(Europe, Middle East, and Africa) The second annual conference of the Data Management Association (DAMA) chapters of the Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) region took place on December 1, 2022. The conference brought together data experts, professionals, and enthusiasts from 18 DAMA chapters of the EMEA regions.

Approximately 1,000 professionals attended the conference, which was organized and hosted by FIT Academy, a prominent Italian data education and advisory organization, and DAMA and EDM Council certification training provider.

Attendees participated in three unique thematic tracks during a day of intensive work. In the first session, a number of private companies shared their data experiences – Audi, ClubMed, Tetrapack, Zalando, and Bank of Ireland. Presentations included “Data Governance at Audi Production: Data-Centric Approach for New Production IT Applications” by Rudiger Eck, Audi Director of Production Data; and “Data Management Trends for the Retail Market” by Alexander Borek, Zalando Data Executive. 

Speakers shared several data experiences during the second track, titled "Government, Trends & Literacy." Presentations included “Defining Data Strategy and Priorities in a Government Agenda” by Ott Velsberg, Government CDO at the Estonian Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communication. He discussed the opportunity to develop a data-driven government. 

A third track explored how the DAMA Chapters of the EMEA region developed their own data management communities.

An appreciated feature of the conference was the involvement of track producers — a group of data management leaders and influencers who organized the sessions, kept speakers on time, and moderated the event with original questions. Those participating as track producers were Nino Letteriello, Catherine King, Paul Jones, Susan Walsh, Kyle Winterbottom and Nicola Askham.

At the conclusion of the conference, the track producers highlighted four main insights gleaned from the event:

• Many companies have started to treat data as an asset.

• Data literacy and culture are proven means of overcoming technical problems.

• Many organizations accept a certain degree of chaos within the data ecosystem and focus on priorities.

• Data mesh and the related concept of federated data governance are gaining progressive relevance.

Ten leading data solution providers sponsored the conference.