It’s my favorite time of the year, draft time!  NFL and Fantasy Football fans, I don’t mean THAT draft, but similar.  It’s what I will call the #SASGF15 draft!

The time of year when the best and the brightest, the most knowledgeable, passionate, and inspirational SAS users submit ideas around various topics, hopefully, to be chosen to present in the Pro Bowl of SAS Users, SAS Global Forum. This time around, this premier event is being held in Dallas, Texas from April 26-29, 2015.

Our draft doesn’t just focus on up and comers. For those long-time SAS Global Forum fans, the favorite positions are open for you to submit your ideas:

• Breakouts- provide insights on the in-depth aspects of SAS^® software, including programming techniques, technical features, and innovative and practical applications.
• Quick tips (Formerly Coder’s Corner) - share quick tips and tricks, useful nuggets of programming or techniques that make jobs easier.
• Hands-on workshops - intended to help attendees learn how to use the features of SAS. A workshop requires focus and a delicate blend of lecture and exercises.

For those rookies, or those whose nerves may get the best of them, try submitting your idea for an e-poster. It’s my favorite session type. They are more like a self-guided tour through a topic. It’s an at-your-own-pace interactive and visual view into a subject. Although they may not be formal presentations, there will still be a scheduled time where attendees can meet the presenter and ask questions or hear a first-hand account of the topic. It’s a great chance to get your feet wet without the stage fright.

There’s a new draft position for 2015:  the Table Talk leader. A Table Talk is a small-group conversation facilitated by one lead user in an informal setting of 8 to 10 people. You don’t have to submit a formal paper to be chosen. A limited number of these sessions will be drafted from the pool of topics, and each may be offered multiple times. If you’re interested in being a top pick for this new #SASGF15 position, here are some topic areas to consider:

• Selling SAS value to management.
• Utilizing social media for career advancement.
• Best practices and methodologies.
• Story-telling using data and analytics.
• Improving communications skills.
• Finding analytical talent.

The deadline for the #SASGF15 draft is October 21. All speakers will be notified of their status by mid-December. Don’t worry, there aren’t multiple rounds of waiting with TV cameras and paparazzi standing by.

Every year the submissions are better and better, so if you aren’t chosen for 2015 you aren’t out of the game. There are other ways to get involved in 2015 and the 2016 draft will come around quickly!

Don’t let another season go by before you get in the game, submit today.