For 25 years, the brightest engineering minds have been brought together through the revolutionary development of 3DEXPERIENCE World (formerly known as SOLIDWORKS World).  This annual event unites an array of SOLIDWORKS and 3DEXPERIENCE users, SOLIDWORKS Partners/Resellers and employees from Dassault Systems all sharing one objective – to ignite inspiration.  As a reseller, CADimensions and the DiLaura family have been proudly represented for the past 25 years in this community.

Back in 1999 my father, Pete DiLaura, and a small group of other SOLIDWORKS resellers and customers gathered in Palm Springs for the first-ever SOLIDWORKS World.  This sparked a magical tradition of gathering each winter that has maintained its momentum for 2 ½ decades.  My first trip to SOLIDWORKS World occurred in 2009, this year marked my 15th anniversary which evoked a revelation to express why I find these events so meaningful.  With that said, here are the top 5 reasons I love attending 3DEXPERIENCE World…

#5 – Access To Sales And Leadership Training

As a young, inexperienced sales professional back in the late 2000’s I was eager to absorb all the training I could, and SOLIDWORKS World presented a unique opportunity to achieve this goal.  It gave me the chance to acquire an entire year’s worth of sales training within a mere 4 days.  In addition, as I advanced in my career into managerial and leadership positions, I continued to take advantage of the unbelievable professional growth initiatives available through this event.

If you haven't already. Click here to learn more about 3DEXPERIENCE World. 

#4 – Inspirational Speakers

Over the course of the past 15 years, I have been gifted the opportunity to listen to some of the most brilliant, knowledgeable, and empowering keynote speakers visiting SOLIDWORKS World.  I’ve seen James Cameron share the impact 3D technology had on Avatar, Richard Branson speak about entrepreneurship and his journey starting The Virgin Group, and Jim Lovell convey what it was like onboard Apollo 13.  Also, during my time I heard from individuals who inspired blockbuster movies like The Pursuit of Happiness, 127 Hours and NYAD.  I consider myself incredibly fortunate to have listened to these influential speakers share their success stories firsthand, and I can’t wait to see who will be attending next year!

Diana Nyad & Aron Ralston are pictured above. 

#3 – Sense Of Community

I have often joked that 4 days at SOLIDWORKS World feels like a month because of the non-stop interaction with like-minded people.  Every year I look forward to engaging with our loyal customers in entertaining settings.  I also cherish the uninterrupted time with my colleagues.  And above all, I love being immersed in a community that is so passionate and generous.  The SOLIDWORKS Reseller community is second to none, and it’s been the source of some of my best professional relationships.  Even though many of us compete with one another, we all have a strong desire to share knowledge and experiences because we know that “a rising tide lifts all boats” and that together we can advance the community even further.

#2 – Origins Of Our CADLIFE Culture

Back in 2012 my father and I attended a session at SOLIDWORKS World on company culture. Following the conclusion of that session, we found ourselves immersed in a deep discussion regarding the culture of CADimensions, unsure if we’ve effectively defined it.  This topic became the basis of nearly all of our conversations for weeks until we ultimately confined ourselves to a meeting room with the goal of defining our company culture.  We walked out of that room after agreeing that these 7 things truly created the culture of CADimensions: Customer, Attitude, Dedication, Loyalty, Integrity, Family & Employee.  When you add these all together you CADLIFE and from that day forward everybody at CADimensions has been Living the CADLIFE.

#1 – Family Time

I have been exceptionally lucky to play an instrumental role in our family business. Collaborating with my father for nearly 20 years and working alongside my brother for 10 has been such a privilege.  Now, I won’t get into the all the details of working with family (we’ll save this topic for another blog) but I will say, that some of my favorite memories of SOLIDWORKS World is sitting in the hotel room at the end of a long day with my dad and brother reflecting on what we’ve learned. Always providing each other with feedback and thinking strategically about how we can make CADimensions even better.

This past February, at the 3DEXPERIENCE World 2024 event in Dallas, our family was asked to share our company’s story.  Dassault Systems graciously requested we articulate our journey to the reseller community in a session hosted by John Kitchingman.  This was quite the honor, and after 25 years of admiring and learning from the speakers we witnessed, it was our turn to tell our story to the community that has given us so much.  Sharing the spotlight with my dad and brother is something I will never forget, and I am so thankful for John, Catherine Norman, and the team at Dassault Systems for giving us this remarkable moment.