SW World opinions

Hello Zander,

Well, I went independent after being laid off in October of 2003 and I couldn't afford to go to SWW 2004 in Boston because of the expense, but I went to SWW 2005 last year in Orlando. I would say that if you can afford it, I would definitely go. I found it well worth it, not only from the "what you can learn" aspect but from the networking with other SW users as well as meeting and talking with SW employees (read influencing the software).

One of the big thrills for me was actually meeting, face to face, the peeps that I talk to all the time on this NG and other venues. We really are nice people, just ask us!!!

Anyway, if it wont break the bank, GO!!! Also, keep an eye on this NG as to get togethers and sutch.

Muggs

I have been twice, and both times were great successes. The first year, the classes I attended were good, but I could have presented about half of what I sat through. Good, but I wanted more. So last year, I concentrated on attending "advanced" classes. I could have taught a bit, but by and large, I came back with lots of valuable info that has proven to be useful in using SW for the job.

Another purpose of the trip was to search for solutions for some of the issues we were having, such as how to better handle importing Catia car bodies, etc. The Partner Pavilion was a useful way to "browse" lots of solutions in a short time.

And last, but not least, was meeting people that I knew from here, but had never met. The User Group meeting was a good place to meet, and this year I will have to give a report on this region's groups.

So, for me, they have both been quite profitable, but I also have the wonderful opportunity of having a boss that feels the same way and is willing to foot the bill. Your mileage may vary.

WT

I was independent for 5 years. I went to SWW each year. Look at it this way. If you are smart enough to be independent then you are smart enough to absorb the information given in the seminars. In other words, you can look at it as advanced training for a fraction of what it would cost from a VAR. And the training there is from people who are likely much more qualified than a run of the mill AE at a VAR. I'm thinking of the Ed Eaton's, Phil Sluders and Greg Jankowskis that typically give seminars.

That's one good reason. Another is that you can sit down with VARS, independents and others who have been there and done that. Networking and shared experience. If you are independent, perspective is a good thing to have.

And you can benchmark yourself with the SW Challenge, possibly meet the higher ups from SW and certainly many other SW employees. You will be exposed to one of the biggest collections of SW centric software and services.

Yes, it is worth it.

If you get a CSWP you can get a discount. If you sh> Hi All,

I would recommend it. There is so much information, you will spend the next 6 months sorting through it. I haven't been since 2002, but I'm going this year. Actually, I'm presenting 3 sessions. There's such a wide range of topics that you can't help but pick up something useful. Seeing how other people do things is probably the biggest thing for me. It's not just SolidWorks knowledge you'll pick up, there is a ton of info on manufacturing, rapid prototype and reverse engineering processes, all of which are highly interesting to me.

It's hard to say how much money is "worth it", but if you compare the cost to a SolidWorks training class, the level of information you get at SWW is so much more in depth. Of course getting to meet all the folks you hear from here and from SW Corp can be very valuable as well. I always thought that the round table discussions that happen before the convention were some of the most valuable things to get involved with. Make sure to sign up for stuff early, cuz the interesting stuff definitely fills up fast.

Matt

On the other hand, the price has gone up $150 from last year and that is with a CSWP discount both times. Last year a CSWP and early bird was $445. On top of that travel and hotel cost me about $685 for Orlando. I did not stay in Coronado Springs.

Just some highlights:

Curvy Stuff V: The Wrath of Scotty. Part 1 & 2 --- This is a gotta see by Mr. Donut.

And Bob Hanson will be there showing how to automate drawings with the API. This guy is a must see.

Gopal Chenoy will be there on Smart Parts. Hear it from the horses mouth.

I am also independent ( to say the least). I have been to several SWW and I think it has been well worth it for me. In addition to all of the good reasons you have already heard from others, I have made some really good business contacts.

Boston was probably the leanest as far as session offerings went, but I met a guy there in my same industry who I ended up doing a lot of business with.

2004 was a really poor year for me, but I got enough work from this contact to keep my doors open until my regular customers snapped out their slump. I also met another new customer last year in Orlando.

That plus everything I learn at the sessions makes it well worth it.

jk

I'm not an independent, but I would give a rousing "me too!" to the responses you have gotten from Matt, John, Paul, Wayne and Muggs.

I've only made it to one, in 2000, which was not long after I started using SolidWorks. The amount I learned in the sessions was incredible. I don't suppose I would learn as much this year, but I've got to believe that Ed and Matt can teach me more than enough to pay off the trip. The only reason I'm still on the fence is that we will probably only send three of us and I think it might be better if people go who haven't had the experience before.

Jerry Steiger Tripod Data Systems "take the garbage out, dear"

Thanks for your comments everyone, I'm going to go! A few days out of the brutal cold (in jan) will be nice. But seriously it sounds like a great event. How many people would typically attend? thousands? hundreds? My only other yearly convention is the EAA which is attented by around 800,000 people but that's a bit different.

A practical question: Is there a cheaper hotel nearby or are the Ceasars rates typical? I have no idea what normal is there, last time I was in las vegas was 20 years ago.

Thanks again,

Zander

Costs:

I just priced this out for two or three people to fly into Vegas and stay at Caesar's Palace.

For 3 it was $3,000 and change. For two it was $2,500 and change. SW has a three for two sale right now. This includes registration, four nights (I go for Sunday through Wednesday) and airfare to Chicago.

If I was going on my own I would drive. Then it would cost me about $1,200.

Use Orbitz or Priceline to find a cheaper hotel. Last year I stayed in a hotel 5 minutes from the convention for $60/night. In Vegas you can probably get away with this without a car.

Zander wrote:

As I recall it was about 2000 in 2000. But that is a pretty vague memory.

It turns out I'm going, so one of the other guys was checking hotels. The Flamingo is quite a bit cheaper and I think it is just across the street. I'm sure that, as Paul said, you can find even cheaper rooms within walking distance. If you were driving anyway, you could probably find some incredibly cheap, but still perfectly good, rooms.

Jerry Steiger Tripod Data Systems "take the garbage out, dear"

Bally's and Paris are significantly cheaper and are within walking distance.

By choosing to do your cswp exam at the conference, you miss out on the sunday sessions as the exam claims to take all day long. It's an unknown trade off for me.

Zander

Anybody had any luck registering for Sunday Sessions?

Pual, I'm imagining you in the front row with a box of little powdered donuts, beaning me in the head one every time I say something you take issue with. The 'part 1' session ought to be fun because it will be about ID guys and Engineers working together and learning to respect why each does the seemingly weird things they do. But I wonder if I'm just going to piss off everybody?

Ed (I thought you were now Mr clove?)

good luck in your mission I find engineers typically have real trouble with id people because they are quite uncomfortable in themselves about things outside the linear, concrete and analytical. arty farty stuff is not really for them even if someone else does it....

I don't think that part of the site is up yet. I can't find any way to do it. In my registration confirmation there is a blurb in there about getting contacted to register for sessions after the agenda is set. Even though this doesn't necessarily apply to the Sunday sessions, I sure couldn't find any way to do it.

Glad to hear that one of the really smart people is confused about that too.

jk

Attendance has been about 2000-3000 people, but half of that is VAR,s vendors, and SWx employees.

Good move on going - I have found that it can take as little as one tip or insight to pay for the trip in increased productivity or modeling mojo. There are so many examples for me of great tips and insights that I picked up at Swx World; some even that didn't look all that useful when I saw them presented but came back to me a month or two later and saved the day. Look for that tip in odd places - I took an API class (that I still have never used) that introduced me to how SWx operates behind the scenes, and it forever changed how I model, making me faster and more capable of conquering the tough stuff.

I didn't have any luck registering for any sessions! I thought that I would fill out the list like last year when I registered for the conference, but not so!

Muggs