SDS2 Summit 2021 is officially in the books! The three-day event brought over 150 SDS2 users and employees to St. Pete Beach, Florida, to learn from each other, talk shop, and build connections.
The opening day included an engaging keynote address by the nearby Clearwater Marine Aquarium on the human impacts to marine wildlife and how we can help mitigate environmental harm.
SDS2 and ALLPLAN also took the stage to discuss product development plans for each company, as well as to address details on the recently announced merger.
Michelle McCarthy, who has been with SDS2 for over 15 years and was recently announced as the ALLPLAN regional manager for the Americas, assured the crowd that while many details are still being decided upon, SDS2’s mission to deliver reliable and innovative steel detailing software will not change.
“What this means is that you will not likely see immediate changes to SDS2 as a software,” McCarthy said. “Right now, we are evaluating resources and technology to see if and how we can leverage those for your benefit.”
She also emphasized the value of collaboration between our users and development team—a key tenet not only of SDS2 Summit, but also of SDS2’s daily operations and long-term development plans.
Throughout the conference we hosted over 30 sessions focused on detailing and fabrication efficiencies, with prominent guest speakers across the SDS2 user base and structural steel industry contributing their expertise and insights.
Roundtable discussions gave users and employees a chance to talk it out and share ideas for improvement and development in a variety of areas. They discussed SDS2 staples, including modeling, drawing editor, connection design, and our UI/UX, as well as more granular topics: interoperability with SDS2 partners, CNC, help documentation, and the SDS2 + Bluebeam workflow, among others.
And let’s not forget the fun. We were at the No. 1 beach in America, after all, and the scenery did not disappoint. Thursday night’s dinner reception took place on the beach and capped off with a celebration of this year’s Solid Steel Award winners.
It was, as Stephanie Haith, director of product development at SDS2 said, the perfect recipe for innovation and knowledge sharing. “There’s no better event for bringing together people who use, know, and support SDS2 and to build a rapport between the people behind the product and those in front of it.”
But don't worry—even if you weren't able to attend SDS2 Summit this year, we'll stay in touch with free webinars and other events throughout the year.
In the meantime, stay tuned for information on SDS2 Summit 2022!
SDS2 Summit was sponsored by ALLPLAN, AISC, Bluebeam, Controlled Automation, Lightning Rail, MAGNUS, the Nemetschek Group, Simpson Strong-Tie, RISA, Shuriken - Atlas Tube, and STRUMIS.