Looking back at RecSys 2024

Some researchers of the SRP Media team recently attended the 18th ACM Conference on Recommender Systems (RecSys 2024) in Bari, Italy. Known for its stunning coastline and sunny weather, Bari provided the perfect backdrop for a gathering of both academic and industry experts in recommender systems. Beyond indulging in the delicious Italian cuisine and navigating the city’s chaotic traffic, our team traveled to Bari to share our latest research, gain insights from the inspiring talks, and engage with the Recsys community.

SRP Media's Contributions at RecSys 2024

A previous blog post already summarizes all of the SRP Media team's contributions to the conference. Annelien and Lien each gave a learning session at the RecSys Summer School, which took place the week before the conference. Ulysse attended the Summer School and then stayed another week in beautiful Bari to present a demo poster at the conference. During the conference, Brett participated in the doctoral symposium, where he presented his initial findings and received valuable feedback from leading experts. In addition, there was also a poster for Hanne and Annelien's paper which got shortlisted for the Best Short Paper Award!

The RecSys Summer School: Gaining Insights

Although RecSys 2024 officially kicked off on October 14th, some of our team members arrived in Bari a week early to attend the ACM Europe School on Recommender Systems. On the program there was Lien Michiels's lecture on Best Practices for Offline Evaluation and Annelien Smets' course on Digital Economics and Recommender Systems. Their insights offered a refreshing perspective amidst the buzz around transformer-based algorithms.

Ulysse, as a participant in the Summer School, had the chance to connect with fellow researchers from around the world, fostering an environment of collaboration and learning.

The Main Conference: Workshops, Presentations, and Keynotes

The RecSys conference consists of two parts: on Monday and Friday, a series of workshops and presentations took place at the Politecnico University of Bari. From Tuesday to Thursday, the main track continues with an extensive program of lectures, presentations and posters at the magnificent Teatro Petruzzelli.

Some of our highlights:

Ulysse's highlights

For Ulysse, one of the standout moments was the CARS workshop led by Dr. Rishabh Mehrotra from Sourcegraph. Drawing on his experience at Spotify, Dr. Mehrotra presented a thorough analysis of eight real-world recommendation challenges, offering invaluable insights into the practical applications of recommendation systems. Ulysse also appreciated a keynote from Mounia Lalmas, also from Spotify, as well as events like the Women in RecSys session, the Normalize workshop, and Netflix’s “Raising a Recommender System”—although his duties as a student volunteer required him to follow these online.

Brett's reflections

Brett's experience at the doctoral symposium was the outstanding highlight of the week. Thanks to valuable feedback from experts such as Julia Neidhardt, Markus Zanger and Bart Knijnenburg, Brett gained new clarity on his PhD project, particularly his development of the "Serendiptionnaire" a tool designed to evaluate how recommender systems promote serendipity.

Throughout the main track, Brett found himself both impressed and challenged by the industry presence. While captivated by the venue and delighted by the food, he noted a strong focus on technical issues, which sometimes overshadowed a more human-centered approach. Mark Riedl’s keynote resonated with this perspective, particularly the idea that recommender systems should enhance user agency. Workshops like RecSoGood, AltRec, and the POPROX project emphasizing the importance of considering the societal implications of research on recommender system.

Hanne’s first RecSys

Attending the RecSys Conference in person for the first time was an exciting and enriching experience. The conference brings together researchers and industry practitioners from a wide range of sectors, creating a vibrant and open-minded community. The empowerment of women in this traditionally male-dominated field, with the Women in RecSys breakfast and session is very valuable to facilitate connections.

Her own contribution, a short paper titled “It’s (not) all about that CTR: A Multi-stakeholder Perspective on News Recommender Metrics” was shortlisted for the Best Short Paper award. This nomination, together with the encouraging feedback on the poster, is a testament to the importance of interdisciplinary approaches in recommender system research. The need for bridging the gap between academia and industry echoed throughout the week.

Final Thoughts: A Rich Exchange of Ideas and Inspiration

RecSys 2024 in Bari offered not only an incredible learning experience but also an opportunity to engage with great minds in the Recsys field. From insightful workshops and keynotes to helpful feedback and new connections, our team left the conference feeling motivated and inspired. As we look ahead, the key takeaway is clear: recommender systems must evolve beyond technical optimization. The importance of fostering user agency, promoting social sciences in the research on recommenders, and bridging the gap between academia and industry applications is more pressing than ever.