SAS said, "Hello, San Francisco!" for the Western Users of SAS Software (WUSS) conference October 12-14. The conference was chaired by Kathy Valdes, from SRI, and Ginger Carey, from Carey Consulting, two long time SAS users.

With no time for Sittin’ on the Dock of the Bay, we kicked off the event - minus flowers in our hair - with Randy Guard as the keynote speaker. With a little help from Yoda and Dr. Goodnight, he wowed the crowd of more than 500 attendees. Using his humor and interactive style, Guard taught attendees how to keep their competitive advantage through analytics. He said that one great way to keep your edge is by making connections. He encouraged attendees to meet two new people and follow up with them within seven weeks to share knowledge.

A highlight of the conference, at least for the SAS attendees, was getting our picture taken at the networking reception. WUSS offered a “photo booth” complete with props where attendees could capture a memory of the conference. You aren’t California Dreaming, that is Margo Stutesman sporting devil horns. How many of the other SAS attendees in this picture can you name?

I think we all have the Frisco Blues since leaving the Golden Gate city. I for one have Left my heart in San Francisco with many of the more than 500 SAS users who attended. Yes, I will be contacting some of them within 7 weeks as assigned to hopefully exchange some valuable knowledge.