Under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Sultan bin Ahmed Al Qasimi, Deputy Ruler of Sharjah, and President of the University of Sharjah (UoS), the International Conference on Business Analytics in Practice 2024 has kicked off at the UoS. This prestigious event was co-organized by the College of Business Administration (CoBA) at UoS and the Centre for Business Analytics (CBAP) at Surrey Business School, UK. The Conference aims to discuss the latest trends and innovations in business analytics, featuring a great lineup of speakers, including industry experts, academics, and thought leaders, with over 65 researchers and faculty members from the University of Sharjah (UoS), United Arab Emirates University (UAEU), Higher Colleges of Technology (HCT), King Faisal University, and several postgraduate students. In addition to researchers from Greece, Britain, Australia, America, Italy, India, Nigeria, and Bangladesh.

The conference included a series of scientific sessions and panel discussions that focused on studying and analyzing various scientific topics, such as data envelopment analysis, decision support systems, data visualization insights, business intelligence, marketing analytics and campaign optimization, data envelopment analysis, environmental sustainability analytics, healthcare analytics and patient outcome prediction, artificial intelligence and big data analytics, financial analytics and portfolio management, environmental sustainability analytics, machine learning, financial analytics and portfolio management, decision support systems for executives, digital supply chain and logistics, and applications of business analytics.

During the opening session of the conference, His Excellency Prof. Hamid M.K. Al Naimiy, Chancellor of the University of Sharjah, welcomed attendees and participants, expressing his gratitude and deepest thanks to His Highness Sheikh Sultan bin Ahmed Al Qasimi, Deputy Ruler of Sharjah, and President of the University of Sharjah, for his support and continuous guidance. The Chancellor highlighted that the conference serves as a scientific beacon through which the CoBA can shed light on modern innovations and applications in the field of business analytics.

The chancellor emphasized the importance of data in decision-making across various disciplines, pointing out that participants of the conference will greatly contribute to analyzing and providing scientific interpretation on how to utilize data to achieving business and industrial goals. He added that the conference will provide an opportunity for the University’s doctoral students to enhance their cognitive and practical skills and network with experts and specialists participating in the conference, which will discuss various fundamental topics, such as the "Environmental Sustainability Analysis," contributing to preserving the environment and the effects of climate change threatening the Earth, using analytics as a vital tool to enhance environmental stewardship and resources management

Prof. Ilhan Ozturk, Dean of the College of Business Administration, noted that the field of business analytics is rapidly growing field that is transforming the way businesses operate, from marketing and sales to finance and operations. Businesses are using data to make better decisions, improve efficiency, and gain a competitive edge.The opening session concluded with honoring the sponsors of the conference, including the “Invest Bank” and “BHM Capital”, in addition to honoring the keynote speakers and participants in the panel discussions.The opening session was attended by UoS’s Vice Chancellors, college deans, directors of research institutes, centers, and departments, heads of academic departments, faculty members, and postgraduate students.