All,
At the invitation of Richard Doyle, I attended the one-day training and networking "SWUGN Technical Summit" for San Jose, CA on Nov 14,
2007. I was thoroughly impressed with the diversity and quality of the event's presentations which covered topics ranging from training for Animator to discussions of concepts like Horizontal Design. There were so many presentations offered that two were held at a time, giving the attendees the opportunity to choose the topics that most interested them.Many of the presentations at our Technical Summit are similar to the Break-Out Sessions that will be offered at SolidWorks 2008 in January. There were a total of 10 training presentations in five sessions, not including the free breakfast and lunch with its own presentation. Which brings me to the best point: the Technical Summits are only $35! This event is literally worth more than tens times that amount. Similar events easily cost $400 or more, and don't include free breakfast and lunch. I can't say enough that these events are a great value, offering tremendous bang for the buck. They are also great networking opportunities since end users of all sorts come together, from industrial designers to shop owners. (As a side note, if the boss is unlikely to approve of your trip to a SolidWorks World conference, they may jump at the chance to approve your attendance to one of these local Technical Summits instead.)
For the rest of my review (including details about individual sessions) please go here:
Matt Lorono