Why Attend MWSUG?
- ROI. MWSUG 2026 is a great opportunity for me to help our company get the most out of our SAS investment.
- Professional development in a short amount of time. Two days offer ample opportunities to discover new ideas and make connections with peers.
- Customizable agenda. MWSUG provides a mobile app where I can choose topics that are relevant to my role and skill level. There are over 100 talks to choose from, a full time hub, and the app can automatically build my schedule to maximize my time. This assures I will bring back information that is relevant to me and members of our team.
- Affordable. Registration includes admittance to all keynotes, paper presentations, sponsor booths, and meals. Hotel blocks are available at a discounted rate. Financial assistance options are available.
Ways to maximize return on investment:
- Review the schedule of talks/abstracts before the conference. Consider having team members vote on which talks to attend. Abstracts for all talks will be posted on the website. If an attendee is unable to attend concurrent talks they may be able to connect with the presenter and receive materials even if they miss the talk, so its important to know ahead of time.
- Send more than one team member. If there are schedule conflicts or a variety of ways you expect the attendee to engage with the conference it may be helpful to have someone to “trade off with” as these conferences are packed with too much for one person to do everything. MWSUG has 6 rooms that will be running talks concurrently plus the demo room.
- Take Notes. Some content will be published following the conference, but notes taken during the conference pull out the information immediately relevant and may go beyond what is available online.
- Submit an abstract for presentation. Get the work we do out into the community and published as a conference proceeding. Presenters get a heavy discount, acknowledgement (both at the conference and once the content is published), and serve as an example for future generations. Presentations based on current work are inherently relevant and code that is useful to you may be useful to others – it does not need to be a novel concept, proprietary in nature, or created by an experienced programmer to be good. Some of our best content has come from “first timers” and there is a Paper Mentorship Coordinator (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) to help connect me with a mentor if needed.
- Send problems to the conference. If you are in need of SAS solutions or new ideas, SAS representatives, experienced SAS programmers, and solution consultants will all be at the conference and are ready to tackle your problems head on and send your attendee home with a solution or get you in their schedule. Have these typed up or loaded on a device ahead of time so that shoulder-to-shoulder assistance can be accomplished. This reduces security concerns, assures timely resolutions, and creates long-term connections to individuals that can be helpful in the future.
- Become a sponsor. Earn free registrations, get your company name in front of other SAS users, be featured in posts, on promotional materials, and/or in the demo room. Offer your services to attendees or become a keynote. MWSUG is a non-profit, volunteer lead, organization. Sponsors greatly help make this educational opportunity possible. A receipt will be available for tax purposes. Contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to learn more.
- Post a job on the conference job board or send a hiring representative. This is an option for all companies with one or more attendees and allows your attendee/representative to be approached by interested candidates. There are also a plethora of SAS consultants in attendance that may be immediately useful to you.
- Volunteer at the conference. Those that volunteer to help as session coordinators, registration assistants, or during activities engage with current leadership and are often offered the opportunity to partake in leadership roles during future conferences. This opens a door to leadership opportunities that can help me develop professionally. Contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to sign-up.
- Take a Class. There will be several pre-conference training classes offered. They will be posted on the conference website once established and available for selection during registration. These are separate from the conference but are classroom style courses designed to bring content taught in SAS courses across the world to you. Lead by SAS employees, professors from a variety of colleges, or seasoned SAS programmers – these course are a fast track to trying and understanding software you may not have (like SAS Viya), learning new concepts (like AI), and/or a perfect introduction to SAS for the non-SAS programmer. Most are bring your own device but all course give registrants limited time access to all required software, programs, slides, and other materials. This can be especially helpful if you do not currently have the SAS products in question and are considering them. Contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. if you would like to offer a class or have questions about this year’s offerings.
- Apply for a scholarship. There are scholarship opportunities available for students, young professionals, and those new to SAS programming. Scholarship awardees are featured several times throughout the conference, required to participate in volunteerism, and will have registration waived.
- Send feedback or ask questions. The Operations Chair can be contacted at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. with any questions, interest in getting involved, or feedback.
Attendee Resources
- Email to Manager: Use this email template to draft an email to your manager explaining the reasons to attend and ways to maximize your time at the conference!
MWSUG Conference Justification Email (Outlook template)
MWSUG Conference Justification Email (Word document)
- Note Sheets: A high-level note sheet will be available for each session in order to help you provide a tangible deliverable detailing what you have learned at the conference based on what talks you attended.
- Self-Scored Quizzes: Each presentation will provide one quiz question appropriate to their presentation. This can be used to decide if you should attend that talk and as a check for understanding later.
