The Premier Web Analytics Consulting Conference Comes to Europe to Explore Increase in Digital Measurement and Data Warehousing

LONDON, March 6, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --

- US-based X Change conference comes to Europe for the first time, following the growing trend of data-driven marketing across the Atlantic -

Semphonic - http://semphonic.com - the leading Web Analytics consultancy in the United States, announces the inaugural X Change Europe Conference on 29th-31st May 2012 at the Scandic Hotel in Berlin. The event will include representatives from major brands in the UK, US, Germany, Spain, Finland, Belgium and the Netherlands, including the Financial Times, ASOS, Virgin Media, Dell, Disney, the Bavarian Stock Exchange and Nokia.

Previously a US-centric event, the X Change conference brings together top enterprise analytics, digital measurement and data warehousing practitioners in a unique - all conversational format - no presentations, no paid speakers, no booths and no selling. Semphonic is partnering with UK-based AEP Convert, the online business optimisation consultancy, to create the Conference in Berlin.

Gary Angel, Semphonic's President and X Change founder, comments, "The entire conference consists of small group discussions called Huddles, as in American Football, led by top enterprise practitioners. The idea is simple - the most productive and interesting parts of any conference, exhibition or trade show are the spontaneous conversations you have with peers. So we based X Change entirely upon those conversations. The format makes for a unique, more valuable, more interesting experience and it's what has made X Change the premier web analytics conference in the US."

Key to the conference are the Huddle leaders - the enterprise practitioners who will lead the small conversational groups. Matthias Bettag, Semphonic VP and Head of the Berlin Office, comments, "We have assembled an incredible group of digital measurement practitioners from across Europe to discuss the latest developments in web analytics and data warehousing; we have sprinkled in a few of the very best experts from the US as well. From Germany, we have top analysts from MeineStadt.de, Kabel Deutschland, the Bavarian Stock Exchange, Bayer Business Services, and SoundCloud. From the UK, we have experts from the Financial Times, ASOS, Virgin Media, Disney, Thomas Cook and Hotels.com along with PON from the Netherlands, Nokia from Finland and one of the leading European banks. From Spain, we added two of the top independent practitioners in Europe, and finally, from the US, we have attracted measurement leaders from Comcast and Dell. The common language for all Huddles will be English  to accommodate a wider pool of practitioners from all over Europe."

Michael Feiner, Director at AEP Convert, comments, "We are delighted to bring X Change to Europe. X Change is a great enabler. When I attended the US version, I gained new knowledge and had a chance to talk through measurement challenges with other professionals 'in the trenches'. I came back armed with a new perspective that helped me improve my approach to analytics and optimisation. Now European practitioners will have an opportunity to do the same."

Hotels.com Analytics Manager Matthew Fryer has led Huddles in the US and will do so again in Berlin. Fryer says, "X Change is incredibly more valuable than a traditional Conference."

According to Tom Betts, Head of Web Analytics at the Financial Times and a two-time veteran of the U.S.-based X Change Conference, "X Change is simply the best Conference I've ever attended. You aren't listening to canned presentations - you are talking to peers about real problems and real solutions. It's a totally different experience."

David McBride, one of the leading measurement practitioners in the United States, head of digital measurement at Comcast and a multi-year X Change veteran, echoes that sentiment. "It's by far the most enjoyable and engaging Conference I attend. It's exciting to be bringing X Change to Europe and I'm looking forward to meeting a whole new set of top practitioners."

Traditionally, Huddle leaders choose their own topics - ensuring that the conversations are focused on issues of deep concern to actual practitioners. Topics this year include, amongst others:

• Online Analytics Maturity: From Reporting to Analysis and Beyond
• Defining Useful Performance Indicators (KPIs)
• Managing an Analytics Team
• Tag Management Systems
• Predictive Analytics
• Privacy and Ethical Standards  
• From Analytics to CRM
• Mobile in the Mix - a 360 Degree Customer View
• Preparing for Big Data
• Hadoop and Analytics
• Advanced Segmentation and Multivariate Testing

X Change continues a long tradition of outstanding venues and locations - the Conference has been hosted in four different Conde Nast Top Hotel and Resorts in the World - with this year's choice of the Scandic in Berlin. World-class location, comfort, and a host of exciting events will be a part of the complete experience.

Angel concludes, "The goal is to create a conference where every single participant walks away convinced not only that it was worthwhile, but that it was the most informative and productive conference they have ever attended. We do not allow anything to get in the way of that goal. That's why we have deliberately avoided having paid speakers, sponsors' booths, or any other distractions from the core activities. Every minute of the Conference is meant to be enjoyable and informative."

For more information or to register, please visit http://www.semphonic.com/consulting-services/europe/xchange-europe.aspx

About Semphonic

Semphonic is the world's largest independent Web analytics consultancy, with headquarters in the San Francisco Bay Area and offices in Boston, New York, Washington, DC, Portland, OR and Berlin, Germany.  Founded in 1997, the company has helped leading corporations, government agencies and non-profits achieve measurable improvement in the performance of their web channel. Clients include American Express, Charles Schwab, Genentech, the National Cancer Institute, Sears and Turner Broadcasting. Semphonic is also the driving force behind the premier web analytics conference, X Change. For more information about Semphonic and on the latest technological developments in analytical tools and data warehousing, please visit: http://semphonic.com

For further information, please contact:

Grace Angel
Semphonic
Tel: +1-888-517-2171    


Will Gardiner
itpr
Tel: +44(0)1932 578 800