Analytics 2012 Conference Melds Business Needs with Analytics Passion

More than 1,000 data-savvy analytics experts exchange tips on thriving in a big-data world

CARY, N.C.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Rapidly changing business requirements require continual updates to analytic techniques and skills. Analytics 2012 equips experts and practitioners with the latest research and methodologies Oct. 7 during pre-conference workshops; Oct. 8-9 in 59 speaker presentations, exhibits and poster presentations; and Oct. 10-12 through post-conference training. This year’s Analytics 2012 main event returns to Caesars Palace, world-famous for its renowned Colosseum spotlighting world-class stars. The stars in Analytics 2012 spotlights are the data scientists and data analysts who use big data to improve their organizations’ performance.

“SAS skills helped give me the career I have”

"SAS skills helped give me the career I have,” said WenSui Liu, VP of Consumer Risk Analytics and Modeling at Fifth Third Bancorp. “The best part of the Analytics Conference Series is learning industrial best practices. The SAS analytics conferences are fun because I’m around people who share my passion for analytics."

Analytics 2012 offers broad and deep coverage of data mining, forecasting, text analytics, fraud detection, data visualization, predictive modeling, data optimization, operations research and credit scoring. Attendees can choose from case studies, technical presentations and hands-on training to expand their analytics expertise – not to mention plenty of opportunities for networking.

Getting better answers faster

Conference Co-Chairs Jerry Oglesby of SAS and Jennifer Lewis Priestley of Kennesaw State University have seen interest in high-performance analytics growing this year. Keynote and session speakers will engage audience members in exploring this development and innovative analytical applications.

• Tim Rey, Research Statistician at Dow Chemical Company and co-author of Applied Data Mining for Forecasting, will present the opening keynote, “Using Data Mining in Forecasting Problems.”
• SAS CEO Jim Goodnight will also present a keynote. Since co-founding SAS in 1976, Goodnight has served as the company's Chief Executive Officer. SAS continues to innovate in analytics targeted at business needs. SAS® High-Performance Analytics, for example, is one of the most powerful new approaches to getting quick value from big data.
• William Hakes, CEO and co-founder of Link Analytics, has spent his career developing and integrating analytics inside Fortune 500^® and small companies alike. He will present the keynote “Data Analytics – The Revolution Has Just Begun.”

Analytics 2012 session presenters include Glenn Bailey, Mannheim Auctions; Jonathan Burez, ING Belgium; Emmett Cox, BBVA Compass; Manuel Sanchez, BBVA Bancomer; Jessica Dunn, Bank of America; Lauren Gilmore, Southern Company; Andres Felipe Gonzalez, Banco Colpatria; Paul Grasso, Chico's FAS; Lan Guan, SunTrust Bank; Paul Hamby and Matt Porritt, AutoTrader; Arthur Kordon, Dow Chemical Company; Richard Lieberman, GE Capital; Elpida Ormanidou, Walmart; Mark Pitts, UnitedHealthcare; Andy Pulkstenis, State Farm Insurance; Larry Seligman, InterContinental Hotels Group; Brenda Slagle, Highmark; Ed Swing, Sam's Club; Frank Travisano and Hongsen Zhou, Chubb Insurance; and Daryl Wansink, Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina.

Adding to the excitement, the sixth annual Data Mining Shootout – presented by SAS and The Institute for Health and Business Insight – allows winners to highlight their predictive modeling solution. The universities of the winning teams receive a donation from the award sponsors, SAS and Teradata.

Two world-class conferences, one destination

Investing in technical training and thought leadership are among the best moves successful companies make. The entire week of Oct. 7-12, there are learning and networking opportunities for everyone from analysts to the CFO. Following Analytics 2012, The Premier Business Leadership Series is an exclusive event for senior executives at Caesars Palace Oct. 10-11. High-level content shared at this invitation-only event facilitates executive thought leadership and networking.

About SAS

SAS is the leader in business analytics software and services, and the largest independent vendor in the business intelligence market. Through innovative solutions, SAS helps customers at more than 60,000 sites improve performance and deliver value by making better decisions faster. Since 1976 SAS has been giving customers around the world THE POWER TO KNOW^®. SAS and all other SAS Institute Inc. product or service names are registered trademarks or trademarks of SAS Institute Inc. in the USA and other countries. ® indicates USA registration. Other brand and product names are trademarks of their respective companies. Copyright © 2012 SAS Institute Inc. All rights reserved.