Sold-out Innovators’ Summit showcased link between innovation, analytics

SAS event in 2009 will join forces with Discovery, formerly known as JMP® User Conference, in Chicago

CARY, NC  (Oct. 06, 2008)  –  The Innovators’ Summit, a highly interactive conference focused on using analytics to spur innovation, drew representatives from more than 60 companies to Redwood City, CA, Sept. 24-26, selling out the event. 

Attendees came from organizations in the entertainment, high-tech, education, semiconductor, online commerce, marketing, biotech and healthcare industries. All shared an interest in analytic excellence and a desire to spread the use of analytics across divisions. 

“You’ll find the best uses of analytics behind some of the most innovative ideas at all kinds of organizations,” said John Sall, Executive Vice President and co-founder of SAS. “People who attended the Innovators’ Summit left with inspiration for better ways of doing business and creating breakthroughs of their own.” 

Sall is also the chief architect of JMP statistical discovery and data visualization software, which can seamlessly integrate with SAS solutions. JMP is a business division of SAS, the global leader in analytics. 

The high caliber of the speakers at the summit was a major draw for attendees. In addition to Sall, keynote speakers for the morning plenary sessions included:

• Avinash Kaushik, Analytics Evangelist, Google
• Mike Cramer, Director of Operations Research for Worldwide Restaurant Innovation, McDonald’s
• Richard Antcliff, Director of the Innovation Institute, NASA’s Langley Research Center
• Stephen Few, Principal, Perceptual Edge
• Sam Savage, Consulting Professor, Stanford University

“The intellectual horsepower in the room – it’s mind-boggling to see the amount of thought leadership that is here,” said attendee Damon Stoddard of Microsoft after the first plenary session. 

The afternoon concurrent sessions featured thought-provoking talks by experts in text analytics, Six Sigma, design of experiments and on such timely topics as California’s earthquake early-warning system and overhauling the credit-granting system in the US. 

Beyond the structured presentations, the summit provided informal opportunities for exploring the power of analytics in smaller groups. Speakers and attendees exchanged ideas at a welcome reception and dinner, a trip to AT&T Park in San Francisco to watch a Major League Baseball game, networking lunches and a closing reception. 

Next year’s Innovators’ Summit will be followed by Discovery 2009, formerly known as the JMP Users Conference. The back-to-back conferences will take place in the fall in Chicago.

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