The DTMC (Design Technology Management Conference) from last year evolved into the new and larger Autodesk University Leadership Forum at this year's AU. 

A larger More Business focused and Manager's Conference at AU 2011 is high on my list for great expectations.
The AULF schedule leaves lots of time for the participants to chat things up. Based on the sign ups I've seen, the group of over 500 people should generate some very interesting topics and conversations.

Joseph Wurcher (AU's program head), Rich Uphus (the AULF  program head), Joseph Josepph and other key folks were kind enough to take some of my active input in the development of the AULF. Thanks!

I am blessed to have a closing Unconference session - Outliers on the Road to Extremistan to do on Monday and a FULL day before AU2011 even starts.

Here's my schedule for the AULF.
You'll note a my decided bias towards Cloud and Data centric sessions.
My comments to follow each session listing.

Sunday night Opening Session and Reception

Rich Uphus and Joseph Joseph openned the session and then let us all loose to chat it up. I managed to recruit a scribe for my Outliers session. Yippie.

8:30 AM -10:30 AM  Palazzo G 
AU Leadership Forum: General Session and Keynotes  

This was a great session with important Strategy development instruction, Key Technology trends, and  a round table discussion about these topics with technology leaders from major Autodesk customers from all over the world. I believe this session will be published on AU-online so watch, if you don't want to be a turkey :)

11:00 AM -12:00 PM Marcello 4502
From Concept to Review: How Autodesk® Web and Mobile Technologies Accelerate Your Design 

Way too salesy and canned a session for my taste but Autodesk Cloud apps are something you should pay attention to. Autodesk also annouced today full 3D model support for AutoCAD WS, but NOT in this session. Autodesk is certainly investing heavily in their Cloud.

1:00 PM - 2:00 PM  Zeno 4709
AEC Collaboration and Data Management Roundtable Discussion

This was a roundtable meeting with the head of the Autodesk BIM 360 group. The focus of the meeting was customer feedback about data exchange and management issue with the customers who were present. I guess you could say that the consensus was basically everyone was frustrated and winging it while they hope for a resolution to these big time issues.

2:30 PM - 3:30 PM Marcello 4504
Good to Great Technology Management

Robert Green did this lecture session based on Jim Collins business best seller, Good to Great. This is of course a must read book if you work anywhere doing almost anything. Robert performed a a great tie in for CAD and technology managers based on the case studies examined in the book. I unfortunately had to leave a bit early so I didn't hear if Robert tied in the Flywheel and the Circles into the end part of his talk, but he didn't miss anything else.

4:00 PM - 5:00 PM Zeno 4701
Outliers on the Road to Extremistan

My People Session at the AULF. My contention is that special people lead organizations to effectively change and adapt to the improbable future.

In the session we looked at WHO we are and how we might build a Map to a better and more productive future as technology and management leaders. The session was very participatory.  We divided up the 25 or so attendees into smaller teams. Then we ansered a slew of common questions in short 5 minute brain storming sessions with a summary from the discussion from each team. I think I spent another 45 minutes after the session talking with a number of the participants further about our common issues. Way Cool!

I wrapped up the day at the Blogger's social mostly with my fellow Civil 3D bloggers. Just about everyone who posts regularly sat down with us at one point or another. I'll bet you'll find my picture posted more than a few places as iPhones were blazing.

Good times, good company, and I be ready for bed.

Big day tomorrow with three sessions....ding round 2.

At this years AU 2011 Leadership Forum I'm hosting a session called

Outliers on the Road to Extremistan

"Does the “80/20 rule” actually apply to the context of human effort, results, and reward?
The basic math would mean that only 1% produce 50% of the results and receive 50% of the reward by aptly ignoring the most common of problems."

                        -The Author 

Hope you'll join us as we seek the improbable answers that Make More Possible! 

Here's what the session is about...

Are you one of these people? You learn and burn. You eat Change Management bars for breakfast and Fail Forward cups for lunch. Mindset Coffee is both enemy and friend. You see the need to seize technologies, shift the culture, and generate business—not just do business. They expect all that and pay you to do It—for now. Most days it feels like you drag them kicking and screaming along with you. You ask yourself, "Do the best just get better and do even more?" Join the People Technologist, Tench Tilghman, and fellow attendees for a special People Skills unconference session about us. Where we are as leaders today? What do we share and what do we battle in common? We will mutually explore and try to build a map to a more productive future in Extremistan. There will be a skeptic's homework and the post-humorous "Virtual Musical" won’t be shown unless time allows.

Key Learning

Develop a business leader's roadmap for the New Economy
Identify our shared management and leadership challenges
Identify key trends in the new economy that will affect our plans, structures, processes, and future action
Identify the management and leadership skills required to meet those challenges

I continue to get questions about the Autodesk University 2011 Leadership Forum.
You can now find out More about what this great participatory event.

What is the AU Leadership Forum?

When AU 2011 registration officially opens for all next week for all, there will be even More questions and less time to ACT.
Lucky me and you.

There is now an official Autodesk University 2011 website answer...Click Here

You must register for the AU 2011 Leadership Forum during the registration process. 

Sign-ups are on a first come first served basis so you must act QUICKLY. 

Here the link to THE SCHEDULE

Thank you all for the emails and the questions. I'm jazzed that "the folks" are excited and interested.

See You There

Are you one of the Outliers on the Road to Extremistan?

The post linked above also includes my personal Leadership Forum Reading list.
So Enjoy

More Possibilities