SAS, the innovative analytics leader that has been operating in Turkey for more than 27 years, continues to create value in the fields of data and artificial intelligence. The company organized the SAS Innovate on Tour event, the most comprehensive data and artificial intelligence experience event globally, covering Europe, Asia Pacific and Latin America regions, for the first time in Turkey this year. As the world’s leading data and artificial intelligence solutions provider, SAS continues to share the latest developments in the industry and continues to support and inspire the transformation of data into intelligence with innovative software services.

SAS Innovate on Tour, which was opened with the participation of Temel Güzeloğlu, Chairman of the Board of Directors of QNB Finansbank, took place at Çırağan Palace Kempinski in Istanbul. At the event, experts in the field of data and artificial intelligence came together to discuss the latest trends and future vision in the sector. The event also featured a panel discussion titled “Leading the Future: The Critical Role of Data and Artificial Intelligence for Innovation” was moderated by Zehra Öney, Founding President of Women in Technology Association, with the participation of Dr. Ali Rashed Bin Ghaith AlSuwaidi, Chief Innovation Officer of DEWA, Neslihan Neciboğlu, Board Member & CEO of Neova Sigorta, Esra Beyzadeoğlu, Group Head of Customer Experience and Human Resources at Hepsiburada, and Celal Kavuklu, Customer Advisory Director of SAS Middle East, Turkey and Africa Region. The panelists shared their analysis and know-how on how data governance, analysis and processing with artificial intelligence have an impact on companies’ product development, marketing and operations. In addition, representatives of companies from different countries that have achieved their targeted success with SAS solutions also shared their projects.

The world revolves around data

Rasim Eğri, General Manager of SAS Turkey and Central Asia, said the following regarding the event: “As SAS Turkey team, we are happy to be an exciting part of SAS Innovate on Tour, organized for the first time in our country. SAS Innovate on Tour is an event that provides an opportunity to follow the latest developments in the field of data and artificial intelligence and to establish collaborations, and is an indicator of SAS’ strength and leadership in the industry. This year, we provided an important platform for the sustainable growth and support of the industry by hosting this event where Turkey, Middle East and Africa regions are represented and industry professionals have the chance to come together and share their knowledge and experience. It would not be an exaggeration to say that our world now revolves around data. Because, in the data age, with artificial intelligence becoming more and more involved in the game, the future of people, companies and countries is determined by the data that makes sense. SAS’ determination to convey the power and impact of data to the business world in a data-driven world reflects an important commitment to our goal of strengthening the industry ecosystem. This event represents an important step that will contribute to the progress of our industry through collaborations and information sharing.”

With our SAS Fraud Management solution, Azericard will provide more reliable conditions for its customers and contribute to the Azerbaijani financial ecosystem.

SAS Fraud Management solution will provide more reliable conditions for Azericard customers and contribute to the Azerbaijani financial ecosystem

Rasim Eğri also talked about the strategic collaborations announced at the event. “Within the framework of our cooperation with Azericard, the first transaction center of the Republic of Azerbaijan, our SAS Fraud Management solution will provide more reliable conditions for Azericard customers and contribute to the Azerbaijani financial ecosystem. In our journey together with Neova Sigorta to generate value from data, Neova Sigorta will manage all model processes on a single platform with SAS Viya. At the same time, Neova Sigorta will be the first company in Turkey to implement SAS Dynamic Actuarial Modeling (SAS DAM).”

SAS Viya: GenAI Orchestration and Steps Towards Innovation

The event also showcased developments in SAS Viya, which has been revamped and uses productive AI to improve customer efficiency. One of these is Viya Copilot. Viya Copilot is a personal assistant designed to boost productivity for developers, data scientists and experts. This innovative tool offers various functions to accelerate analytical, business and industry tasks. Viya Copilot’s features include code generation, data cleansing, data discovery, marketing planning, journey design and information gap analysis. SAS Data Maker, another innovation and synthetic data producer, continues to offer industry-specific GenAI assistants. With these innovations, SAS supports innovation by offering customers a wider range of GenAI solutions. SAS Data Maker helps overcome critical problems without putting sensitive data at risk.

Turkey’s major brands achieved great things with data

The event, where important success stories in the focus of data and artificial intelligence were discussed, also featured remarkable projects from Turkey.

Erkan Can Gürsoy, Expert Business Analyst at Pegasus Airlines, said: “As Pegasus Airlines, we strive to increase customer satisfaction and offer a special experience to each of our passengers. Our collaboration with SAS enables us to move towards this goal in a more focused manner. By using the SAS Customer Intelligence 360 platform, we personalize the customer experience and offer special offers for each guest. By deeply analyzing our guests’ preferences, expectations and reasons for traveling, we provide them with offers that increase lifetime value. In this process, we adopt the strategies of creating hyper-personalized offers, integrating into existing systems and reaching the right people through effective communication channels. We will continue to work resolutely to make each passenger’s travel experience unforgettable.”

Server Aydın, Deputy General Manager of Commercial Affairs at İGA Istanbul Airport, who also shared his views within the scope of the event agenda, stated that İGA Istanbul Airport aims to optimize the customer experience by adopting a data-driven strategy in cooperation with SAS Customer Intelligence 360 and Partner Republic, and said: “İGA Istanbul Airport served 76 million passengers in 2023, served by 101 different airlines. As of today, we operate flights to 315 destinations around the world. With these achievements, we aim to increase customer satisfaction and improve the travel experience with personalized offers and conveniences provided through the mobile application. As a result of this approach, İGA Istanbul Airport has achieved a leading position in the sector. İGA Istanbul Airport modernizes its communication channels in cooperation with SAS and Partner Republic, ensuring personalized and timely communication. SAS automation increases efficiency, while simplified reporting deepens customer understanding. In addition, SAS seamlessly integrates mobile app offerings to address passenger needs in detail. With the combination of these proactive and reactive approaches, İGA Istanbul Airport is working to provide better service to its passengers.”

Dietz Meiring, Chief Information Officer at JD Group, said: “SAS Innovate On Tour Istanbul was an invaluable event for building important relationships and strong partnerships. The event demonstrated SAS’ vision for and ability to bring to life leading-edge data and AI capabilities while solving its customers’ most important problems.”