MWSUG 2015 Special Events

Opening Banquet, Keynote & Reception

Sunday, October 18, 6:00pm - 11:00pm

6:00pm - 8:00pm: Opening Banquet and Keynote Address, Grand Central Ballroom A, B, & C
8:00pm - 11:00pm: Opening Reception and Networking, Blackstone Ballroom and Foyer

We'll kick off the conference with an elegant dinner and keynote session. We are honored to welcome Jianqiang Hao, Managing Director of Customer Data Management at First National Bank, as our keynote speaker this year. He will be speaking on "Enabling Financial Success and Education with Analytics" (abstract and bio below).

Afterwards, you'll have an opportunity to mingle with your fellow attendees, enjoy additional food and drinks, and get a special sneak preview of this year's Innovation and Networking Area.

Keynote: Enabling Financial Success and Education with Analytics
Jianqiang Hao, Managing Director, First National Bank

The Midwest is full of cities with several world-class corporations that contribute to the quality of life. Omaha and Eastern Nebraska are good examples, since this region is the headquarters for Fortune 500 companies like Berkshire Hathaway, ConAgra Foods, Union Pacific Railroad, Mutual of Omaha and Kiewit Corporation. Also, Omaha is home to the largest privately held bank in the country: First National Bank. A very strong community partner, First National Bank is also a large national credit card issuer, partnering in this segment of their business with over 300 other national brands. Credit cards that feature names such as Jeep, New York Life, and Scheels are all shipped and managed from Omaha. Hear how analytics and SAS Users are an essential part of this well-known Midwest organization. SAS and data sciences are used to target profitable credit card customers, to manage credit risk with sophisticated models and to make fact-based business decisions. Also hear about the region’s challenges with building a strong talent community in the field of data analytics.

About Our Keynote Speaker

Jianqiang Hao is the Managing Director of Customer Data Management at First National Bank. His team is responsible for the data analytics, predictive modeling, marketing targeting and segmentation for the bank. Hao has his Ph.D. in Applied Economics and M.S. in statistics, both from the University of Kentucky. He is a CFA (Chartered Financial Analyst) Charterholder.

Dr. Hao has over 15 years experience of using SAS and he is interested in the areas of big data analytics, social media data mining and credit risk modeling. Dr. Hao is also an Adjunct Professor at Bellevue University and teaches economics, finance and risk management courses.

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Durham Museum Networking Event

Monday, October 19, 5:30pm - 10:00pm
Buses start running at 5pm - see details below!

Join us Monday evening for a fantastic networking event planned at The Durham Museum, formerly Omaha’s Union Station, now home to permanent exhibits highlighting Omaha and other regional history. We have reserved the Great Hall and Swanson Gallery plus access to the Track Level and the Museum’s permanent galleries.

We will start the evening at 5:30pm with a casual cocktail hour with passed hors d’oeurves and then beginning at 6:00pm, food stations will satisfy your appetites in the Great Hall. Access to the permanent galleries in the lower level of the Museum (Track Level) will begin at 6:00pm and continue through 8:00pm. Network with fellow SAS users, enjoy great food, wine, beer, juice, and soda (all included) and learn about the history of Omaha and other past regional events!

This event is included in your conference registration.

Logistical details: Complimentary transportation between the hotel and the Durham Museum will be provided. Buses will load and unload on Cass Street at the Hilton near the main hotel entrance beginning at 5:00pm and load and unload on S. 10th Street at the Durham Museum. The buses will run in a continuous loop to and from the event. The last bus returning to the Hilton will leave the Durham Museum at 10:00pm.

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Super SAS Bowl (Quiz Competition)

Monday, October 19, 4:00pm - 5:00pm
Grand Central D

At MWSUG, support and answers to SAS questions are so ubiquitous, pervasive and abundant, we created a quiz competition, but this time it is for the Questions. Our mystery host, using the popular "Answer and Question" format, will preside over our competing panel of luminary contestants. What is "Come and join in on the fun and possibly learn something?"

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Career Development Section & Panel Discussion

Bright Futures and Shades: Career Development and the SAS Professional

The future for SAS Professionals remains bright. Come Monday morning and listen and learn from our most successful leaders on how to enhance your career opportunities and prepare for the future. The section will include presentations and a panel discussion. You can ask questions about working in corporations, academia, independently and others.

Panelists and Presenters include:

• Cindy (Lee) Wilson, Group Leader at Eli Lilly and Company
• Gohar Sargsyan, Manager at First National Bank
• Kirk Lafler, SAS author, lecturer, and consultant
• Tho Nguyen, Director at Teradata
• Tim O’Brien, Professor at Loyola University

This event is included in your conference registration.

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Code Clinic

Tuesday, October 20, 9:00am - 12:00pm
Networking and Innovation Area

Have a sticky SAS coding problem that's got you stumped? The doctor is in! The Code Clinic is staffed by SAS experts who can assist you in untangling even the most stubborn code. Bring your code or sample data along on a USB drive, or just put it somewhere you can access online.