SolidWorks World 2008 User Conference and Exposition will be the largest 3D CAD event in the world. Here are a few tips to help you prepare for, and survive, SolidWorks World 2008.
TOP TIPS:
Wear comfortable shoes. The San Diego Conference and Convention Center is a huge facility, this means you will be doing a lot of walking during this conference. Wear the most comfortable shoes you have. There is no specific dress code for this event, but consider “Smart Casual” attire as appropriate.
Be ready for information overload from the content of the great technical presentations to the demonstrations in the vendor pavilion and the size and energy of what is SolidWorks World. You will be overloaded with information. See my next tip.
Be smart when taking notes. If you are registered for the full conference, you will be able to download most of the technical presentations, a month or two after the conference. Because of this, you don’t need to take notes on everything that appears in the presentation slides.
Arrive early for the presentations because they tend to fill up fast. If the room is already full, you may not be able to get in. Pick alternate presentations ahead of time in case this happens.
Attend technical presentations on SolidWorks features you normally don’t use. If you create a lot of “blocky” parts, go and see a presentation on surfacing or sheetmetal. You never know when you may be able to use what you will see at these presentations.
Talk with other users at the “Birds of a Feather” lunches. This is a great way to meet others from your region, technical area, or SolidWorks interests. This networking may lead to learning better ways get things done in SolidWorks, or lead you to additional resources that can help you in your job.
SolidWorks World is also a great place to meet users you talk with online, whether it is in the newsgroups, forums, or other emails. If you want to meet with someone specific, make arrangements for meetings before you go to the conference. At the conference, they will be as busy as you are, and they may be harder to find. If they are giving a presentation, catch them at their presentation after they are done.
Meet with, and talk to, SolidWorks personnel. They want to know that issues you, the users, are facing. SolidWorks uses this information for developing product features and improvements.
Get involved by participating in SolidWorks surveys. SolidWorks Corporation uses the information from these surveys to improve the SolidWorks software, the SolidWorks Community, and SolidWorks Corporation. You may even get a free gift for participating.
If you have to support SolidWorks installations, or other people using SolidWorks, attend the CAD Managers Boot Camp on Sunday afternoon. There is a lot of information in this session that you need to know, and this boot camp pulls it all together in one place.
Check out the Countdown to SolidWorks World Podcasts and other Blogs to get an idea on what to expect at SolidWorks World.
OTHER TIPS:
Have fun at the off-site party on Tuesday night! This is a great place to meet up with some friends and have a good time.
If you are planning a vacation in conjunction with SolidWorks World, do it the weekend before the conference so you can enjoy the vacation, and relax (somewhat) during the conference. The SolidWorks World website has many links to attractions you can see while you are in the San Diego area.
Paper notebook, PDA or TouchTablet PC? Which one is better? I have tried the PDA a few times and found that I was losing time trying to find the specific info I need at that moment. I am not very good at entering in notes using shorthand. There is also the issue of the weight of the Laptop/Notebook/TouchTablet PC. Because of a concern about battery lifetime, I still needed a paper notebook anyway. This year, I’m trying something new. I picked up a 5x7 (a size that fits in my pocket) spiral notebook. I removed the spiral and printed out my agenda and other specific notes I will need on a few of the pages of this notebook. I then reassembled the notebook and the spiral. This gives me a quick reference guide to where I need to go and what I need to do. I’ll let you know how it works for me after the conference.
Looking for me? I will be doing 2 presentations (SolidWorks API on Monday morning and Design Tables on Tuesday afternoon) and I will be on the Stump the Chumps (Tuesday morning) panel. Check out the conference agenda for room the location and times.
Good Luck, have fun, and I hope to see you there! It's going to be a great time for everyone!
Nice work laying this all out Lenny. See you in San Diego!
Posted by: Jason Raak | January 14, 2008 at 06:17 AM
this is indeed some important information which would surely help me in this endeavor..... thanks author
Posted by: Tracy Esau | February 25, 2008 at 11:14 PM