Autodesk University Las Vegas - My recommendations

Autodesk University in Las Vegas is certainly the most inspiring Autodesk event - I've been lucky enough to attend several times and have always come back with lots of new ideas and interesting contacts.

I am particularly pleased that more and more visitors from Germany, Austria and Switzerland can be found there, so I would like to summarize a few personal recommendations in this blog post for all those interested. 

A small note in advance: many interesting lectures are often fully booked months in advance - go anyway and get in line, usually not all those registered show up, and shortly after the start of the lecture, the "spontaneous visitors" are also let in. The queues are often quite long - but the waiting time is worth it for good lectures. And now to my personal selection:

Revit in general

Virtual Reality

Dynamo / Generative Design

Forge / Cloud

Supporting program

 

Monday - November 18

If you are already there on Monday, you should definitely stop by one of the pre-conferences, which are at least as interesting as Autodesk University itself:

  • Connect & Construct Summit focuses on construction and offers many presentations on topics such as construction, construction supervision and production. It is also highly recommended for BIM 360 users or interested parties.
  • Forge DevCon is all about Forge, the Autodesk Cloud API - but it's not just of interest to developers, as many ready-made solutions are also presented here that make certain workflows much easier. Or did you know, for example, that you can also place luminaires in your Revit model in a browser?
  • Dynamo Workshops have been taking place for several years now and are definitely a great opportunity for all those interested in Dynamo and experts - unfortunately they are always booked out quite quickly, but I would still drop by if you're interested - there may still be places available.
Tuesday - November 19

 

  • AU 5K and Fun Run (6:00 - 7:00) is the best way to start the AU and has already become a tradition! It is organized by our colleague Shaan Hurley. You can usually drop by spontaneously - the start is at 6:00 am in front of the Venetian Hotel (no problem for us Europeans thanks to jet lag)
  • AU General Session (10:30 - 11:45) is the "keynote" and always very impressive - so you shouldn't miss it. It's a crazy feeling to sit in a hall with 10,000 other people and listen to the visionary presentations! It probably won't be as cool as my first AU in 2015, but who knows... ; )

AU 2015 with Lynn Allen and Storm Troopers!
  • AU Community Reception / Women at AU Reception (from 17:30) are a nice end to the first day at the AU and offer a wonderful opportunity for networking!
Wednesday - November 20

 

  • Architecture, Engineering & Construction Keynote (10:30 - 11:30) is also a must-attend event for anyone from the construction sector and no less impressive than the General Keynote
Thursday - November 21

 

  • The AU Block Party (from 7 pm) - The famous AU party takes place on the last day again this year - so you don't have to make sure you're in bed early! 😉 The party is in the LINQ Promenade with lots of different bars and the opportunity to ride the Ferris wheel.

By the way, this year, for once, I won't be there, for the first time since 2015 - it almost feels a bit strange, a November without Las Vegas! ; ) However, I do get to trade two talks at AU Middle East in Dubai in mid-December - so not such a bad swap. 

I wish everyone lots of fun and look forward to your impressions and make sure you take your scarf and chapstick with you wherever you go! ; )
And for all those who, like me, are staying at home, the good news is that most of the presentations are recorded on video and will be available a few weeks after the event on au.autodesk.com or you can already download the handouts for many of this year's lectures. 

What else you should definitely do in Vegas:

  • Visit Downtown
  • Go shopping at the North Outlet and enjoy a snack at the Cheesecake Factory
  • Eat a mac 'n cheese burger at Guy Fieri's

What to do in Vegas never never never should do:

  • Buy medication in the style of Wick MediNait, no matter how bad the cold is... also applies to melatonin against jet lag (otherwise it's best to quintuple the dose)... ^^

Finally, a few impressions from the last few years - be sure to take some time to explore the Venetian and Vegas - it's an unreal and extreme, yet impressive place!

Bellagio fountain photographed from the "Eiffel Tower"
The Strip photographed from the "Eiffel Tower"
Freemont Street (Downtown Las Vegas)
Autodesk parties are legendary - those who study hard must also celebrate!
Venetial is simply surreal...
... no matter how many times you've been here!
The Tower in the Venetian - this is where I had my room at the first AU and got lost on the very first evening. : )
The keynotes are well attended for a reason - they are always impressive

 

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