President’s Letter: Updates and Announcements
February allowed us to continue to make the transition to set the stage for expanding AUGI programs, events, and offerings. Stabilizing our services and building upon them is the theme for 2009. Here are the areas where there are updates since January.
AUGI Wish List - We just opened the process of you telling Autodesk what tools and modifications you want to see in future releases. Your vote to rank the top 10 wishes that have been collected will communicate directly to the developers of the programs you use every day.
AUGI CAD Camp - We are finalizing contracts with a provider for these events. It has taken longer to get it all done, so the CAD Camp season will start later than we had planned.
AUGIWORLD - We will publish the February issue in electronic form only. Some of you have gotten hard copy delivery in the past, but we will not be doing that for the February issue. We have the same authors offering in-depth information that you have come to depend upon. Look for the delivery of this issue via email and a link toward the end of the month.
Now for some new stuff...
A New Sales Team - We have contracted for sales services with Drohan Management Group (www.drohanmgmt.com). We are still negotiating the management portion of their contract and hope to complete negotiations soon. We also have others who are assisting with AUGI sales and advertising coordination.
A new publication, AUGI AEC Edge - We are still dedicated to hard copy publishing because we are pursuing a new publication for the AEC Industry. It is dedicated to those that work in Architecture, Engineering, Civil, and Construction industries as they work in the facilities and built environment. Look for more information on this as the publication date grows near. We are looking at possibly Spring 2009. Learn more about AUGI AEC Edge in this issue.
Web Updates - The website is stable and continues to function well. We have had some maintenance work done in the past few weeks that enables us to maintain the dedicated services that you have come to expect. We are confident that all of the web services will continue into the future without interruption.
The AUGI AU 2008 Beer Mugs - The plastic beer mugs we passed out at AU 2008 contained a "chilling liquid" designed to keep your beverage cold. The Venetian would not allow us to have glass beer mugs. If you received a beer mug during the AUGI Annual meeting at AU 2008, care should be taken to not freeze the mug. There are a growing number of reports of the mugs cracking or shattering after they have been frozen and then allowed to thaw at room temperature. According to the manufacturer, this should not happen if the mugs are turned upside down when placing them in the freezer.
