Thursday, September 22, 2005

Got a LUG?

As Woody said in the movie "Toy Story", "Got A LUG yet?" "GET ONE!!" We'll that is sort of what he said. LUG = Local User Group and there are quite a few throughout the country and even some in other countries. AUGI (Autodesk User Group International) has a dedicated program and staff supporting LUG's. They have a portion of the web site for just LUG information. If you haven't seen this, here's your chance. Here is a link to the LUG page and search page at AUGI. You can search by region and lug name. (To use these you do need to join AUGI, it is FREE!)

AUGI LUG PAGE
AUGI LUG SEARCH PAGE

There are too many to list here and succeed in keeping this brief so I'm going to focus a little attention on my corner of the USA, Southern California. I've only lived here for a little over a year and half so I'm still learning my way around. There are five LUG's that I am aware of within a couple hours drive of greater Los Angeles. They are:
  • LA Revit User Group
  • South Coast Revit User Group (SCRUG)
  • Revit User Group Inland Empire (RUGIE)
  • San Diego's Revit User Group (RUG)
  • Ventura Revit User Group

I call SCRUG my home but also attend RUGIE. I attend both whenever I'm home. I have every intention to visit the other three when my schedule permits, sooner than later I hope. While traveling I try to find a LUG to visit. I've been lucky enough to attend HRUG in Honolulu a couple times now. I've narrowly missed meetings in New York and San Francisco...rats! Wish me better luck next time!

Why join a local user group?
  • Networking
  • Meet other like minded enthusiasts
  • Learn new tricks
  • Pass along new tricks
  • Find out something you didn't know about yourself, like being good at speaking in front of groups or taking on something larger than yourself and making it happen or making something good, better. (Beatles...Hey Jude!)
  • Good Food and Drinks (no guarantees)
  • Autodesk software door prizes
  • Meet key Autodesk Revit staff and regional salespeople

You never know who you will meet and what you might learn by attending. Often it is something completely unexpected and something you probably wouldn't have had an opportunity to learn anywhere else. Seize the day!

No comments: