AU Virtual: just like being there?

I’ve been to a number of Autodesk University events in Las Vegas, and can tell you that they are HUGE. Last year, around 10,000 people crammed into the convention center attached to the Palazzo and Venetian Hotels, attending the handful of keynotes, dozens of presentations and hundreds of classes. Analysts and the media also attend meetings, briefings and a press conference. It’s two to three days of watching, talking and listening to what the Autodesk customer base cares about. This year, Autodesk launched a AU Virtual for people who could not, for economic or other reasons, attend the physical event. Since I was just in Lake Oswego, Oregon with the Autodesk Manufacturing team, I decided to try AU Virtual this year — and it is impressive. It’s not like being there, but Autodesk doesn’t seem to have tried to duplicate the physical experience, and that’s why it works so well. Other virtual events have had faux lobbies, exhibit areas, chat rooms and lounges in addition to the main auditorium. All of these highlighted the fact that the attendees were sitting along; rather than making one feel a part of the event, they highlighted the artificiality of the device. AU Virtual took a completely different approach, going for clean and simple: a fairly large window overlays the browser (in my case, Firefox), with a Twitter feed strip on the right, and a presentation window and event listing on the left. The presentation window shows the live or recorded feed from the main stage, a class or an interview — but rather than just the slide or presenter, both are visible, making the experience far more interesting than a typical webinar. For CEO Carl Bass’s keynote, for example, Mr. Bass appeared in front of his images; during the Manufacturing keynote, VP Buzz Kross was in an inset next to the media being displayed. As always, Autodesk relied heavily on customer images to make its points, so the juxtaposition worked very well. The technology worked flawlessly for me. I did note from the Twitter feed that a few people had a less positive experience. Autodesk had a person monitoring the feed and suggesting real-time fixes, so I hope everyone eventually got to the content they were seeking. In no particular order, some random thoughts on the event:

• I believe AU virtual cost $99, was free for Autodesk subscribers and was bundled into the physical Autodesk badge pricing. A lot is available for that small sum: virtual access to keynotes, dozens of classes and other sessions, as well as their handouts. If you are at all interested, it may be worth signing up even now, for access to replays although I do not know how long the site will remain live. (See disclaimer below; Autodesk gave me a complimentary login.)
• Autodesk says that over 350 on-demand and 50 “live” classes are available for the top-priced category of registrant.
• Classes are nearly interactive. The teacher and the slides are both visible in the player window while questions and answers are visible in the scrolling window below.
• Finding specific classes is a bit cumbersome (the search mechanism doesn’t seem to work too well), but once you’ve signed up for a class (past, present or future), it appears in a My Schedule tab. From there, you can view the session (assuming it is or has happened) and download any handouts. It’s an easy and intuitive way to get at what you need.
• The handouts at AU are always useful and it’s great that these are available online. I’ve often shlepped home too much paper, and would rather rely on digital downloads if I could be assured of their availability after the event.
• The Cut & Paste Design Slam is always fun and it’s great that it was broadcast via AU Virtual. Watching CEO Carl Bass, and VPs Buzz Kross and Phil Bernstein in the “Modeling for Bond, James Bond” session was a hoot, although it definitely is not the kind of thing that is fully represented by webcast. One needs beer and snacks to fully appreciate the event. All three contestants clearly know their stuff, and did well. Buzz designed a bullet-proof, mechanized martini shaker in Inventor 2011, Phil designed a new home for Bond and his new wife Moneypenny, while Carl used “a secret mix of new Autodesk weaponry” to design a seashell-themed table for the house. All in good fun.
• An Elvis impersonator sang Autodesk’s typical “we’re going to show things that may never become products” disclaimer at the AU opening session. Autodesk clearly doesn’t take itself too seriously.

Was anything new demoed in the sessions? The company presented lots of cool, future-oriented stuff, but perhaps the most interesting announcement was that Autodesk Inventor Publisher is now available on Autodesk Labs. Inventor Publisher was previewed at the analyst day last month: designers can create exploded views and view sequences or generate full-motion animations without any prior animation experience. These documentation can then be published in SWF, AVI, DWF, PPT, PDF and other file types for publishing on the web or in other forms. One last comment: a number of tweeters mentioned that they had signed up for sessions that they had not actually attended, hoping to catch up at some point. That’s always the case with virtual events, especially if they are free or at low cost. But the sessions I attended were worth the time. Being virtual is definitely not the same as being there, but AU Virtual was well conceived and executed. If you attend for the classes and demonstrations, it’s a good way to go. I enjoy the conversations in the hallways and elevators and feeling the crowd’s sentiment during the sessions; if I can, I’ll probably attend in person next year. Note: Autodesk made it possible for me to attend Autodesk University Virtual at no cost.