Even though Autodesk University ended on last Thursday I am going to finish the posts that I started in Vegas.

At the end of Day Two another day of Autodesk University 2009 had come and gone and it was great! From sun up to well past sun-down the activity ball never stopped bouncing. If I wasn’t in an actual session I was running around getting information from one of the Autodesk staffers or I was looking for the next event. Everywhere you went there is someone to talk to, something to read or something fun to do like Shaan Hurley’s games of “Hide and Go Geek”.

AU attendees relaxing betweens sessions ...

 My sessions on Day Two included some fantastic Civil 3D and Map 3D sessions. It never fails to amaze me how the speakers here at AU turn out content that is so informative while still being entertaining. Even as a CAD manager and trainer I still find it impressive to watch these professionals use that software in new and exciting ways. In addition to the sessions I took advantage of the free certification testing available here at the event. Nancy Tremblay and her team were working hard to promote the Autodesk Certification program and it is to a great end. If you are here or plan to visit AU next year, the certification center is a must visit!

Of course not everything at AU was about work. With so many great and friendly people all in one spot the fun is easy to find. Day Two’s Beer Bust had the typically great food, great people and, of course, beer. I have to admit that I had a very hard time finding a souvenir glass until I was given one by a speaker. Thank to Eddie Johnson for helping me out on that one! I thought 2009 was going to be the second year in a row that I didn’t get a glass and that would have made me sad. But in the end I walked away with the goods!

Fierce guards protected the show floor during off-hours ...

After the end of the official events things moved into the Mandalay Bay casino and bars. Everywhere you looked there were groups of AU attendees and staffers relaxing and having a great time. There were discussions about the state of our industry, software, workflows, cars, music and movies happening from the House of Blues to the Eye Candy bar. To me this is the real goal of coming to AU. I think that too many decision makers are looking at only the session content when deciding to send representatives to AU or not. Unfortunately that is only part of the benefit. I really feel the true benefit of AU is the social interaction and communication that being in such a fantastic, supportive environment brings out. Take it from me, if you are like so many drafters and you haven’t had the pleasure of socializing with other CAD professionals in a great social environment then you need to come to AU 2010. Tell them that the Kung Fu Drafter sent you …

- DCM -