How Many SGF or SUGIs Have You Been To and What's Your Most Memorable Moment?

[Marje]

What a wonderful trip down memory lane….. Thank you all for sharing!

I love SAS Conferences for the chance to network, knowledge share, and visit with our SAS friends.

My first SAS Conference – SUGI 1983 in New Orleans .

My next was 1988 in Orlando and I have attended all since (Yup – as Jenn says, Do the math…)

There are far too many memories of friends, presentations, cities, and fun to list but some of the highlights….

New Orleans in 1991 – and the (video crew) parties including patio bar and closed down suite (that was a lot of fun!)

Hawaii in 1992 – surreal location, and the opening session volcano was quite impressive (ha  ha)

As a “part-time” Canadian, the 2004 conference in Montreal was a great opportunity to network and share knowledge with the large contingent of Canadian users.   Eh??

SAS Global Forum 2007….   The FIRST SAS Global Forum and I enjoyed sharing my husband’s success as Conference Chair!  (Yes – his suite was awesome too)

Some of my favorite TECHNICAL memories…..

• Serving as a Code Dr and helping folks with technical challenges
• KNOWLEDGE – I learn SO much at the conference through presentations, networking, the QUAD (demo room), and all the published papers available year-round
• The 2013 YEAR OF THE POSTERS – Thanks to Rick Mitchell’s focus on Posters - and glad to see the continued expansion of knowledge via ePosters
• Hands On Workshops – Love this venue for knowledge share and have enjoyed presenting hands on workshops for *many years*
• Vince Del Gobbo’s presentations – including his “Ask the Experts” sessions

And – my favorite memory is working with SAS and all of the wonderful volunteers from the SAS community for my chance to Chair SAS Global Forum 2014.

See you in Vegas - and now i will get busy finishing my 3 presentations for 2016!

[KimLeBouton]

Although not continuous, this will be my silver anniversary for attending SAS Global Forums/SUGIs.

My first SUGI and probably most memorable was San Francisco, 1989. Spanning several Union Square hotels, the conference felt enormous.  Since this is my favorite US city, getting to run outside to another event felt like I was a resident—one of my favorite pretend things to do!

Fortunately, I had a paper and poster accepted, since my previous employer would only support my attendance by having a paper accepted. Morning (all day) sickness required me to give up the poster, which I later presented in 1990.  By the conference, I was feeling much better.  

I was also able to attend pre-training where I first met Susan Slaughter, @SJSlaughter, at the Drake Hotel.

As a native Californian, I wasn’t bothered by the earthquake simulation at the Opening Session, but many around me were very scared (possibly terrified)! Later in October, the bay area would sustain huge damage from a magnitude 6.9 earthquake.

Of course, it was with great honor that I was chosen to be the last SUGI chair (2006) that was also held in San Francisco.

[SJSlaughter]

My first SGF/SUGI was in 1987, but I've missed a few years here and there.  If I counted right, I have been to 20.  It's impossible to pick one best memory because I love so many things about SGF.  It is all exciting, but it basically comes down to learning a lot and making friends with other SAS users and with SAS developers.  That first year, I remember how in awe I was of all the presenters and how much I wanted to be a presenter too, but how incredibly nervous I was!!!  It took a few years, but I did present my first SAS paper at SUGI 15 in Nashville.  I have presented a few more since then.  Kim LeBouton mentioned that we met at SUGI 14 in 1989.  What she didn't mention was that we were both pregnant and met in the bathroom during a break for pre-conference classes.  That was memorable!

[ChrisHemedinger]

Every year I need to review the list of past conferences to tally how many I've attended.  My first was SUGI 21 in Chicago in 1996 (20 years!), and this will be my 14th.  In 1996 I worked in SAS Publications as a writer, and my SUGI paper topic was "Developing Native Help for SAS/AF Applications."  I can safely say that I was the world's leading expert on that topic.  That's the beautiful thing about SAS -- it has so many nooks and crannies that it's easy to carve out your niche.

As far as memorable moments, the one that stands out is when I interviewed my journalism hero, Dave Barry.  As I told him, my "interview" was nothing but an excuse to get to meet him.  He was just as funny and friendly in person as he was on stage (and as he is in print).

I've also met other "famous" people: Jeopardy champ Roger Craig, Apple/social media guru Guy Kawasaki, memory champ Nelson Dellis.  That's fun, but it's not as satisfying as the fascinating SAS users I've met (and kept in touch with) over the years!

[LauraJean]

This is my first SGF - after attending MWSUG in 2014 and 2015. Looking forward to it!  

[jmhorstman]

This year will be my 7th SAS Global Forum.  First time was 2009 in Washington, DC.  Couldn't make 2010, but haven't missed one since.

My favorite SGF memory - well, this is a little geeky:  I am a huge fan of the television game show Jeopardy!  At SGF 2013 in San Francisco, one of the keynote speakers was Roger Craig, a very successful Jeopardy contestant and winner of their Tournament of Champions.  He's a celebrity among us Jeopardy fans.  I contacted him out of the blue and managed to arrange dinner with him one of the nights of the conference.  He gave me a few tips on getting selected for the show.  I'm still trying to get on, but that dinner is definitely one of my favorite SGF memories!