Autodesk University 2022 Highlights

Autodesk University 2022 was in New Orleans this year, and the annual event, billed as the “design and make conference for innovators” delivered opportunities to learn and connect for industry leaders from architecture, engineering, construction, design, manufacturing, as well as media and entertainment. 

But before getting to all the details, let’s start with the basics. 

What is Autodesk University 2022? 

Autodesk University is the largest annual event for Autodesk users, partners, and employees. With hundreds of sessions on architecture, construction, manufacturing, and design, it’s a chance to learn from experts while expanding and strengthening professional networks. 

The goal of Autodesk University is to create opportunities for learning, connecting, and discovering. There are over 450 classes led by industry professionals to learn and upgrade skills. Meetups, workshops, and receptions where you can connect with peers as well as industry leaders. And with a focus on practical applications of the Autodesk ecosystem solutions, attendees can discover new ways to use technology to improve everything from their workflows to their products. 

This year, the event ran from September 27 to September 29. 

What is Autodesk? 

Autodesk makes software and services for architecture, engineering, construction, manufacturing, media, education, and entertainment. For a long time, its flagship platform was AutoCAD, which many industries use for computer-aided design, allowing them to design, draft, and model buildings and other structures. However, Autodesk is known just as much for its other software solutions, including Autodesk Inventor, Fusion 360, and the entire Product Design Suite. The Revit line of solutions helps users with building information modeling (BIM), allowing them to virtually view a building during the planning, construction, and management phases. 

Where is Autodesk University this year? 

Autodesk is hosting their big annual conference in New Orleans at the Ernest N Morial Convention Center, located on the Mississippi River. 

It’s a change from previous years when Autodesk University was in Las Vegas. 

What else is there to do in New Orleans? 

From walking tours to boat rides, jumbo to jazz, New Orleans has a lot to offer those visiting for the big Autodesk event this year. 

New Orleans is the birthplace of jazz, and still boasts some of the best live music venues for that uniquely American genre. There’s The Jazz Playhouse and Fritzel’s European Jazz pub on the world-famous Bourbon Street. 

The city is just as famous for its food, including crawfish dishes and jambalaya. If you are for a bit of New Orleans dining history, there’s Cafe Sbisa, the oldest fine-dining establishment in the French Quarter. For Creole dishes, there’s Tableau in the same famous neighborhood. 

Who are the Autodesk University speakers? 

There are many keynote speakers this year, including Andrew Angnost from Autodesk and Meagan Williams from New Orleans Stormwater. 

Angnost starts his keynote with a look at where we are now, in a world packed with a critical combination of endless challenges and rising expectations. Customers want more, but it’s increasingly harder to deliver. Part of the solution is moving our data to the cloud, where it’s easier to collaborate. 

Williams spoke about the pressing need for the city of New Orleans to create resilient infrastructure in the face of climate change and the extreme weather it brings with it. Because of the size of the challenge, there needs to be a concerted, coordinated effort from city planners and engineers.  

What were some of the Autodesk University 2022 highlights? 

There were many great presentations and workshops, but a few stand out. 

Nick Stefanidakis, SVP, Strategic Alliances & Channel at Eptura™, presented Mind the Gap: The evolution of BIM to FM, where he talks about how facility management professionals can leverage data from the planning, design, construction, and commissioning phases for operations. 

He starts with three critical questions organizations need to ask themselves about their BIM data: 

• Who on our team is going to use it? 
• What data are we going to collect? 
• How will we validate and maintain it? 

From there, they can start to create processes and policies that help them leverage their existing BIM data. 

But is it worth it? 

Stefanidakis presented compelling case studies that show organizations can look forward to: 

• Stronger integration across systems 
• Better overall project management
• More reliable maintenance management 

Overtime, BIM to FM delivers an integrated maintenance calendar and preventive maintenance processes for all equipment, efficient ticketing and tracking for work orders through automated data capture and reporting, and a structured, trusted knowledge center accessible by everyone from anywhere. 

 Using BIM in FM ties everyone along the chain together more tightly, including management, safety, purchasing, maintenance, and facility personnel. 

What other companies are at Autodesk University in 2022? 

Autodesk has an entire ecosystem of connected platforms and solutions. 

AU 2022 sponsors include Epic Games, Lenovo, AWS, and Canon. 

iOffice + SpaceIQ was also a sponsor at Autodesk University 2022. The company recently announced a merger with Condeco and together they’re now Eptura™. 

What if you missed Autodesk University in 2022? 

It’s an annual event, so you can always sign up for the coming year. And many of the sessions are available online. 

Summary 

Autodesk University 2022, Autodesk’s annual showcase event with speakers, sessions, and socializing, was September 27 to September 29, in New Orleans. The annual event is a chance for professionals in architecture, engineering, construction, design, manufacturing, as well as media and entertainment to connect and learn more about the Autodesk ecosystem. Autodesk does many different software and services, but for a long time its flagship platform was AutoCAD. They’ve expanded and are also known for the Revit line of solutions, which are focused on helping people leverage BIM data. Among the keynote speakers were Andrew Angnost from Autodesk, who talked about how moving to the cloud can help teams overcome growing challenges and deliver on ever-increasing expectations. Nick Stefanidakis, SVP, Strategic Alliances & Channel at Eptura™, gave a presentation on how organizations can leverage BIM data during the operations phase. By taking the data they already have and finding new ways to use it, everyone can more tightly work together, from management to maintenance, safety to purchasing.