Is it just me, or does it feel a little bit like Christmas Eve? I think it's because SAS Global Forum 2016 is right around the corner, and for many SAS users, it's the most wonderful time of the year. If you're heading to Las Vegas, get ready for three days of learning from SAS peers, exchanging ideas, discovering new techniques for using SAS, and maybe, if you play your cards right (see what I did there?), a dash of fun as well. If only there was something exciting to do in Las Vegas...
All this sounds great if you're one of the 5,000 SAS users who will be at the event (April 18-21 @ The Venetian), right? But what if you can't make the trip to Las Vegas? Is there another way to experience some of the great content that will be shared there? I'm happy to say the answer is yes!
This year, SAS will provide dozens of hours of live video streaming from the event, so you can watch select sessions from the Users and Executive Programs from wherever you are. Live coverage will include Opening Session, all the keynote talks, select breakouts, Tech Talks, updates from The Quad, interviews with SAS executives and developers, and more. Additional videos will be available on the SAS Global Forum Video Portal. Here you'll find featured, most popular, and how-to videos, as well as episodes of Inside SAS Global Forum. You can even view videos from past events. Coverage will be available for on-demand viewing after the conference as well.
Video not your thing? No worries. SAS will provide several other ways to stay up to date. For starters, you can read any of a number of blog posts from the event. Posts will come from many different SAS blogs, but all posts from SAS Global Forum will be aggregated here.
If you're on LinkedIn, Twitter or Facebook, you can stay connected with what's happening and engage with attendees on SAS’ social media channels. Join the conversation, comment on some of the cool presentations you attended or viewed, discuss the exciting news coming out of the event, or simply follow along. The channels sure to have the most activity are the SAS Users LinkedIn group, the SAS Twitter account, and the SAS Users Group Facebook page. The hashtag for SAS Global Forum is #SASGF; be sure to use the hashtag in all your posts.
If you want a deeper dive into a particular talk, or if you're interested in presentations that may not be part of the Live Stream, the proceedings for SAS Global Forum 2016 are already available. Here you'll find abstracts, PDF of papers, e-posters, slides, data files, and more.
With all the opportunities to follow along, connect and contribute, you can be a part of SAS Global Forum 2016, whether you're attending in person or not. And if you're a SAS user, that's almost as exciting as a visit from Santa.
