Las Vegas: A Palace for a Global Forum

I returned home three days ago and I’m still seeing twinkling lights, slot machines, and huge fountains spraying water a mile up into the air.

Bear in mind as I share that before last week I had never been to Vegas before, so I wasn’t sure what to expect.  Probably my first surprise was my descension down the airport escalator to baggage claim only to find slot machines!  Outside of the airport was the longest line for taxis I’d ever seen, and easily the largest collection of taxis I’d ever seen.  Then I got to Caesar’s Palace.  As I walked into the lobby of this hotel that seemed as big as most Big 10 college campuses, my jaw nearly hit the floor.  This sure didn’t look like a place where I’d find hands on workshops or a demo room.  Where were all the signs for SAS Global Forum?  I had a feeling that the large gentlemen with the little earpieces standing at the entrances to the casinos that surrounded the lobby had no idea what a SAS Global Forum was.

Probably not unlike many others, after several trips down Cleopatra’s Way and Appian Way, through several casinos and past giant electronic boards with the scores of every single sporting event currently taking place, I finally found the elevator to my room.  After more of the same, past several extravagant shopping stores, I somehow found the conference center, and everything started to look familiar.  Unlike past years, I spent most of my time in the demo room at my company’s booth (d-Wise Technologies).  I also spent some time over in the SAS Publishing area (more on that in a future blog).  With my new position at d-Wise, rather than attending a lot of talks, I spent time this year talking to people about our company, and I enjoyed every minute of it.

I also had a talk on Wednesday morning that went very well and enjoyed talking to several people about it afterward.  Another rewarding speaking experience.  If you were at SGF, I hope you had a great time and got everything out of it that you wanted to.  If you’re considering submitting at NESUG, I hope you got a chance to speak with others that have done it before. 

If you attended SGF in Las Vegas, tell us about your experience.  How were the talks?  The demo room?  The mixers?  What did you hope to get out of SGF, and how did it compare to what you actually did get out of it?

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