SAS Global Forum 2015: What's inside The Quad?

Every college and university seems to have its own unique version of “The Quad”, where folks mingle and serious (and more often less serious!) happenings are staged.

At SAS Global Forum, The Quad is the former SAS Support and Demo area, freshened up with today’s casual atmosphere, more interactive spaces and new opportunities to learn, network, eat and socialize. Here’s a quick rundown of some activities you won’t want to miss:

Take a tour.  You can take a tour of The Quad on Sunday after you arrive at the conference, every half-hour starting at 4:45 pm until 6:30 pm.  If you want to get a head start, take a peek at the Know Before You Go videos, especially How to Navigate The Quad.  Find visuals helpful?  Follow this map of The Quad as you read about the sections highlighted below.

Play the mobile app game.  When you visit The Quad, don’t forget about the mobile app game. Attendees from both SAS Global Forum and SAS Executive Conference can earn points and win prizes! You can gain points by just taking part in certain activities in the app like tweeting or completing a session survey. Better yet, as you visit different areas and activities throughout the conference, you can earn points simply by scanning the QR codes posted nearby.

Visit the App Game widget in the SAS Global Forum 2015 mobile app for the full list of ways to earn and win great prizes.

Grab breakfast or lunch before attending Theater Sessions and Table Talks.  Breakfast and lunch will be served in The Quad, close to the entrance to technical and executive-level presentations in the Theaters area. Nearly 20 new Table Talks sessions will happen in this area as well.

If you’ve ever wanted to give SAS feedback about the regional, local, special and in-house users groups, now is your chance.  Melissa Perez and Nancy Moser will be hosting the Users Group Evolution Table Talk on Monday and Tuesday.  Please stop by to share your ideas, challenges and successes.

Pick up a free T-shirt or buy discounted books.  It’s your one-stop shop to pick up your free 2015 T-shirt and other conference materials, as well as purchase SAS gear at the SAS Merchandise store. It's also the place for SAS Books, whether you’re looking to buy or learn about opportunities to write about your own SAS knowledge. View the complete list of discounted SAS books available for purchase in the store.

Build your SAS knowledge and your career.  Meet contacts from organizations that can kick-start your career. Learn how you can build your SAS skills with e-learning, SAS Global Academic and SAS Certification programs, and training. Find out more about the SAS Analytics U initiative, which provides free, web-based access to SAS for students and professors. And build knowledge with interactive e-posters and the wealth of documentation resources in SAS OnlineDoc®.

Get hands-on with SAS software.  See demos and talk to experts in administration and architecture, analytics, business intelligence, data management, data presentation, JMP®, cloud, enterprise hosting, solutions and technical support.

At the Catalyst Café, you'll see innovation in action and get hands-on experience with SAS® Visual Analytics, SAS Visual Statistics, SAS Data Loader for Hadoop and Curriculum Pathways mobile apps – and participate in an interactive survey with live results at the Sphero arena.

Or maybe you’re looking for a little help: The Code Doctors are here to identify symptoms, diagnose problems and prescribe treatment for your code, and professional services experts from SAS can help ensure successful implementation of your software.

Stay connected with the SAS support community.  Explore the wide variety of SAS users groups, communities and programs, and take the customer survey to provide feedback on various topics. You can also check out Inside SAS Global Forum special reports, which give you the inside scoop at the conference. Plus, stay connected with the SAS and the user community through social media at The Point.

We hope to see you there!

SAS Global Forum 2015: What's inside The Quad? was published on SAS Users.