LAS VEGAS, NV (Autodesk University) , Dec 1, 2009 - It's the night after the full day of Autodesk University, which at 5500+ attendees (Autodesk's official number) is still the biggest gathering of CAD users anywhere in the world. Later on I heard Autodeskers say it was over 6,000.
Autodesk is also quite proud of the 16,000 who have signed up to attend "AU Virtual." There are video and audio feeds available for free for those who elected to "attend" but not to travel to Las Vegas. Though the idea of giving Las Vegas a miss will sound quite appealing to many -- and a great relief to the spouses who would have been left behind -- I have to wonder how many of those in "attendance" are actually paying attention. In a Q&A session this afternoon with Carl Bass, CEO of Autodesk, not one of the virtual attendees was heard from despite several opportunities.
Being in the office and trying to virtually attend a show has many limitations. When you are away from the office, your boss or coworkers won't bother you (much). But if you are just tuning into an AU feed... Work must go on. There are meetings, emails, conversations, coffee breaks, bathroom breaks, and more.
Again, it is proved that there is no substitute for being somewhere -- in your entirety.
I signed up for AU virtual...and you are absolutely right. After attending for the past 7 years (in person), I had a hard time note multi-tasking. But I don't think this is by no means the fault of AU, but rather my discipline to stay focused. In fact, I thank them for making this an option.
Next year I will pay to be in person. It is worth the price in networking alone.
Posted by: Commandtrends | December 01, 2009 at 10:26 PM