SAS Global Forum -

The route that I use from my home in Raleigh to the SAS Cary headquarters takes me by two exits for the now-running NC State Fair. Last year’s total attendance was 765,067, and hopes are high that this year’s 142nd fair will be another success.

So what does the State fair have to do with SAS Global Forum? Well, it got me thinking about deadlines, blue ribbons, and attendees. I thought of deadlines because my last chance to make the fair this year is Sunday, Oct. 25, and the deadline to submit your paper for consideration is Monday, Oct. 26. I thought of blue ribbons, because just like the state fair, SGF gives out best paper awards. And I thought of attendees because everyone is wondering how many people we’ll have at the upcoming conference. While you can’t get into SGF for free by bringing canned goods to Seattle, you can take advantage of a number of ways to save. See you later - I’m off to try some chocolate-covered bacon and a deep-fried banana split at the fair.

The Call for Papers has been open over 2 weeks now, and the response is good. We’ve heard from SAS users from over 35 companies from all over the world. The first submission was from the UK, but we’ve also had submissions from Singapore, Canada, Italy, and of course the US. SAS Global Forum is truly international: last year over 24% of the attendees were from outside of the US. So far, most submissions have been for the Statistics and Data Analysis section, followed by Application Development. As a reminder, there are over a dozen technology solutions sections and seven industry solutions sections that you can submit a paper for. If you have questions about any of these sections, simply contact the appropriate conference leader. You can also suggest a topic idea to an author by visiting the sasCommunity.org "Share Your Ideas" page.

I have 2 exciting things to blog about: the opening of the Call for Papers, and the new SAS Global Forum Web site.

First, the Call for Papers is now officially open through Monday, October 26. Call for papers sections are classified under two primary categories - Technology Solutions and Industry Solutions. Papers themselves fall into three categories: Contributed Papers, Invited Papers, and SAS Papers. Learn more about the specific conference sections within each category and the types of papers being solicited. How (and when) are papers selected? Conference leaders review and select papers, and they will notify authors by Monday, Dec. 14, 2009 as to whether or not a submission has been accepted. It’s a tried and true system that works. For more details, refer to How to Submit a Paper... and other relevant questions.

Second, we have a great new look for the SGF Web site. The Web site not only has the new conference colors, it also has a simplified navigation system. By using the tabs at the top of the Home page, you can quickly access other parts of the site such as “Overview,” and “For Presenters.” There’s also a “Quick Links” area that include direct access to the very popular Online Proceedings as well as info about previous and future conferences. Take a tour, and let me know what you think. Of course the tabs and site will continue to change as we add content and move closer towards the conference.

PS: Looking for an idea to write about? Want to suggest a topic idea to an author? Visit the sas.Community.org "Share Your Ideas" page.