Michael H. Smith joined SAS in 1988. He has enjoyed working directly with SAS users groups throughout the US since 1995. He currently supports PharmaSUG and other special-interest groups. He has been blogging about SAS users groups since 2009.
This is the week that I’m supposed to clean up my office (I won’t.), and things are supposed to slow down (They have a little.). Some folks are still here physically at work, but I think that their hearts and minds are elsewhere! Most everyone is in the mood for
I am just now returning to the office, having spent 3 days in Austin, Texas, attending the South Central SAS Users Group (SCSUG) Educational Forum. The conference was a big success, and I could literally feel the energy in the air. Thanks to the dedication of the executive committee, conference
When we started this blog two years ago, we had a lot of ideas on how it could benefit SAS users. We also realized that since everyone else had a blog, that we needed one too! Last year, we became more organized, set some goals for the blog and brought
Supporting SAS Global Forum is a year-round effort, but for me, the opening of the Call for Papers is basically the start of the upcoming conference. The section chairs have been selected, and they’ve posted what they are looking for in their sections. You’ll need to submit your abstract and
I first met SAS Global Forum’s 2011 co-chair, Debbie Buck, through my role as a SAS liaison to the South Central SAS Users Group. Over the years, I’ve gotten to know Debbie pretty well, and my admiration of her continues to grow. I’ve even forgiven her for the awful gift
Is SAS Global Forum all work and no fun? Definitely not! You could go to Seattle and easily spend 24 hours a day soaking in all that great SAS knowledge and networking with your peers. Papers, demos, mixers and tweetups are all great, but don’t forget you’re in Seattle. Carve
Contributed by Meg Crawford, Marketing Specialist, User & Customer Marketing; Kirsten Hamstra, Web Marketing Specialist, SAS Publishing; and Michele Reister, Field Marketing Specialist, SAS Education. If you read last month’s Open Mic blog posts from Meg Crawford and Kirsten Hamstra about all the great social media activities happening at SAS
For the past 9 months I’ve been sharing my insights into pre-conference planning, and now things are really ramping up for SAS Global Forum. What does that mean for blog readers? You’ll likely see fewer posts from me – but more from some of my fellow SAS bloggers: • Anne-Lindsay
I recently chatted with Lida Gharibvand, a doctoral student in applied statistics at the University of California, Riverside. She received a master’s degree in mathematics and statistics from the University of Nevada, Reno (UNR). While at UNR, Lida worked as a statistics consultant at the Center for Research Design and
A lot of you have been using the Personal Agenda Builder since I first blogged about it on January 15. As you may recall, this handy tool allows you to plan your conference schedule with point and click ease. It has the latest up-to-date information on the papers, posters and
SAS users groups are run by SAS users, with support, but not directives, from SAS. During my 15 year tenure in the SAS users group program, I’ve seen up close how important user feedback is in helping to improve the conference experience. Typically we gather feedback informally in presentation sessions
Every person in my department at SAS (User and Customer Marketing) is involved in supporting SAS Global Forum in one way or another. One of the major roles is to coordinate the SAS Demo Area. I recently had a chat with my co-worker Katie Strange, who is responsible for teaming
As Dr. Goodnight explains, SAS Global Forum (formerly known as SUGI) was started by SAS users, who held their first conference in 1976, several months before SAS was even incorporated as a company. The successful tradition of a user run conference, guided by an Executive Board of SAS users, continues
Last month I pointed you towards the conference t-shirt contest on sasCommunity.org. The designs and coding techniques on display were quite creative, and the contest triggered some fun conversation among community members. Now the votes have been cast. And the winner is …self-proclaimed “new kid” Lynne Krajevski. I loved what
Back in December I wrote about the t-shirt contest on sasCommunity.org. Meanwhile, awards season kicked into high gear with the Golden Globes, Critics Choice Awards, and Screen Actors Guild Awards - just to name a few. Now it’s time for the first annual Best SAS t-shirt Award Show, and it’s
I hate shopping. Going to the local mall is a form of torture for me. But send me to a virtual store, and I’ll happily browse online and likely place an order. Now I can do the same thing, of sorts, with SAS Global Forum since the presentation schedules and
There is an ancient t-shirt that I have from my first users group conference. It dates from 1995, and it shows a cat holding a floppy disk and the words WUSS (for Western Users of SAS Software) on it. Never mind that I can’t fit into it anymore; Nor can
If you want to save money when you register for SAS Global Forum 2010, check out the two new package offers. Both offers bundle popular registration options at a discount. Not only will they save you money, these special packages may also help you with getting conference approval. It’s an
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
Graduate and undergraduate students are eligible to apply for the SAS Student Ambassador Program, which covers the cost of travel expenses and registration fees paid to attend SAS Global Forum 2010. What’s the “catch?” You must complete an application and submit a presentation abstract and working draft by midnight October
I can’t take credit for selecting Seattle as the site of SAS Global Forum 2010. But I can thank the SAS Global Forum Executive Board for making that decision a number of years ago. We had a terrific conference the last time (SUGI 28 in 2003), and that must be
I first met conference chair Lauren Haworth back in 1997 when she was presenting a paper at the Pacific NorthWest SAS users group. Since that time, she's gone on to chair the Western Users of SAS (WUSS) conference (twice!), write 2 SAS Press books, serve as a section chair for
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
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
What have you been up to since SAS Global Forum 2009? For me, among other things, I’ve seen Mt Hood on a clear day while supporting the Pharmaceutical SAS users group (PharmaSUG) meeting in Portland, OR. I’ve managed to get to the local farmer’s market on a weekly basis (the
1.) Where I could find you if you weren’t at a users group conference? You’d find me outdoors. In winter it’s skiing (x-c and downhill) and in the spring-fall it’s hiking, mountain biking and camping. 2.) How many times have you been to SAS Global Forum, and what was your
~Lori Griffin, Conference Chair~ It’s the last full day of SAS® Global Forum, and I hope you’re enjoying the conference as much as I am. This is my 17th time at SAS Global Forum (formerly SUGI), but serving as conference chair, I’ve gotten to see firsthand what it takes to
My thanks to Lori for taking the time to respond to my questions during this last-minute rush towards SAS Global Forum. 1.) What was your first car? The first car I bought was actually a bright yellow Toyota truck that had monster tires....bet you didn't see that one coming --
By now even the “Secret” truck has left the SAS Worldwide headquarters in Cary, NC for the drive to Washington, DC. (The “non-Secret” truck began its six hour journey to the conference site last Friday, March 13.) As in previous years, we have more than one truck leaving from SAS
If you’re local to the Washington, DC area, you may have heard some radio promotions about SAS Global Forum. It only takes 30 seconds to hear how SAS can help the new administration. Government employees can use the discount code GOVELBD09 to qualify for the special $700 registration rate to
