it’s never too early to start planning!

For some of us it feels as if SolidWorks WORLD 2009 just wrapped up while for others it seems like it has been done for a long time already.  Personally, I probably fall somewhere in the middle but closer to the side of “been done for a long time already.”  Because of this I have already started to think about SolidWorks WORLD 2010 which will be held in Anaheim, California from January 31, 2010 to February 3, 2010.

With all of the stuff that is happening with our economy right now it is hard to say if some of the companies that we work for will have the resources to send us to Anaheim come the end of January.  I am hoping that everything has started to turn around by then (crossing my fingers) but who knows what kind of financial strain the upcoming months will put on our employers.  This is why we, as SolidWorks users, need to start planning today and make sure that we are in sunny California for SolidWorks WORLD 2010.  There were some great stories that Jeff Ray talked about on the main stage of attendees at SolidWorks WORLD 2009 that ended up making it to Orlando despite some unforeseen circumstances.  These are the SolidWorks users that we need to take a hard look at and admire because they had a desire to be there and they made it happen.

Now if you are anything like me you like to plan ahead for large purchases or trips.  I don’t like to take large amounts of money and pay for something that I have known was coming up but didn’t plan for.  This is why you and I need start planning right now.  Here is how it breaks down.  According to my calculations SolidWorks WORLD 2010 is 300 days away which breaks down to about 43 weeks.

Here is where you will want to take a hard look at what kind of costs you will encounter if you will be responsible for getting to SolidWorks WORLD on your own dollar.  Here are a few key things that you will want to plan for.

1. Travel (airfare & taxi service once there)
2. Hotel (decide if you are going to want to stay cheap OR close to the event)
3. SolidWorks WORLD admission (click here to see the fees from SolidWorks WORLD 2009)
4. Personal (souvenirs, food & drinks, etc.)

In regards to #3 above you can get this eliminated for you by SolidWorks IF you are interested in giving a technical breakout training session at SolidWorks WORLD.  In order to do this you will need to submit an abstract to SolidWorks around August/September of this year and you will know if it gets accepted around September/October.  If this is something that interests you I urge you to get involved in a local user group and give some presentations there before you make the jump to giving one at SolidWorks WORLD.  In regards to #4 above keep in mind that breakfast and lunch are provided each day during the conference but anything that you do at night (after the SolidWorks sponsored events).

Now after reading all of this you might be asking yourself why is it important to attend this event.  Well I have come up with a short list of reasons why I make it a necessity to be there each year.  Here they are.

1. Over 150 breakout technical training sessions
2. Awesome networking opportunities
3. Sneak peak at SolidWorks 2011
4. Awesome & motivating General Session speakers (i.e. Richard Branson, the “Prototype This” guys, the “Orange County Chopper” guys, Steve “Woz” Wozniak, etc. etc. etc.)
5. And many, many more!

So in closing here is my advice to you.  Start planning for SolidWorks WORLD 2010 today!  Set aside $30-$40 each week until next January so that you have the money to attend even if your employer can’t send you.  It will be well worth your investment to attend so make plans to do so.  Please feel free to let me know if you need any other information about SolidWorks WORLD and why I think it is so important to be there. 

Happy Planning!

SolidWorks WORLD 2010 image courtesy of SolidSmack.com!