The 2023 Additive Manufacturing Users Group (AMUG) Conference is nearly here. Speakers from LAIKA to Launcher and everything in between are expected to impart their AM and 3D printing wisdom on attendees, who in turn will have their own nuggets of AM experience and life hacks to share over coffee breaks and post-conference beers.
It's an event like no other and while this will be my fifth AMUG conference, it will be my first time back since 2019, so I thought I'd provide a bit of a refresher for myself, and for any first-time attendees, on what to expect from an AMUG experience, and how to make the most out of it.
The team will be there from 19-23 March so be sure to follow us here (and over on Twitter and LinkedIn) for the latest.
Embrace the bowl
I’m British so there’s little scarier to me than having to raise my hand in a packed room or being the first to strike up conversation on a table of strangers. If there was ever a place to shake off these fears, it’s the AMUG networking lunches where you’ll pull a table number out of a bowl and share a meal with a group of people you likely don’t know. In the past, I’ve been seated next to medical professionals, engineers at some of the biggest AM super users, and one time, a Canadian guy who, turns out, once lived just 20 minutes down the road from my house in Chester, UK. I've found contacts at many of these chance meetings and regularly sought their expertise for this very magazine. Sure, it's nerve-racking at first, but my advice is to get stuck in and introduce yourself to every person on that table.
Be prepared
The off-site event on night three is always a highlight. You never know where you’re going to end up but given I’ve found myself on a Batman rollercoaster at Six Flags and in the passenger seat of a NASCAR race car over the years, I’d advise being prepared for all possibilities. So, bring a jacket, comfy shoes, and potentially a waiver form.
Plan, but plan to be flexible
If you've never attended the AMUG Conference before, I suggest you stop reading this article right now, open your chosen podcast app and listen to our interview with AMUG President Mark Abshire. Mark has some great insights for first-time attendees on what makes the conference a must-attend. When you're done, take a look at the AMUG agenda. You'll see each day is split into main stage presentations and vendor-led tracks. I personally can't wait to hear from 3D Systems' Diana Kalisz in the Innovators Showcase. If you're using or keen to learn more about a particular technology, that's likely the track you'll want to spend your time in but I'd also advise picking a few that are out of your comfort zone to broaden your horizons, and setting some time aside for roaming the expo and Technical Challenge entries - you're guaranteed to see some cool stuff.
Take notes. And business cards.
My Notes app is my friend after a conference. Largely nonsensical to the untrained eye but filled with thought-provoking quotes and observations picked up in panels, and names that I must look up when I get home. It's a bit of a blur so grab your phone or a pen and take plenty of notes for when that spark of inspiration occurs. And take business cards too; that engineer you heard talking about a smart workaround the post-processing of a tricky metal part might just be your new best friend next time you're in a bind.
Share and share alike
It's not just the meticulously chosen, free-flowing beverages that keep attendees returning to AMUG year after year (though you will find me making the most of the coffee station and nearby snacks), it's the information exchange. You'll get plenty of takeaways from planned sessions but the real nuggets are usually found in those after hours conversations where colleagues, and competitors, discuss problems and best practices over a drink. Be prepared to listen but also to share your own learnings. You'll find a great example of this on the Main Stage where Robert Ducey of LAIKA Studios and Nicholas Jacobson of the University of Colorado’s Anschutz Medical Campus will share how a meeting at the 2019 Conference began an unlikely collaboration that Jordan Weston, AMUG director, Education & Conference, said “illustrates what the AMUG Conference is all about.”
This article originally appeared in TCT Magazine North American Edition Vol 9 Issue 2. Read and subscribe for free.
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