A pre-conference dinner is often held in honor of newly inducted steering committee members, as well as new and return attendees.

John Sall welcomes guests to Discovery Summit at an opening dinner held at his home near SAS world headquarters.

Many conference attendees arrive a day or two early for training and tutorials on selected topics.

JMP Principal Research Fellow Bradley Jones discusses definitive screening designs during one of many pre-conference tutorials led by JMP developers and members of the technical staff.

JMP users huddle around JMP Senior Research Statistician Developer Jianfeng Ding to ask questions about how to use the software more effectively.

Geoff Mann, a JMP Product Manager, talks about JMP Clinical with a curious attendee during a break.

Customer Care Manager Jeff Perkinson, who frequently hosts plenary sessions, welcomes the crowd. 

Author and plenary speaker Richard Wiseman contends that people make their own luck. His Discovery talk was so well-received in Amsterdam that event planners booked him for events in Tokyo and St. Louis. 

Participants listen carefully to thought leaders in statistics, technology and innovation during plenary sessions. 

The Networking Hall is a great place for conversation and benchmarking.

John Sall, SAS co-founder and Executive Vice President, said user feedback is one of the things he likes most about customer events. Here he takes notes while a translator facilitates a conversation with JMP users. 

JMP users are selected by the steering committee to present how they use JMP to solve real-world problems during parallel breakout sessions.

While Discovery participants have tough choices to make about which customer presentations to attend, there are plenty of options for all skill levels and application areas. 

In Europe and the US, delegates use a mobile to guide them through the conference and to rate sessions, providing feedback to the steering committee.

Poster presentations demonstrate an array of forward-thinking applications of JMP.

The dinner events are an important learning opportunity. Delegates share how they are using statistics in their organizations and expand their network of data analysts. 

John Sall takes the stage during special entertainment at a closing dinner event. These business socials often incorporate regional culture or local attractions.

A long line forms to meet an author and keynote speaker in person.

Kaiser Fung, blogger and author of the books Numbersense and Numbers Rule Your World, meets attendees at a book signing.

After exchanging best practices in data exploration, and playing with both new and proven statistical techniques, Discovery attendees have immediately relevant and practical information to put to work.

Many attendees return year after year, and bring colleagues with them when they do.