AU 2006 Highlights

Wow! My tenth AU was a blast!  We had 7500 people (up 41% from last year), 48 Civil 3D classes, great events…and training.  Oh yes, the training…my head is absolutely full!  Plus I got to reconnect with many old friends.

MONDAY, 11/27/06
I arrived at AU late this afternoon. I was fortunate to score a spectacular room at The Venetian right next door to fellow blogger and Civil 3D fanatic James Wedding. I quickly dumped my luggage in my room and headed straight for the Speaker’s Social where Carl Bass thanked the speakers for making AU such a huge success.

Autodesk CEO Carl Bass at the AU Speaker’s Social

Then, running very late, I joined the staff from Stantec for dinner and drinks. I ended the night at Tao, that amazing nightclub at The Venetian, where we helped my friend and fellow Autodesker, Andy Ramm celebrate his 40th birthday.

TUESDAY 11/28/06
Today began with a knock on my door at about 7:30 a.m. My “Dirt” T-Shirts had arrived and they looked great!

Main Stage was first on the AU agenda this morning and it’s always a highlight. We get to see and hear from customers, the Autodesk executives and get our first look at the new technology.

Fellow evangelist Lynn Allen on the Main Stage

Next up was a meeting with CVIS and many of their customers. Civil 3D Product Manager Dave Simeone and I spoke about the value of CVIS Jump Schools. Having been through a Jump School last year before I started at Autodesk, I can say these unique events are a great way for users to adopt and learn any new technology.

Then things really got crazy. My band and all the gear arrived and we scrambled to set up for the party that night. Meanwhile, in the next room I emceed the Civil 3D 2008 preview. This technology preview was by invitation only, and all attendees were required to be under NDA (non-disclosure agreements). I can’t talk about Civil 3D 2008 yet, but just wait until you see it. Wow!

The party was next. I should say right away that I did not handle the logistics of this event well. Specifically, many of you were not aware that my band was playing that night and as a result, missed the show. I am sorry for this—next year will be very different!

The show itself was a blast. We played for a bit and then the Autodesk supergroup (AC/3D) got up and rocked the house. After that, it turned into a sing-along. What a great time!  Thanks to Gary, Dave, Charlie, and Andy from Autodesk and to Jim and Allyson from DLT.

Gary Lang, VP of Engineering and I jamming at AU

Dave Rhodes, VP of Sales (in blue) on lead vocals

The dance floor

WEDNESDAY, 11/29/06
This morning, with my ears still ringing from last night’s party, I introduced my friend and Collision Tour star Todd Nochomson from Miller Legg to the audience at the Exhibit Hall Mini Theatre. Todd spoke with the audience about how his firm has successfully adopted Civil 3D.

Todd Nochomson at the Exhibit Hall Mini Theatre

From the exhibit hall, I ran upstairs to have a couple of meetings with the press. I was interviewed by Angus Stocking from American Surveyor and by Jerry Laiserin from The Laiserin Letter. Thanks to both Angus and Jerry for their time and poignant questions.

Chris Bradshaw, Dave Simeone, and I joined a very well attended reception this evening hosted by Autodesk University Gold Sponsor Synergis. What a great group! Thank you Denise and Tamara for the invitation. Your customers are a riot!

The ISD Party at Tao was up next and it was an amazing production—free food, open bar, and dancing in a fantastic Las Vegas nightclub. After a fair amount of liquid courage (a.k.a. Tequila) Kelly Stallman from Parametrix actually got me out on the dance floor. I can’t dance a lick—but I sure had fun. Thanks Kelly for not taking no for an answer!

THURSDAY 11/30/06
I spent the first part of the morning in the ISD general session. Sadly, I had to leave early to prepare for my class which started at 10 a.m. I’ve been teaching and presenting for a long time and have had my share of good days, bad days, technical problems, less than enthusiastic audiences, etc. This class could not have gone better. What a great crowd! We really had a blast talking about how Civil 3D can fit into the day-to-day processes of surveyors, engineers, and GIS and construction professionals. As requested, I will be posting the dataset I used in this class to the blog ASAP. A heartfelt thank you to the 500+ folks who made the class such a big hit.

My class at AU—standing room only!

FRIDAY, 12/1/06
I can’t believe it’s over. What a great week! It’s time to head for home and to start planning for AU 2007. On behalf of my fellow 5000 Autodesk colleagues, thank you all SO much for coming to Autodesk University. I can’t wait to see you again next year!