Letter from the President - December 2019
It is hard to believe that we have reached the end of 2019. Looking back, it has been a pretty good year. My daughter became engaged, my boys are growing into fine young men, and my husband and I are celebrating 30 years of marriage this month. December has always been a month of celebration for us. I love the excitement that the holidays bring, along with a sense of closure of yet another year and the anticipation of a new one. Time flies!
In 2020, AUGI also celebrates its 30th year! It all began with a meeting in San Francisco in 1990, known as “North American Autodesk User Group (NAAUG)”. Over the years, NAAUG transformed into what we now know as AUGI. You can read our full history at AUGI.com. There is some pretty interesting stuff there. I wonder if our founders would have ever thought that this group would continue for 30 years, spanning the globe and connecting users in a variety of industries. We are certainly thankful that our founders had the insight to start this organization, and AUGI continues to be a driving force in the design industry. We are looking forward to leading AUGI into the next 30 years. Who knows what design technology will look like then!
Autodesk University in Las Vegas in November was once again a successful event for AUGI. Instead of our usual booth in the Expo Hall, we were invited to spend time in the new Community Zone alongside other Autodesk Community groups. We held our Annual General Meeting on Wednesday afternoon of the conference. We were able to kick off our 30th year celebration with a look back over the years. Thank you to everyone who submitted photographs for our slide show! We had a special recognition of our board members and management using their own photos from 30 years ago! It was fun to see our younger selves. We also recognized the hard work of all our volunteers and previous board members. Without you, the organization wouldn’t exist. Hats off to all of you who contribute to AUGI!
We also announced that our name has been officially changed to AUGI, Inc. This was due to a revised agreement initiated by Autodesk. We have been an independent organization since 2009; however, Autodesk has released our trademark to us, making us entirely independent. The board of directors believes that this will be a positive endeavor in that we will continue to partner with Autodesk and promote their products. However, this will also allow us to engage with other vendors. Look for additional information as we move forward into 2020.
This month’s articles focus on Industry Insights. As we look back over 30 years of AUGI, I have to think that everyone involved had the insight to see the need for an organization such as ours. Industry insights are important for not only industry leaders, but also everyone involved in design technology. Changes to our industry happen sometimes overnight, and keeping up with those changes is a daunting task. Our authors this month have been working hard to bring some of the latest insights to you. I hope their articles will help keep you on the cutting edge of technology.
I am looking forward to unwinding from the year’s busyness and spending quality time with my family. I hope the holidays treat you well, and you have a fantastic end of 2019!
