Tell an experienced SUGI/SAS Global Forum presenter that you are presenting at SAS Global Forum. One of the first questions he or she will ask you is: "What time is your talk?"

Because scheduling matters.

Certain time slots have a notoriety of their own. For example, "10:30 Monday" means you are basically first on the agenda (after all of the opening session hoopla). Bright-side response: "At least you get it done early and can relax for the rest of the conference" (as much as you can relax when working the show).

"8 a.m. Wednesday" is another famous slot. That's because Tuesday evening boasts the kickback party with the SAS Band, food, and cocktails. 8 a.m. can arrive pretty early after that event. Bright-side response: "Well, the people who attend that talk must be really interested in what you have to say."

This year, my last talk is THE last talk of the conference, beginning at 11:40 a.m. on Wednesday. It's a 20-minute slot in the Coder's Corner section, and things wrap up at noon. Bright-side response: "Um, it's an honor to be selected as a book-end presentation?" (Or as a colleague just pointed out, "they saved the best for last?")