SAS will host the fifth annual M2002 Conference, a data mining and analysis event, happening Oct. 22-23 at the company’s headquarters.

Chaired by Will Potts, chief statistician for Data Miners Inc., and SAS analytical strategy director Anne Milley, M2002 offers participants the opportunity to learn from leaders in the data mining community. The conference will provide first-hand, expert knowledge on the latest trends in data mining, helping attendees discover new ways to turn their organizations’ data into their most powerful asset.

“The M series of conferences is designed to provide a forum for the open exchange of ideas, methodology, new innovations and directions in data mining,” Potts said in a statement. “Feedback we have received from past attendees shows that we are offering a valuable service to the data mining community. We expect that M2002 will continue to set the industry standard for unsurpassed educational value that data mining practitioners need and want.”

Keynotes addresses will be delivered by Robert Blattberg, distinguished professor at the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University; Ed Wegman, distinguished professor and director of the Center for Computational Statistics at George Mason University; Gordon Linoff, author and founder and principal of Data Miners; and Foster Provost, an internationally recognized professor at NYU’s Stern School of Business.

These thought leaders will share their views on a range of topics such as how to successfully apply data mining to help maximize ROI, anticipate resource demand, predict customer behavior and retain profitable customers. More than 20 speakers from financial services, pharmaceutical, retail, government and academia will present research and host forums.

Immediately before and after the conference, M2002 will offer additional training courses that highlight the latest data mining technology. Scheduled course titles include “Two-stage Modeling Using Enterprise Miner Software,” “Survival Data Mining: Modeling Customer Event Histories” and “Predictive Modeling Using Enterprise Miner Software.”

M2002 Conference: www.sas.com/news/events/dmconf

SAS: www.sas.com