That’s a Wrap – Looking Back at IRONSWUG 2024, a Celebration of Unwavering Spirit

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As the dust settles and the engines cool, we reflect on another exhilarating journey of innovation, camaraderie, and sheer determination. IRONSWUG 2024 has just concluded, leaving in its wake a trail of inspiration and remarkable achievements. From gripping presentations to the relentless pursuit of excellence, this year’s event once again showcased the unwavering spirit of the SOLIDWORKS community.

Join us as we delve into the highlights of IRONSWUG 2024, where passion met precision, and challenges were conquered with sheer grit. Whether you’re a seasoned enthusiast or new to the world of design and engineering, there’s something here to ignite your imagination and fuel your creativity. So, buckle up and get ready to relive the excitement of IRONSWUG 2024.

Just in case you are not familiar with IRONSWUG, check out these blogs from 2022 and 2023. In short, SWUGN Group Leaders Adam Ebernickel and Brad Meador complete a week-long motorcycle journey, covering hundreds of miles. Each day, they visit a different SOLIDWORKS User Group and complete a unique SOLIDWORKS presentation. This means they each have to develop and practice five new presentations. These meetings are also live-streamed to Zoom, allowing anyone in the world to follow along and see all five unique presentations.

This series of events is meant to inject a lot of energy and excitement into the region, helping the local user groups connect with their members and providing them with top-notch content. Adam and Brad exude a contagious passion for teaching and design that captivates everyone around them. They sacrifice a lot to make this trip happen every year. They take time away from their families and busy work schedule to plan and execute this adventure. Brad even experienced some challenges with his own bike right before the trip. He had to borrow a bike last minute from a friend, which still needed a lot of work.

This year, they were also joined by Daniel Granillo, a learning experience expert on the DASSAULT SYSTEMES SOLIDWORKS Certification Program. He rode his bike along with Adam and Brad on this journey and delivered a presentation about SOLIDWORKS Certification at each stop.

Where did they go?

This year, they started in Nashville, Tennessee. They traveled to Kentucky, Indianapolis, and Wisconsin. You can visit IRONSWUG.com to see a detailed map of their trip as well as a list of every individual presentation.

Each stop featured a new SOLIDWORKS User Group and new presentations. The main event of the week was in Milwaukee, WI. Along with the local user group leaders from the Milwaukee and Chicago areas, Brad and Adam planned an event at the Harley Davidson Museum. This is where I caught up with them, and I can say that this event was a blast. They had a packed room in a huge facility. The event took place on a Thursday, and every Thursday in the summer is Bike Night at the Museum. As we wrapped up the event, we got to see live music and over 900 motorcycles.

The last stop in Acadia, WI, featured a presentation with the local user group leader, which happens to be the famous Betty Baker at Ashley Furniture. They rolled out the red carpet for Brad and Adam and helped them finish their week in style.

Thanks to our sponsors

Support from many awesome sponsors is what makes events like this possible. Many organizations stepped up to help us out. Big thanks to Altec for allowing these guys to make this journey and reach so many people. HP also supported this event with powerful hardware and financial support to help offset some of their costs. Many of our amazing resellers chipped into each individual meeting as well.

Where will they go next year?

This event has become a yearly cornerstone of the SOLIDWORKS User Group Network (SWUGN). Although Brad and Adam are not completely set on next year’s location, we have talked about taking this road trip to the West Coast next year. We have a lot of fantastic groups all over the California, Washington, Nevada and more. Stay tuned for more details. They have also inspired a series of User Group Meetings in Europe. Visit Euroswug.com for more details on that.

Dan Wagner

Dan Wagner

Dan is manager of the SOLIDWORKS User Group Network (SWUGN). he has spent over 12 years in the reseller channel providing technical support to SOLIDWORKS users, teaching SOLIDWORKS classes, and delivering marketing & sales presentations to new and experienced SOLIDWORKS users. He is a Certified SOLIDWORKS Expert and is thrilled to continue serving the SOLIDWORKS community for many years to come.