Tuesday

SGF photos from Tuesday, April 24th, 2012.

A View of the Dolphin Hotel from the Swan Hotel

A View of the Swan Hotel

Another View of the Dolphin

SAS SGF Banners on Light Poles along the Causeway Between the Hotels

A Giant Fountain in Back of the Dolphin Hotel

Gary's Email for Dinner Logistics--If You Don't Own a Smart Phone or a Printer, Take a Picture of It!

Lego Nessie at Downtown Disney

A View of the Main Street at Downtown Disney

The Location of the SAS Publications Team Tuesday Night Dinner

Gnocchi (Greg), Hog Bellies (Brian), and Portobello Mushrooms (Gary)

Julie and Brian McKnight. Brian's Company (aiMatch) Was Recently Acquired by SAS

Greg's SGF credentials: He Loves SAS Users and the upcoming 12.1 Analytics' Release!

Animal Kingdom Lodge

I'm staying in the Animal Kingdom Lodge, which is a 15-minute drive from the Dolphin and Swan Hotels at Epcot, where the SAS Global Forum conference is being held.


A Certain Mouse Left His Calling Card on My Bed



Originally, I had a room at the Dolphin, but was asked to move to accomodate the growing number of SAS customer attendees.  Good sign for business.  I wonder if by sending me to the animal kingdom, someone is trying to tell me something....

Bunk Beds--I Must Have Gotten the Family Room



African Style Furniture



View Out my Window (1)

My co-writer, Brendan Wiley, has giraffes and other animals of the African savanna roaming near his bedroom window. Alas, I am not so lucky.

View Out my Window (2)



View Out my Window (3)



Queen Size Bed

Ceiling of the Carport Outside the Main Entrance

Carport Ceiling More Detail

The breakfast buffet is not inexpensive. Nor does one simply grab a plate and head to the food line. You give your name to the server who keys it into a tablet computer she is holding. You wait for another server to seat you. Then, a third server greets you, takes your drink order, and offers you a tantilizing guava, papaya, orange, and mango drink from a caraffe he is holding. Finally, you are allowed to go to the buffet line. $17 buffet, $3 coffee, tax, and tip. Total: $24 and change.

Main Lodge Lobby (2)

The meals are intentional, but I can see that you are forced to slow down and smell the proverbial roses--or at Disney--the numerous orchids.  In this world of instantaneousness, maybe slow isn't such a bad thing.

Monday on the Floor

Monday morning I was able to catch most of the "Technology Connection."  This year they tried something new (or so I am told).  There was a little drama in which Ted (the CEO) is throwing a temper tantrum in front of his managers. If the managers can't figure out why the company's revenues are suddenly tanking, they're all out of a job!

 

So, Paul Kent, Michele Eggers, and a third, go about using the new program that Justin Choy shows them (Visual Analytics).  (You can guess the rest.) It was an effective skit and demonstrated the product well.

Gary Meek shows off the Documentation Kiosk

Lou and Margelet in front of the Bookstore Checkout

The SAS Press Booth

 

Julie and Mary Beth

Greg and Pat



One View of the Bookstore

A Customer Chats with Amy Ball

Oh, So That's a Teleprompter!?

The SAS Film Crew in the Demo Hall

Brian and Julie McKnight in front of the Dolphin

One View from the Causeway Between the Dolphin and Swan Hotels

Approaching the Dolphin Hotel

Another View of the Dolphin Hotel

Another View from the Causeway Between the Dolphin and Swan Hotels

The End of a Great Day at SGF

Sunday Evening at SGF 2012

A group of us SAS employees arrived in Orlando around 4:30 PM for the 2012 SAS Global Forum (SGF).  Several of us shared a cab to our various hotels: the Dolphin and Swan (Epcot) and the Animal Kingdom Lodge.

Greg in front of the Animal Kingdom Lodge

The opening session at 7 PM was very impressive. Oliver Schabenberger and Dr. Goodnight did a presentation on Visual Analytics. It was a technologically stimulating opening session with the use of holographic imagery during several presentations. Jim Davis did a well choreographed conversation with himself on value proposition of big data analytics.

Stuart Nisbet Demonstrating Visual Analytic Designer

High-definition Display of SAS Visual Analytic Designer

These performers sang a hit song from "Beauty and the Beast. Can you guess which one is the hologram?

The male on the right is a holographic image!

Performer riding on what looks like a horse

After the presentation, we all retired to a huge patio overlooking one of the human-made Disney lakes for drinks and finger-food. In the midst of the crowd were performers in Lion-King-esque customes on stilts.