The SOLIDWORKS World 2019 Call for Presentations is LIVE: https://solidworksworld.lanyonevents.com/2019/portal/cfp/cfpLogin.ww 

Please note! We've changed a couple of things for 2019 submissions:

• For the first time, the Call for Presentations will close on Monday, October 1st, 2018. You will not be able to submit presentations after this date.
• In addition to the traditional breakout & hands-on options, there will be a 3rd presentation type available to you called Panel Discussion. To host a Panel Discussion, the panel must be sponsored by a Dassault Systemes employee who is expected to be present to moderate the discussion. You must note your desired employee representative in your submission form (I recommend gaining their commitment before submitting).
• Please be sure to get your presentation content ready a bit earlier this year!
• Please be sure to let your favorite presenters know about the submission deadline!

Thanks & good luck!

Rachel

If you’re on the fence about submitting, here are a couple of things I've learned on my presenter journey to help you get started:

You know more than you think you do. If you can script content for 50-60 minutes, you can surely teach the rest of us a few things. Don’t doubt your knowledge.

I chose to present for the first time about SOLIDWORKS certifications. At the time, I was an average user working toward my SOLIDWORKS Expert certification and compiling a list of resources and best practices. I thought at the very least I could talk for an hour and share those resources and techniques I had gathered from others, but I was also terrified that each and every person in the room was going to know more than me, already have those resources, and my very basic modeling fundamentals and editing techniques were going to be laughed off the stage. Here’s where it gets awesome. I WAS WRONG! I underestimated what I had learned about SOLIDWORKS certifications along my journey. I’ve been giving this presentation at SOLIDWORKS events for several years now, and always by request.

If you use SOLIDWORKS every day, you probably have at least one hour-long tangent you wouldn’t mind going on about.

While working SOLIDWORKS Tech Support, I regularly found myself teaching users how to compile a SOLIDWORKS RX, run Copy Settings Wizard, and otherwise perform basic maintenance on their setup. This turned into a presentation called “Everything you need to know about SOLIDWORKS, minus SOLIDWORKS”. Again, I was a bit worried that presenting at a SOLIDWORKS event and NOT opening SOLIDWORKS might get some funny looks, but thanks to an awesome opening night with a user group in Panama City Beach, it's turned into one of the most engaged presentations I give so far – filled with intelligent questions, best practice discussions, and usually, multiple requests for a copy of the presentation for future reference. Don’t underestimate your tangents and special use cases – we can all find value in them.

Presenters get in FREE!!! And they usually get a pretty sweet presenter gift. And an extra ribbon on their event badges.

Asking your boss to send you to a 3 day event can be pretty intimidating – less so when you’ve been selected to attend as an expert presenter in your use of SOLIDWORKS, and just need some help covering the travel costs.

Moral of my story? Try it out! You’ll surprise yourself. Submit a presentation and teach the rest of us what you’ve mastered! See you in Dallas!