August 29, 2010

AU 2010: So Many Wonderful Choices! How Do You Sort Them All Out?

We’re offering a lot of new things this year: new events, new types of classes, etc. and especially if you’re new to AU, no matter how great it is to have so much to choose from, it’s a lot to sort out. So hopefully I can help you out.

First, let’s talk about classes. Why are we offering so many different kinds and what’s the difference?

We know that attendees’ needs and requirements vary a lot, and just as an academic university offers lectures and labs to suit the kind of learning that students need to learn a subject, we think it’s important to do the same. As in years past, classes are organized by tracks, but you will also be able to search for them by class type.

AU Conference Classes

The AU conference has fives types of classes on-site at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas:

Lectures – These are formal presentations, like you remember from school or other conferences. There’s usually some time at the end for Q&A, and you don’t need to have a computer with you. These classes can be quite large—300+ attendees.

Hands-on Labs – These are just like they sound. Students pair up and use a computer provided by Autodesk University, and follow along to gain direct experience with the product or material. Lab assistants wander around helping to answer questions and point the way. These classes can have up to 90 attendees.

Panels – Two or more panelists sit down and discuss the topic, offering their viewpoints and insights. Up to 300 people can attend these classes and there’s usually some time for Q&A.

Unconference Sessions – These sessions are more informal that the first three. They are really a conversation between peers about a particular topic. First, the session leader introduces the topic and then the other attendees join in and share their experiences. These types of sessions really tap into the wisdom of the crowd to try to reach a common understanding about the topic being discussed.

Keynotes – These sessions, presented by industry leaders and visionaries, and Autodesk executives, address industry trends, as well as insights on the future of design.

AU Virtual Classes

The nomenclature here can be a bit confusing, so here’s the rundown. First, unlike the conference, AU Virtual is multilingual. Some classes are offered in Spanish and Portuguese, as well as English. And this year the AU Virtual environment will not only have virtual classes, but also virtual lounges, and a virtual exhibition! And AU conference attendees are automatically registered for AU Virtual, so they can attend these classes as well.

But I digress. AU Virtual has two class types:

Virtual Classes – These lectures are videotaped in a formal studio that we set up right at the AU conference or, in the case of some of the Spanish and Portuguese classes, in various locations in Latin America. To accommodate the various time zones of attendees, these classes are broadcast several times during the AU conference. Live Q&A is available throughout the broadcast via text messaging.

Product Clinics – These sessions are more casual than virtual classes. They’re more like spontaneous conversations that occur onsite in conference lounges or at an exhibit booth. They are designed to help attendees with practical problems that arise from using products in real-world situations. First a product expert introduces the topic and makes a short presentation, then takes questions from attendees via text messaging.

AU Extension Classes

What happens when you combine AU Virtual classes (not product clinics) with local experts to answer questions and sometimes locally-created classes too? You get an AU Extension event. These local events can save you money and travel time, plus you get the advantage of meeting with peers and local experts who really DO speak your language. :-)

‘Nuff Said

So now that you’ve got an idea about this year’s events and class types, take a look at this preliminary class catalog for AU 2010 Las Vegas and AU Virtual.

Conference Class Catalog (pdf - 1Mb)