Last Friday I attended the second annual NESWUC event and came away with a new appreciation for the good folks that manage the SolidWorks User Groups in the Eastern US. Everything ran smoothly, the technical sessions were outstanding, there was great food, and a nice collection of SolidWorks Partners were there to share information with the 400+ people that showed up. Even the freak October snow shower didn't put a damper on the event. NESWUC is truly a team effort, and every member of the committee deserves high praise for its success. At the risk of leaving someone out, I would like to thank the following people for their efforts and for their hospitality:
Randy Lennox, Ed Poole, Tom Cote, John Matrishon, Rob Rodriguez, Bill Dalpe, Ed Gebo, Glen Lepage, Ryan Foss, and Cindy Berend.
Not surprisingly, there were many well-known members of the SolidWorks Community there too. Muggs Ferguson made the drive from the Philly area, and Randall Bock left the friendly confines of Happy Valley to make the 8 hour trek. And it wouldn't be a SolidWorks event without Mike McLaughlin, who I seem to see nearly everywhere I go.
I didn't get to spend a lot of time with the exhibitors, but it was great to see Matthew Cummins again. I sat in on Matthew's Tacton presentation over lunch, and it was 30 minutes well spent. Jay Jacobs from Rapid Sheet Metal was there, and I made sure to thank him for the support his company continues to provide to SolidWorks User Groups everywhere.
I attended some very good technical sessions, but the one that really stands out was Bruce Holway's session on Blocks and Layout Sketches. I sat next to Cindy Berend during the session and we both agreed it was one of the best ever.
By the end of the day, you could tell the NESWUC Committee was a little tired - understandably so. It's no easy task to put together such a large event, spend 14 or 15 hours on your feet, and make sure eveyone is getting everything they paid for. It wouldn't have surprised me to hear them talk about taking a year off or even retiring the event. But noooo....one of the last things they did after Tom Cote's "What's New in SolidWorks 2010" session was to announce the date for next year's NESWUC event.
I'll see you there everyone.
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