The SAS Global Forum creates learning experiences that intuitively anticipate each attendee’s personal preferences. From classroom-style discussion to hands-on experimentation, the event was well – equipped and ready to accommodate its guests. Our team, naturally, sought to attend as many detailed presentations and workshops as possible. After all, they were conveniently divided into sections of both 20 and 50 minutes, which allowed for flexible conference scheduling.
Customer Intelligence was the central focus of several major presentations. There was even a private session limited to clients and select partners (like Munvo!), meant to unpack strategies for enhanced marketing capabilities. Other sessions we attended include talks on Analytics in AWS and Content Targeting Segmentation with CI360, both of which imparted a wealth of new information to our team.
On the third day of the conference, keynote speaker Reshma Saujani gave a compelling presentation that touched on the themes of learning and diversity in analytics. Along with being a lawyer, author, and TED Speaker, Saujani is the founder and CEO of Girls Who Code – a national non-profit organization aiming to close the gender gap in tech. During her talk, she implored industry leaders to mentor and empower women within an increasingly competitive field, while similarly encouraging more women to step out of their comfort zone, take risks, and embrace new challenges. She even highlighted a few projects from the Girls Who Code initiative that have gone on to achieve international recognition.
In addition, there were interactive ‘how-to’ demos and Super Demo Stations that covered just about any topic imaginable, from analytics and business intelligence to data management, programming, and marketing solutions. The Learning Lab also gave participants the chance to peruse plenty of visual material and tackle free e-learning courses, while the 10-minute SAS Quick Tips were available for those who generally prefer concise subject overviews or best practice summaries. More than this, the SAS Global Forum incorporates a Post-Conference Training program as part of its offerings, in order to extend your conference experience and continue learning beyond the dates of the event.