.
Once they understood the value of analytics when it came to whisky, several guests suggested they may like to see another demonstration using gin. They assured us their interest was purely scientific of course. Since we’re so diligent we’ll look into gin analytics for a future event.
Using whisky as our catalyst, we demonstrated how to turn data into actionable insights that benefitted our attendees immediately – with a whisky that suited their individual palates, along with recommendations of similar whiskies they may enjoy.
The same approach to data analysis is true in business. While companies recognise the value and enormous potential of data, turning that into something useful to impact your bottom line, is still a challenge and can slow organisations down. Many rely on legacy systems that require too many tools, or expensive bespoke software to be truly effective.
Cornerstone is an award winning technology consultancy, and our partnership with Alteryx allows data professionals to find and interpret information at their disposal easily and with a minimum of fuss. It gives them the ability to analyse data from multiple sources to efficiently deliver actionable, immediately responsive business insights for a competitive advantage. We’ve seen businesses save time and resources. Data that used to take weeks to crunch, take only hours with Alteryx.
Our partnership with Alteryx means that everyone in an organisation (not just data scientists) can access vital insights from more sources quickly. The Alteryx platform provides the flexibility that businesses need to discover, prep, analyse, and operationalise analytic models through a collaborative platform. This encourages a holistic data culture.
Together, Cornerstone and Alteryx help simplify data analysis and enables organisations to build a data-driven analytic culture by:
- empowering Citizen Data Analysts and Citizen Data Scientists
- breaking down siloed work environments and unifying disparate data sources
- improving existing data processes
- delivering comprehensive insights on your business performance and customers.
Aside from being extremely helpful and loads of fun when it comes to finding you a fantastic tipple, Cornerstone consultants have more than 200 years of collective experience, we specialise in performance management implementations, business intelligence & analytics, data management, data governance and advisory, across a variety of industries.
For further media enquiries about Cornerstone Performance Management contact: Julia Pack, Group Marketing Manager on 1300 841 048.
