Five Questions for 2010 Conference Chair Lauren Haworth

1.) Where I could find you if you weren’t at a users group conference?
You’d find me outdoors. In winter it’s skiing (x-c and downhill) and in the spring-fall it’s hiking, mountain biking and camping.

2.) How many times have you been to SAS Global Forum, and what was your most memorable experience so far?
2009 will be my 12th conference. Which is interesting since I guess that means my conference in Seattle will be lucky 13!

Memorable experiences – They’re all about the people you meet at SAS Global Forum
(1) Getting an early peek at the next releases of SAS reporting procedures and tools with developers Sandy McNeill, David Kelley, Dan O’Connor, Eric Gebhart, and others.
(2) Hanging out with all of my favorite SAS Press authors (Art Carpenter, Ron Cody, Susan Slaughter, Lora Delwiche, and others)
(3) Bumping into someone who it turns out is doing the same sort of obscure analysis I’m currently working on. I met a woman at lunch one year who was analyzing data from the same medical device as a clinical trial that I was working on, but she was in a completely different field. It was fun to trade notes on how we dealt with data and analytical issues.

3.) What was your “official role” at SAS Global Forum 2009?
I was the chair of the Industry Solutions section. I worked with my team of eight Industry Solution Leaders to find keynote speakers, SAS speakers, customers, and contributed papers to cover the topics of interest to people in the Life Sciences, Financial, Communications, Retail, Education, Government, Customer Intelligence, and Energy industries.

4.) Who are the major players that produce SAS Global Forum ?
There are three groups involved in producing each SAS Global Forum:
1. The conference volunteer team: The conference chair and section chairs provide the ideas and the contacts in their industries or areas of expertise. Thanks to them, we can bring attendees the latest information and practical advice that’s relevant to their day-to-day work.
2. SAS: SAS provides a lot of logistical support, and gives us access to top presenters who can teach us about features of upcoming releases of the software.
3. The SAS Global Forum Executive Board is responsible for picking the conference chair, and providing advice and support to the chair. The Executive Board also focuses on projects such as sasCommunity.org that provide benefit to the entire SAS user community, not just those who attend SAS Global Forum.

5.) What new things are you thinking about trying for SAS Global Forum 2010?
Given the economic times, a big focus for me will have to be finding ways we can control our costs without adversely affecting the content of the conference. I will also be working with my team to come up with documentation that potential attendees can use to convince their managers that SAS Global Forum is one of the most cost-effective educational opportunities out there for SAS professionals.

As a manager, another area of interest for me is expanding the content we have available for front-line managers of SAS professionals. This includes management seminars, presentations, panel discussions, and technology briefings.

Five Questions for 2010 Conference Chair Lauren Haworth was published on SAS Users.