A Survivors Guide to AU 2017

Whether it’s your first time or your seventh, if you want to survive the week, then follow these simple steps.

Start Your Morning Right

Mornings at AU are either your favorite time or worst time at AU, but regardless, it’s important you start them off right. I don’t care who you are, everyone loves free food, so be sure to stop by first coffee and morning bites. You can casually grab a bite while making connections with other attendees. Don’t worry, if you’re not a morning person and socialization scares you, you can do that too! There’s a place for every engineer here to get their morning going with a nice buffet.

If you don’t make it to First Coffee and Morning Bites because you were out too late the night before enjoying Vegas, there are still ways you can get up and ready to go. If you fancy coffee, there’s a Starbucks right before you enter the convention center and other coffee shops throughout the Palazzo and Venetian. If you’re on a budget, Tuesday through Thursday there will be drinks and snacks throughout the hallways where classes are held to give you a little extra boost when you need it.

No matter how you do it, starting off your day right is essential to enjoying your days at AU.

Dress Right

From fine suits to casual tees, you’ll see it all at AU. Underneath our badges, we’re just normal people looking to learn a thing or two here at AU. There’s no dress code, but you may want to dress respectably if you plan on making connections here at Autodesk University. That crop top you wear to casual Fridays at the office probably won’t cut it.

Don’t feel the need to get too fancy though unless you think you absolutely have to. Being comfortable during AU is huge when it comes to enjoying it. The last thing you want is sweat stains on your dress shirt when you make a valuable business connection. Dress right, but be comfortable. No one is going to say anything if you follow the engineering dress code: a polo and jeans.

Relax

At AU, you’re going to feel like a small fish in a large ocean. That’s okay! You don’t need to meet everyone or make it to every event. As I’ve previously claimed, AU is “heaven for engineers,” and that can be a lot to take in. Between the large crowds, the newest and coolest technology, and all the walking, even the most energetic engineer can get stressed out. Take a step back, play some cornhole in the hub and grab a donut from the snack tables. If you’re lucky enough, you could even grab a seat in the massive massage chairs off in the back corner of the hub for some extra relaxation.

What You Don’t Want to Miss

If you signed up for a ton of classes that you are now realizing conflict with other events you really wanted to go to, don’t fret. Not that we’d advise skipping class, but if you think you’re missing out on something better, you won’t get detention for cutting class.

You likely don’t want to miss the opening keynote if you’re one for a party. Take advantage of all the free food at AU, it’s not often that you get delicious buffets every day of the week. If you want to cap your night off with more AU after spending the day in classes, then there’s plenty of things to do. On Tuesday, you will want to catch the community reception in the Exhibit Hall, on Wednesday, you’ll want to make it to the famous Autodesk Block Party, and on Thursday there’s the most famous event of all, the Farewell Happy Hour. There’s plenty of time to mix business and fun here at AU, and enjoying your time is the most important thing. Just don’t stay out too late because you have to wake up the next day and do it all over again!

What do you make sure to do to survive Autodesk University? Let us know in the comments!