Navigating SAS Global Forum 2020...Networking!

[ChristineBevan]

One of my favorite parts about SAS GF is all of the opportunities to network with colleagues, SAS staff, partners and more. Here are some tips for making those important connections while at the conference. 

You know it’s all about the app….the mobile app, that is!

The conference mobile app is key to your ability to connect with others.

1. Make your app profile public: Go to your profile. Change Privacy Settings to Public. This will allow you to appear to the other conference attendees on the Attendee Networking list in the app. 
2. In-app messaging: Find someone in the attendee list and tap on their name. Tap the message icon. Write your message, then tap send. 
3. Set up a meeting: You can also set up meetings with the public attendees in their profile. Don't worry, you will have to accept any invitations you get. Find those in your My Agenda icon.
4. Activity Feed: This icon is your friend to make friends. You can use this throughout the conference to share your experiences and make connections. Want to meet up with like-minded folks? Post it there. 

• Networking Opps:
  • Sunday in The Quad from 4:30 - 6:30 p.m.
  • Monday Networking Reception in The Quad from 5:30 - 7:00 p.m.
  • Two Iconic Museums Party on Tuesday from 8:00 - 11:00 p.m.
  • Look for lunchtime chats on Monday and Tuesday; sit with like minded folks for discussions over lunch.
  • Make connections at breaks, in The Quad and in the sessions. Opportunities abound!
• Stay connected after the conference via these communities, users group events, social channels and more. 

What tips do you have?

[PerryNoble]

Speaking of the APP, where can we get it? I don't see it in PlayStore. Is it not out yet? If not, where do we go on the SGF2020 site to start planning our agenda? Thanks very much!!

[ChristineBevan]

Hello  - we will begin promoting the mobile app w/instructions on March 3 to those who have registered so stay tuned for that!  In the meantime, you can access the session catalog and look at the sessions, sample agendas, and build your interest list; the interest list can be downloaded; exported to excel, etc but does not transfer over to the mobile app.   SO, use you can truly build your schedule w/the app.  Thank you!  

[sbobzin]

Is there no option to bring a guest to the Kickback Party this year?

[ChristineBevan]

Correct; In the FAQs on the SAS GF site, it indicates:

Is a guest registration available?

This is a business conference and we currently do not have guest passes available.

[sbobzin]

Thank you for the response.

[PabloNogueras]

Networking Tips:

• Talk to ANYONE.  You don't know what you don't know until your meet the person with the knowledge.  it could be the person next to you in a seminar, at lunch, or waiting in a line.
• Ask Questions.  You may have a story to tell and so do they.  Try to Share the talking time.
• Passion in what you do.  If you don't have it, may be time to change.

[KA123]

Great tip! 

Last year at GF, I talked to a guy at breakfast and a few hours later he was hosting a Super Demo. Turns out, he was THE guy and I wasted breakfast talking about superficial fluff. That was probably good for him as I would have destroyed his breakfast with a million questions!!

[TBarker]

Is the app developer the same as for the past two years? Two years ago in Denver, the app continuously crashed my Samsung Galaxy S8 phone and corrupted two sd cards containing hundreds of photos when I tried to post photos through the app. I then tried to access it via my Galaxy Tablet and it also kept crashing. Last year in Dallas, the app again continuously crashed the same phone, at one point sending it into a 5-minute reboot spiral that overheated my battery until I was finally able to beat the app to the punch and shut it down before it rebooted yet again. That was a huge exercise in frustration and time-wasting (both trying to stop it from rebooting and then trying to figure out which sessions I'd been planning to attend), and the tech support desk was unable to help me either year. Feedback in the Google Play store went unanswered and there were users of the app - at other conferences - who'd posted similar complaints. Just a warning about the stability of the app. It's a great app when it works and some, perhaps many, people had no problems at all with it. Since it crashed both my phone and my tablet, both of which were recent or fairly recent models with latest OS and plenty of system resources available, I'll stick with the web version and a notebook this year, even though that means I can't store my agenda or participate in the app's social aspect.

[ChristineBevan]

I am sorry to hear about the issues that you experienced.  SAS is using the same app developer this year.  Please know that there will be on-site mobile app support while at the conference if anyone runs into issues or has questions.  

Street Level – South Building, East Salon

Saturday, March 28: 3:00 – 7:00 PM
Sunday, March 29: 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM
Monday, March 30: 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Tuesday, March 31: 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM