A year ago, I wrote a Spotlight article about our LUG, the Richmond AutoCAD Manifest (RAM). I had attended the LUG President’s Breakfast at Autodesk University and was inspired to see what we could do with our LUG. We had reached a low in attendance and enthusiasm. Our president had passed away suddenly mid-year. We only had six to ten people attending the meetings and the meetings had devolved into finding outside people to demonstrate product. In short, RAM was on life support. In 2005, at our annual end-of-the-year dinner for members (the LUG picks up the meal), only 10 people attended. At the dinner we routinely elect officers for the next year. This time, however, the discussion revolved more about whether or not RAM should continue.

We determined that there was value in the LUG, but it needed new people, new energy, and a new direction. We divvied up the offices. I drew the short straw and was chosen to be chairman (I had also been chairman twice before). Three of the people had never been officers before, but all were committed to giving a strong effort this year and see what happens. In the past, it was the chairman who wound up doing 90 percent of the work. We needed a team effort to revive the group.

The officers got together and we developed a plan for the year. The goal was to double membership and monthly meeting attendance of the group and to make it both fun and informative. Below is a list of the changes and actions we enacted in 2005.

• A Board of Officers was established that met once a month outside of the regular meeting and guided the direction of the group.
• The meeting time was changed from 6:30 pm to 5:30 pm so people could come directly from work.
• We decided to provide food at every meeting (pizza, subs, chicken, etc.) so people would not be hungry during the meeting.
• Meetings would be centered on issues common to all members such as CADD Management, tips and tricks, training, working with images in AutoCAD, and so on.
• More presentations would be done by members, not outside vendors.
• More discussions and less demonstration.
• The Board of Officers drew up bylaws for the group.
• We held a meeting every month, without fail.
• Lynn Allen came for a special presentation, which garnered about 80 attendees.
• We made a mass mailing advertising the group to all AEC firms in the central Virginia area.
• Sponsorship levels of membership were established to increase operating capital.
• Organizations such as AUGI and Cadopolis were contacted to provide giveaways for meetings.
• The website was revamped. Visit us at www.ramlug.org

It was a lot of work, but each of the officers took part of the burden. Over the year some of the officers had to deal with deployment overseas, family tragedy, lay-offs, last-minute business trips, and heavy workloads with tight deadlines. We all communicated, pitched in, and helped make the year a success. Having a great team of officers has been the biggest single plus for our LUG this year. I would like to take this opportunity to publicly thank them for their hard work.

All that work did not go to waste. We now have corporate and individual memberships that total 55 members. Best of all, the meetings have become a gathering place for the exchange of information and professional camaraderie. We are now averaging 20 attendees per meeting. Our LUG has gathered momentum over the last six months and new people are attending every month. For our January 2005 meeting, I bought three pizzas and there were leftovers. For the October 2005 meeting, I bought six pizzas and there was none left. If the food is any indication, there is an ever-increasing appetite for knowledge in our LUG. This year we will be celebrating our banner year at the year-end dinner, where we expect 25 attendees. We are really looking forward to an exciting 2006!

Submitted by John Morgan, Chairman, Richmond AutoCAD Manifest (RAM), established in 1990 from Richmond, Virginia.