Despite having just landed in the UK from the US, Kishore Boyalakuntla – Senior Director, Product Portfolio Management and Brand User Experience Leader – and Suchit Jain – Vice President, Strategy and Community – from SOLIDWORKS came to DriveWorks HQ yesterday.
Suchit and Kishore have both worked with SOLIDWORKS for over 20 years and have known Glen and Maria since DriveWorks began back in 2001. They have always been very supportive of DriveWorks and have championed design automation and it’s benefits for as long as we can remember.
Yesterday was a great opportunity for Glen and Maria to catch up with them and show them all of the fantastic new features in DriveWorks 14 – to be released soon, keep an eye on our blog!
Suchit & Kishore had a tour of the offices to meet the team and then we all gathered in the Barley Store to hear a few words from them.
They talked to us about the SOLIDWORKS Community, the sense of family within it and also the positive impression that everyone in the community has of DriveWorks.
They told our team that we should be proud of the team (and office!) we work in and of the software that we produce, as well as the benefits that the software brings to the SOLIDWORKS Community.
It was great to see Suchit & Kishore and hear about the brilliant things that Dassault Systèmes and SOLIDWORKS are doing to invest in the future of engineering.
We’re really excited about what’s to come and we are proud to be a part of the SOLIDWORKS Community.
Thanks for visiting us guys!
We had a really great time in Cheshire and want to say a big thank you to all of our Resellers, Partners and Customers who attended, supported us and made the event such a great success!
For the first time this year the event was split into two tracks, both of which received great feedback from our attendees.
We also invited our guests to DriveWorks HQ for beer and pizza and transported them there in style – on a big red bus! The atmosphere in the office was amazing and it was great to see everyone network with each other.
As we’re celebrating 15 years, we also presented some special 15th anniversary crystal awards during our dinner and awards ceremony. Congratulations to everyone who scooped an award!
We are already using the feedback we have received to plan for DriveWorks World 2017 in the USA – we hope to see you all there!
“Food was great, awards are both great and funny, Glen can actually be funny after a few drinks 😉 people shouldn’t be so harsh on his jokes!! it was great to speak with people in my table. just awesome.”Â
“Our instructor Chris had done amazing job, precisely leading track one from blank to become basically understanding DriveWorks within two days! Also thanks to the other engineers in the class, they are very supportive.”
“I’ve been to every DriveWorks World since the beginning of time itself. This was by far the best event. Having two tracks was fantastic.”
“DriveWorks is an amazing company with a team of incredible young (and a few old) talent. I wish I could package how you have assembled and continue to build your team. I am in awe.”
“I would like to personally thank you for an outstanding week at DriveWorks World 2016. I’ve been to many technical conferences in my tenure, but none of them match the technical sessions that DriveWorks produced.”
“I was incredibly impressed that DriveWorks was willing to reward those willing to spend their time, money and effort to make it to the conference with an Early Visibility version of the software. Not only does it give us an opportunity to try to beat up the software, but also to create buzz, and give us a feeling that we’re special and a vital part of the community that you could feel at the conference.”
“What wasn’t to like? Free alcohol is always a bonus!”
“I thought that the dinner was great. The food all week was really good. The material was perfect for what our company wants to do so I am extremely glad that I was able to attend.”
“It was well organised and a big thumbs up for you and your team for your professionalism and also the personal touch you kept during these busy days for you.”
“Phenomenal product.
Phenomenal team.
Phenomenal event.
While our time there was brief, I was blown away by the entire experience.
It is a privilege to be teamed up with an organization such as the one you have built there.”
A few weeks ago we were joined by Michael Engelhardt, who is currently completing a 6 month summer placement with the DriveWorks Tech Team.
Michael is from Germany and is currently studying at KIT university in Karlsruhe. He was excited to join our team as he wanted to strengthen his skills in both using new software and improving his English.
Today a special parcel arrived which caused a stir in the office….a German keyboard!
We were all very excited to check out Michaels new gadget and he explained what some of the differences are and told us how to pronounce certain things.
Welcome to the team, Michael!
The 2015/16 DriveWorks CPD Project has now ended and our winners were given their prizes at DriveWorks World 2016.
A huge 6095 credits were registered over the past 12 months with a total of 26 prizes won by Resellers and Partners around the world!
Let’s take a look at who grabbed the top spots on the leader board…
Francisco Guzman – GoEngineer
As he grabbed the top spot, Francisco won his place at DriveWorks World 2016! He was also given a special crystal award during our awards ceremony in recognition of his dedication to DriveWorks.
Rob Kite – Solid Solutions Management
Rob Kite was second on the leader board and was awarded a Sonos speaker! Congratulations Rob!
Christophe Demunyck – Visiativ
Christophe Demunyck finished in 3rd place and was awarded with a Kindle. Congratulations Christophe!
The DriveWorks CPD Project is currently disabled as it’s in the process of being updated ready for the 2016/17 CPD Project to start on 1st April!
Look out for updates on our blog and get involved!
Heather is already familiar with our company and our products from her previous role at DS SolidWorks. Heather worked in the SOLIDWORKS Partner Team for 8 years and is well known and respected in the SOLIDWORKS eco-community.
We are delighted that she will be working with us from our Boston base and know that she brings a wealth of knowledge and experience.
Heather’s first week as a member of the DriveWorks team was spent in the UK, at DriveWorks World 2016.
During the week Heather got to meet the rest of the DriveWorks team and complete the DriveWorks Pro training.
She also got to take part in our very traditional British Friday afternoon tradition – eating fish & chips – and was initiated at the DriveWorks World Awards Dinner with a DriveWorks logo shot. Heather also enjoyed a trip to Chester with Maria before flying back to America on Sunday.
Heather Hasz lives in Ayer, Massachusetts with her husband Earl, daughter Abbey and two stepchildren Anne and Ethan (plus 2 dogs and 1 cat!).
Heather comes to us after working the last eight years with the SOLIDWORKS Partner Program. She has a strong background in program management and is looking forward to working with and getting to know both DriveWorks customers as well as resellers.
Heather is currently working on the completion of her marketing degree at Southern New Hampshire University and serves as an elected official in her local government. In her spare time, she enjoys cooking, travel, music and running.
Last week DriveWorks World 2016 took place at The Park Royal hotel in Stretton, Cheshire.
Track one was very popular and every single space was filled with a mix of both DriveWorks customers and resellers.
After two days of training with our Pre-Sales Engineer, Chris, the attendees sat their certification on Wednesday and we’re pleased to announce that we now have 15 new Certified DriveWorks Professionals!
Thank you for your hard work and congratulations!
James Schweiger
Woodcock & Wilson
Ahmad Atiyeh
Camfil
Lee Sunderland
Icon Office Design
James Summerbee
Teconnex
Cindy Liu
Blue Giant Equipment Corporation
Edwin de Groot
Metalura
Renate Venderbos
Metalura
Igor Markovic
Fenestar
Niels Eskelund
TRESU Group
Paul Barrois
Barrois Engineering &Â Automatisering
Simon Grant
Furmanite International
Martin Smith
Solid Applications Ltd
Colin Evans
Solid Applications Ltd
Mike Loftus
NT CADCAM
William Morton
NT CADCAM
After months of preparation and planning DriveWorks World 2016 kicked off yesterday at The Park Royal Hotel in Stretton.
It’s great to be joined by so many of our customers and resellers who are all embracing the opportunity to network with each other and discuss how they use DriveWorks.
Maria and Glen also received a gift from Jeroen van der Burg and Geert Hendrikx, from DriveWorks Reseller Design Solutions. They very kindly brought a book discussing how the Dutch are different. It was a great talking point and will be a great addition to the DriveWorks library.
After a day of training some of our delegates travelled into a local village, Stockton Heath, with Chris and Matt from the DriveWorks Team to wind down with a curry before returning to the hotel to relax in the bar.
What a great start to the week!
In less than a week we’ll be kicking off DriveWorks World with the first day of training!
The Park Royal hotel is really easy to get to, but we wanted to make sure you have all of the information you need to join us at DriveWorks World.
The Park Royal Hotel
Stretton Road
Warrington
Cheshire
WA4 4NS
Manchester International Airport and Liverpool John Lennon Airport are only a 20 / 25 minute taxi ride from the venue.
If you are travelling by train, the closest stations are Warrington Central and Warrington Bank Quay which are both around 3 miles away from the hotel. Routes served are North/South, East/West and Manchester Airport. You can check times and fares here.
If you’re driving to the hotel, it’s just off Junction 10 of the M56, which is easily accessible from the M6. You can find directions from your address here.
Why not connect with other attendees and share your travel plans? You could arrange to share a taxi which would reduce the cost.
Let us know your travel plans and we’ll try to connect you!
Maria Sarkar, VP of DriveWorks, will be available at the hotel on Sunday 6th March. If you need anything at all, please get in touch!
Mobile:
UK number – 07818043495 (+44 781 804 3495 from non UK mobiles)
US number – 987 633 3303
