AU 2026 was built with small businesses in mind
Small businesses do some of the most ambitious work in design and make. Time is limited. Every investment must earn its place. And getting the right advice, learning a faster workflow, or meeting someone who has solved the problem you are facing can have an outsized impact.
That is why we made small businesses a bigger part of AU 2026. We created experiences specifically to help them learn, connect, get closer to Autodesk products and product leaders, and make their voices heard. From more than 100 recommended learning sessions to small business roundtables, a dedicated community meetup, product roundups, Ask Me Anything conversations, or the AU Expo experiences, there were opportunities throughout the week designed with small businesses in mind.
More than 100 learning opportunities for growing businesses
Finding the right sessions at an event as large as AU can be challenging, especially when you are running a business and every hour away from your work counts.
That’s why we created AU for Small Business, a dedicated learning path featuring more than 100 sessions, hands-on labs, and meetups. The goal was simple. Make it easier for small business owners and professionals to find practical learning they could take back to their businesses, whether they wanted to sharpen their skills, explore new technology, improve a workflow, or understand what is coming next.
And the experience was not limited to people who could make the trip to Las Vegas. You can explore the Small Business learning path through the free AU digital experience, with on-demand sessions selected for small teams, plus live-streamed keynotes you can watch from wherever you are, whenever it works for you.
Roundtables put customers in the conversation
One of the most important parts of our commitment to small businesses is listening. Throughout AU 2026, Small Business Roundtables created a more intimate setting for business owners and Autodesk industry leaders to have candid, two-way conversations. Rather than a presentation from a stage, these sessions were designed around dialogue. Participants could talk about what is working, where they are encountering friction, how their businesses and industries are changing, and what they need from Autodesk to be more successful.
Roundtables were held across three industries: Design & Manufacturing, Architecture, Engineering, Construction & Operations, and Media & Entertainment. These conversations are an important part of how we continue building our small business efforts alongside the people they are intended to serve.
The small business community came together
Small businesses may be small by headcount, but they are part of a much larger community. At the Small Business Community Meetup, the small business community came together for an hour dedicated to making those connections. The meetup brought together people running their own studios, entrepreneurs, members of growing teams, Autodesk leaders, and others from across the design and make community.
It was a chance to trade ideas and best practices, expand professional networks, meet people facing similar challenges, and continue the conversations happening throughout AU 2026. More importantly, it gave small business attendees a place to find one another.
Product roundups brought the latest technology closer to customers
AU 2026 also gave small businesses an opportunity to hear directly from Autodesk teams about the tools they use every day and where those products are heading.
The AutoCAD Product Roundup on Wednesday afternoon offered attendees a focused look at AutoCAD, bringing product information and insights together in a session designed to help customers understand the latest developments.
On Thursday, The Future of Product Design with Inventor Professional explored what is ahead for product design and how evolving technology can help designers and manufacturers tackle their work.
For a small product development or manufacturing team, understanding where tools and workflows are going can help inform how the business approaches its own future.
When ideas became real in the AU Expo
The small business experience extended beyond scheduled sessions and into the AU Expo. Throughout the Expo, attendees could explore Autodesk technology, meet experts, see customer work, ask questions, and discover new ideas. Among the activations was the TruckHouse exhibit, bringing a tangible example of design and making onto the show floor and connecting conversations about technology with the real-world work of small businesses.
The AutoCAD Ask Me Anything session offered another opportunity for direct conversation, giving attendees access to Autodesk experts and a place to bring their questions.
A week built around learning, connection, and listening
Taken individually, a roundtable, meetup, product session, AMA, or exhibit is one moment on a busy AU agenda. Together, they represent something bigger. Our work with small businesses is not simply about providing software. It is about making Autodesk easier to engage with, creating opportunities to build skills, connecting people with peers and experts, and giving small businesses more opportunities to tell us directly what they need.
Small business owners told us what is helping them move faster. They talked about what gets in their way. They shared how their businesses are changing and where they see opportunity. And Autodesk leaders had the opportunity to listen.
We have said that we want to build our small business experience alongside our customers. AU 2026 gave us another opportunity to put that commitment into practice.
The conference may be over, but those conversations are not.
To everyone from the small business community who learned with us, challenged us, shared an idea, asked a question, introduced yourself to another business owner, or told us what you need next—thank you. We are listening, and there is much more to come.
