We're giving the Sunday benediction April 14th at the COFES meeting in Scottsdale. COFES is the Congress on the Future of Engineering Software, now in its 14th year. This is a seminal conference, small with a themed focus each year. I've been a participant and keynoter in past events, and now a session organizer for the wrap-up day.
Since COFES is a bit clandestine, let me share some background from their website:
COFES was founded on the idea that one-on-one interaction and the building of community are the most valuable functions of an industry forum. COFES eschews the distractions of a trade show floor and the formality of executive presentations for a comfortable, causal atmosphere consisting of large and small group discussions with the most influential players and most innovative minds of the software world.
The three founders of COFES, Evan Yares, Dr. Joel Orr, and Brad Holtz, originally became friends through industry conferences. The idea for COFES was a desire to assemble the presidents of CAD firms in such a context, provoking a free exchange of ideas among people who have both the vision and the connections turn ideas into reality.
The result was the November 1999 Summit on the Future of Engineering Software, a first-of-its-kind meeting to which the founders assembled 64 decision-making industry leaders in CAD. "The first summit was unlike any event I'd ever experienced,” recalls Yares. “Here people who normally would be standing in front of the room giving speeches were instead relaxing and talking openly to one another about their visions and concerns for the future.”
In May 2000, the organizers held the follow-up event among palm trees and swimming pools in Scottsdale, Arizona. The Congress on the Future of Engineering Software, COFES 2000, invited 164 CAD industry leaders – this time including editors, analysts, and consultants. As with the Summit, the goal was to bring together people of influence and vision in the CAD industry for the opportunity to freely talk in a relaxed, open environment, a enjoyable retreat from the everyday pace of business.
“It’s remarkable what can happen without the circus-midway atmosphere typical of many conferences and trade shows,” says Yares. “At COFES, people who normally would be pitching their company’s products get the chance to relax, enjoy themselves, and walk away with great contacts and great ideas.”
What do I plan to do for COFES? Well, stay tuned
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