If you are one of the thousands of SAS users soon to be in Dallas for SAS Global Forum, you've probably already used the online tools to help you view sessions related to your industry. It’s easy to do by filtering on your own particular industry, such as banking, or by filtering on your session topic area, such as data management. It pays to plan ahead, be prepared, and to make the most of your conference experience.
One additional opportunity that you may not know about: the SAS special-interest users groups Community Linkups, scheduled for Tuesday evening from 6:30 to 8:00 pm. The Community Linkups begin with a reception and are followed by a meeting with industry peers. Not a member of the special-interest group already? No worries, all SAS Global Forum attendees are welcome, whether you are a current member of the group or just want to check things out.
The following groups are planning to meet. Read more and register for the linkup that best meets your interests:
- Insurance and Financial SAS Users Group (IFSUG)
- Data Management SAS Users Group (DMSUG)
- SAS Manufacturing Users Group (SMUG)
- SAS Users Group for Institutional Research (SUGIR)
- SAS Retail Users Group (SRUG)
- SAS Utilities Users Group (SUUG).
Sure, some of the acronyms for these groups are bit funny. But their purpose is serious – all serve as a forum for best practices around an industry focus. To learn more about the meeting agenda for each group, use the SAS Global Forum session catalog and then add to your calendar if you are already registered.
How can you stay in touch with SAS special-interest groups after SAS Global Forum? Most have group sites on LinkedIn, or you can bookmark the list of groups online and check back to see if future meetings are scheduled. As an FYI, most special-interest groups meet virtually throughout the year other than the in-person Community Linkup meetings at SAS Global Forum.
