Detroit Area Solid Edge User Group September 20th in Livonia

We’ve been talking about this for a while now, and we finally have a date. We were lucky enough to find users to volunteer to run the Cincinnati and Cleveland groups before we even started planning the events, but with Detroit, we are taking a leap of faith. To this point, we have not had a user step forward and ask to run this group. That’s good news for you, because now (if you live in the Detroit area), you could be the proud new leader of what I’m sure is going to be a vibrant group of Solid Edge users.

The meeting will happen on September 20, from noon to 3 pm at the Siemens facility at 38695 Seven Mile, Ste. 300, Livonia, MI 48152. They have a theatre style room with a big screen and a kitchen.

Let me describe what this is all about. Solid Edge user groups are run by users and exist for users. When you go to a meeting, you get technical information from technical people. This is not a sales and marketing event. Siemens may also provide some food, some giveaways, and other stuff like that. Meetings may be monthly, quarterly, or every other month, depending on the needs of the group. Also, I’ve timed this meeting in the middle of the day, but the group itself for subsequent meetings will determine what time of day they want to meet.

I’m responsible for getting these groups off the ground, and then handing them over to civilian leaders. Speakers might range from local reseller engineers to partners, to gifted users, to Siemens tech guys or even possibly Siemens executives. We have had Jeff Walker, Kevin Grayson and Wayne Mahan present at the last two meetings. I haven’t established lineup for Detroit yet, but – don’t tell anyone – but I’m trying to get Art Patrick out of his office if I can arrange it. (Art is the planner for assemblies, and I’ve found him to be an incredible resource on just about any Solid Edge topic you might think of – as well as a very informative and entertaining speaker).

As a leader of a group, you and your team (I find that having 3 people run a group is really best) will handle arranging for a place to meet, speakers, agenda, and food. Some groups do plant tours, some have little contests, some make users do small presentations, some contact me at Siemens to chase down a presenter, or call a partner provider like Mentor Graphics (simulation), Quadrispace (technical documentation), or a local 3D printer to do presentations on their process or products. Some group leaders can even do their own presentations. Doing presentations at a local group is a stepping stone to presenting at Solid Edge University. I have lots of ideas for running groups, and can help you out with all of that. 

So, if you are interested in either running or attending this group, please send an email to register to detroit@edgegroups.org, or contact me through the private message system or my Siemens email. If you know someone in the Detroit area who uses Solid Edge, be sure to tell them about this opportunity. The meeting is of course free, and all Solid Edge users, students, (or people interested in using the software) are welcome to attend. Make sure to make contact with one of the above methods, because we need to know how much food to bring