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Autodesk University 2004, held last week in Las Vegas, was a nice mix of the old and the new. Such time-honored traditions as the AUGI Beer Bash, held after the AUGI Annual Meeting, and the Top DAUG competition were among the events that AU attendees enjoy every year.

New to AU this year were a couple of events that may well join the ranks of those that AU attendees expect to see annually. First among these was the AUGI reception for International attendees, which was held Wednesday evening for those individuals who travel far to attend AU. It turns out that all attendees truly spanned the globe—all continents were represented.

Attendees were treated to refreshments and prizes. A special prize, an AUGI jacket, was awarded to the person who traveled farthest (from Perth, Australia) to attend.

The reception was held not only to recognize and welcome those individuals who reside outside the U.S. and Canada, but also to extend to them AUGI's offer to assist. A survey was conducted to help AUGI better understand the needs of user communities throughout the world. The results of the survey will help AUGI define future offerings to ensure that all of its members, wherever they reside, benefit from their AUGI affiliation.

Another new event this year was the AUGI Playpen Plus, the "Plus" being a series of introductory courses on a number of Autodesk products. Held in the AUGI Playpen, situated in the AU Exhibit Hall, the courses were: Autodesk Revit 7, Autodesk Civil 3D, Autodesk Vault, Autodesk Inventor 9, and Autodesk VIZ. Judging from the number of attendees at each session and the positive feedback from these AUGI members, these intro courses were a hit.

Interest in the Top DAUG competition continues. In fact, a record number of AU attendees queued up to take the test and vie for the title of Top DAUG 2005. David Harrington, long-time member and tireless AUGI volunteer, won this year's contest. See the related story in this issue of HotNews.

About 1,000 flocked to AUGI's Annual Meeting to relive some of the highlights from 2004, to meet and thank members of the AUGI Board of Directors, and to present to Autodesk the famous AUGI Wish List (aka "Enhancements and new features we would like to see in the next release!"). Autodesk's Lynn Allen and Carol Bartz were on hand, as were the entire AUGI Board of Directors, honored guests, and a few surprises offered up for entertainment.