I may be one of only two people I know who has attended every Autodesk University (AU) held in the United States. For the past thirty years, it has been quite a journey. This year will be my thirty-first year attending the conference. Let me give you a little history of the conference.
It all started with the North American Autodesk User Group, NAAUG. They had several years of having an annual meeting before taking it to the level of the first AU. It was held in the fall of 1993 at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium. We had to be bussed from several outlying hotels. I remember getting a canvas tote back to carry around. My favorite session was the Wish List session, where the programmers of AutoCAD sat on a stage, and anyone could walk up to a microphone and put in a wish for the software.
The following year, it moved east to Atlanta. What I remember about this one was waiting to get into an event, and the line went around the block. It was a great event with a lot more classes and booths. We were growing in many directions. This is where I started getting more involved with the user group. I volunteered to work at their booth to help get people to sign up for membership with NAAUG.
The third year was held in San Francisco at the Moscone Center. We had little red booklets with the schedule of the classes in them—the booklet fit in our badge holder. One thing that stood out to me was that I was getting more involved with the user group. That year, I was elected President-Elect for NAAUG.
The fourth year AU was held in Chicago at the Navy Pier. More Special Interest Groups and sessions were held at this location than in previous years. This is also the first time we had what we referred to as the NAAUG Play Pen. In the Play Pen, anyone could sit down and test out any Autodesk software. The wish list was being handed over ceremoniously to the heads of the various vertical software departments.
Year five was memorable for me because I became President of NAAUG, which also changed its name to Autodesk User Group International (AUGI) that year. We had members from all over the world, so now the name reflected that. The conference was held in Los Angeles, and there was an epic party at Universal Studios. A great gym bag was gifted to some folks at this AU. It was a great gym bag my grandson finally wore out last year.
Year six took us to Philadelphia. I remember a great party at the Benjamin Franklin Museum, though it seemed smaller than others. Not much stands out in my memory about this AU, maybe because I was not the President and so involved as I had been.
The seventh year was the year Autodesk tried holding smaller events nationwide. For this year, we had four events. These were primarily held in hotels, and we utilized the hotel's facilities to hold meetings and classes. I believe that events were held at hotels in Boston, Dallas, and San Francisco. I taught my AUGI Tips and Tricks at each one of these events.
This takes us to the next millennium. From 2000-2005, AU was held at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. There was no denying that AU was growing. What stood out the most was that it was a mile walk once you left the elevators until you reached the conference center, and you never left the building. I worked on a newsletter for the conference called the AUGI Daily Bulletin. The night was spent getting information from the main office about any class changes, info from our sponsors about contest winners, and anything else about schedules. I also would get a picture at the main party and then return to my room, where I would put it in the bulletin.
2005 took us back to the East Coast with Walt Disney World. If you were not at the central hotel, you were "Wishing on a Star" that you made it to the conference each day. I at least was at the central hotel, but I heard the bus system was atrocious. I missed most of the night at Disney as I was busy working on the Daily Bulletin most of that night.
From 2006 to 2019, there were several AUs in Las Vegas. Three were at the Mandalay Bay, and the others were at the Venetian. The growth of the conference was getting pretty evident. I was still working in the AUGI booth during this time. You sure meet many people in a booth, especially if you're trying to sign people up for an AUGI membership. Along the way, AUGI had its "Top DAUG" contest. This contest involved free tests on various software. The top winner received a trophy, and all participants received an AUGI Top DAUG t-shirt. Medals were also given out at some of these events instead of a t-shirt.
Two years of a pandemic and travel restrictions meant many of us participated virtually in AU. Attendance was free, and it worked out, but it was not the same experience. I know the speakers worked hard on this event. It was a bit more challenging to take the time to view a session, so like most, I watched a lot of recordings on my own time at a later date.
Then there was the AU in New Orleans, a great conference, but only if you didn't have to make the mile-long journey between classes. I had a bad knee and was on a scooter. When people saw me, some folks were willing to pay me to give them a ride. Although I stayed masked up, many of my coworkers returned positive with COVID-19, as did others.
Last year, AU 2023 returned to Las Vegas. It felt like coming home. Moving around the convention was a little crazy because a Formula 1 Race was being held the day after AU ended. The worst thing that happened to me was that I fell the morning I was to leave. I was all but packed, and I must have tripped on something. I hit the back of my head on the metal rail in the room and ended up at the hospital via ambulance. After X-rays and an MRI, I was stapled back together. My teammates had come to the hospital to get me. I was scheduled on a later flight back to Atlanta with two of them.
Sometime before the virtual events, I became a Speaker Mentor. I won Speaker of the Year in 2000. I have spoken at about half of all AU events. I have even been a co-speaker with a colleague once. My Architecture and Technology Education degrees give me the background to help others prepare and present their material. Having a retired professor as a husband also makes it easy to get papers proofread. This has been so rewarding to me. I love to help others with presentation methods, ways to present, and whatever else they have needed. Fortunately, I have coached many award-winning speakers, some speaking for the first time.
Along the way, I became an Expert Elite member, bringing some extra nice things with it at AU. There is a luncheon, special seating at the Main Stage, and usually a dinner with the others. Many of the other Expert Elites and I have known each other for over 15-plus years. Many have also been speakers at AU. They are a great group to hang around with.
Last year, at AU 2023, I was awarded the Autodesk Design & Make Award as the AEC industry's Community Leader of the Year. It was such an honor to be one of three individuals from around the world to get such an honor. There were many companies that also got awards for their work using Autodesk software.
What AU has meant most to me are my friends. I have made many lasting friendships beyond seeing each other once a year. Friends have stayed with us or opened their homes when we have traveled across the country. Friends have been vacationing near where I live, and we met for dinner. There were calls for online happy hours during COVID-19 to keep in touch. I have even had some tell me they do not want to walk down the hall at AU with me because I have to stop and give out my CADMama hugs along the way. Some of us have a Friendsgiving at each AU now.
The job I have now is because of someone I met at AU. One of my many friends has brought his wife and son to some AUGI meetings, and his wife has been at AU as a guest. My friend was looking for someone for his company. His wife said it sounded like I did, so why didn't he call me? I have been here almost two years now.
Autodesk University has changed my life in many ways. The classes have improved my learning skills each year, and the event trade show has opened my eyes to more than I would have ever noticed from my little corner of the world. The conversations at the meals have helped me find more friends I might have never known.
I look forward to AU every single year.
