Letter from the President - August 2014
The Conference Life
I recently returned from the Revit Technology Conference held in theChicago area. The event was wildly successful and AUGI is proud to have been a sponsor. One of the most interesting moments for me came during the opening session when the audience was asked, by a show of hands, how many were AUGI members. Nearly every hand was raised. That was simply incredible. It was obvious to me that AUGI members continue to appreciate the value of networking with each other and learning from each other.
Another RTC event will be held later this year in Dublin, Ireland. Those of you who want to know more about Revit and/or network with folks at the forefront regarding Revit should consider attending that event. For those of you who cannot afford to travel that far, the North American event for next year will be held in the Washington, DC area. Disclaimer: I serve on the committee for RTC North America, but I would be enthusiastic about the event even if I were not on the committee.
RTC is not the only event for which AUGI is a sponsor. Yes, it is time to start making your plans to attend this year’s Autodesk University. AUGI is already making its plans for the event and working closely with Autodesk to provide a noteworthy presence there. AU promises to be filled with exciting events, great classes, and ample opportunities to network with your peers.
AUGI holds its Annual Meeting at AU every year. This year the Board wants to make this a fun event. We are planning on a new format and offering great prizes to those who attend the session. Notice that I called it a “session.” We are obligated by the bylaws to provide this meeting, but there is nothing that forces us to make it a boring event. So expect to enjoy the session. Make plans to attend AU and to attend AUGI’s events.
I suppose that this letter will bring to mind, for some members, the AUGI CAD Camps. The Board is occasionally asked why AUGI no longer offers these events. To be frank, they are very difficult to bring off successfully. While one-day local events sound like a great idea and simple to implement, the reality is that it is tough to bring in enough quality speakers and provide enough depth of classes to bring in audiences large enough to make the events self-sustaining.
For this reason AUGI continues to promote the importance of local area user groups (LUGs). These groups provide valuable networking at the local level and there is no reason why a LUG cannot offer quality material or roundtable discussions. So locate and revitalize your LUGs! If there isn’t one in your area, AUGI can help you form one.
So with that, I will bring this letter to a close. Join AUGI at the upcoming conferences and continue to support your LUGs.
