SolidWorks World 2012 – Let’s Hear From the Veterans

SolidWorks World is in its 14th year, and while we won’t mention their ages, some attendees have been coming to the big event for more than a decade! We sat down with three faithful customers to chat about their SolidWorks World veteran status and learn about what keeps them coming back for more.

First up, Nick Benner, engineering design administrator for RKI, has been attending SolidWorks World for 11 years and does so year after year to stay current on new offerings. Nick had some great advice for new attendees:

“Don’t spend time goofing off; it’s important to take full advantage of the event. Go to sessions, meet and greets, and get to know people. Don’t quit at the end of show day—there is so much to learn in the casual conversations after hours!”

We also spoke to Jim Webb, vice president and senior partner at Barry-Wehmiller International Resources, who explained why he keeps going back to SolidWorks World and gave us some insight into his favorite event over the years:

“I keep attending to learn about the new development and product enhancements that Solidworks brings each year. SolidWorks continues to provide cutting-edge solutions to the engineering community that solve real problems in design and manufacturing. It is always great to see the friends I have made over the years within SolidWorks and Dassault, as well as VARS and end-users.

“I believe there are many events that truly stand out, from the year that Apollo astronaut Jim Lovell spoke, to the year that co-founder of Apple, Steve Wozniak, spoke about the beginning days in 1971 working on the first Apple computers. The events have been awe inspiring.”

Last, but not least, we connected with Denny Bahl, engineering manager at Innovative Plastech, who has only missed two SolidWorks Worlds in the course of the event’s history. Denny filled us in on what he’s most looking forward to this year:

“I’m looking forward to attending some of the more advanced training sessions. I’m also excited to network and reconnect with friends that I’ve made over the years. SolidWorks World is a great venue to network with everyone in our profession, and you typically only get to see these people once a year.”

Denny also wants to remind new attendees to wear comfortable shoes.

Nick, Jim and Denny, thank you for taking the time to talk, and for your continued commitment to SolidWorks. We look forward to seeing you at SolidWorks World 2012!

Matthew West

SolidWorks alumnus. I like plate reverb, Rat pedals, Thai curry, New Weird fiction, my kids, Vespas, Jazzmasters, my wife & Raiders of the Lost Ark. Not necessarily in that order.