AR Consulting

 

Autodesk University (AU) 2022 Overview

 

A week back after two years apart! New city, new places to explore…..but what about the content and the AU experience? Maybe it was all new to you, are you a first timer? As someone who has attended many AU conferences over the course of a decade or more, let’s breakdown what I found.

“What do you think of AU this year?” This was a question I was asked many times buy colleagues and others in the field. Was I inspired? Awe struck? I can remember in years past having a large range of emotional response from attending this conference. Everything from “Wow that is really a game changer!” To “OMG! We need to do that!” Or even looking to buy a software right on the spot after comparing all the similar tool providers attending the Expo.

But this year, it felt different. I’m going to be honest: I didn’t attend any of the virtual conferences in 2020 or 2021. So part of me was expecting to come back to the first in-person experience and get some FRESH PERSPECTIVE. But Instead I heard a lot of the same things from year’s past; just fashioned in different ways.

The General Session opener and the 2 major threads discussed was the 2030 challenge….and the cloud. Now don’t get me wrong, we should absolutely be concerned about the climate crisis and what’s being done to stop it. I was actually looking forward to sitting down with some energy modeling application experts in the Expo hall, but to my surprise there really weren’t any in attendance. It seems like it was a missed opportunity.

And THE CLOUD! Yes, the cloud is ever changing! The improvements and connections are changing the way we are working, but still…..the information seemed too familiar. I do find it interesting that when we first started talking about the cloud, the image perceived was this nice little puffy cumulus cloud  that was inviting and pleasant.  It welcomed everyone to come see the invitation. I think now the imagery invoked would resemble something more like a thunderstorm: powerful, enormous, and disruptive.

 

Cloud Then.....

Cloud Now! 

So what can I take away from this experience? Surely from the dozens of hours participating in breakouts, general sessions, expo networking and individual meetings with thousands and thousands of professionals…there is something to learn here.

Well one take away is the assurance that WE ARE STILL MOVING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION. However slow it may seem, looking back over the last decade, you can still see major improvements and advancements in our field. We may be moving a bit slower than desired, or at least slower than in the booming past, but after recessions, pandemics and global crisis we are still progressing and we should continue as a company to find ways to advance and refine our technology processes.

FOCUS….it’s time to go back and game plan a way forward in your own organizations. Take a deep breath and focus on what changes can impact you the most without being swept away in the storm of technology. There is a lot out there and yes there are ways you can improve and make an impact in your own companies. More than ever we have to be disciplined in our approach and measure and weigh the many options presented to us.

Lastly KEEP TALKING. There is power in our collective voice and community when we get together. Being back in person and face to face was a great experience. We need to keep it up. We live in the most connected generation but even with technology connecting us, we cannot forget the essential human need in personal interaction.

Overall, I enjoyed the conference and connection with my peers. There are always takeaways from an experience like this, or your just not paying attention! So “What do you think of AU this year?” Did you get what you wanted out of it? For those of you that did not attend the conference in person you still don’t have to miss out completely…There is a ton of online recorded content that will be accessible soon so keep an eye out on https://www.autodesk.com/autodesk-university/ for updates on when it becomes available. I know there are some classes I still need to watch that I was not able to attend!