COFES: Congress on Future of Engineering Software 2015 Begins

The 16th annual Congress on the Future of Engineering Software, officially kicks off today in Scottsdale, Arizona. The event, organized by Cyon Research Corporation and its many corporate sponsors, is widely recognized as the premier think-tank event in the CAD and related software industries. The three day informal event features, uniquely, thoughtful discussion centered around intimate briefings and roundtable discussions. In a nutshell, participants—who range from software industry executives, computer scientists, CAD industry experts, analysts and press (Architosh will be covering key announcements remotely)—explore the trends and technologies of engineering software that will drive future innovation.

“We’re excited about this year’s theme, Stepping Back to See the Big Picture. Stepping back to take a broader view is something most do, but only every now and then. COFES has been one of those points on the calendar dedicated to that broad-perspective thinking. But once a year is not enough,” explains Brad Holtz, Cyon Research president and CEO. “Because engineers and software professionals spend the majority of their time getting things done, tightly focused on execution of tasks and plans, their decisions are often made in the narrow context of what is directly in front of them. This year, we are challenging attendees to bring that broader view into their daily decisions. It’s about the bigger picture winning over expediency.”

COFES 2015 Highlights and COFES iOS App

David Brin, futurist, scientist, inventor and author, is the keynote speaker on Friday’s keynote. His keynote will take a look five years down the road. According to Brin, responsible companies and chief engineers must focus on the five year RIO (return on investment).

On Saturday, the keynote will be by Bo Burlingham, an editor at large for Inc. Magazine and a renowned commentator on the nature of business. In his keynote, Burlingham will be discussing key points from his latest book, “Finish Big: How Great Entrepreneurs Exit Their Companies on Top.”

This year’s COFES will also feature findings of a once-in-a-lifetime simulation summit:
The Analysis, Simulation, and Systems Engineering Software Summit (ASSESS), held at the Santa Fe Institute in January 2015. At that summit, seven key issues related to the future of simulation rose to the top, after a discussion that started with 104 issues brought to the table. These seven issues will be presented today, April 16 at COFES.

Also starting today is the seventh annual Design and Sustainability (DaS) Symposium, a unique gathering of leaders within the COFES community who represent diverse industry sectors with strategic interest in software. The goal of the DaS Symposium is to bring sustainability to the forefront of the conversation among software developers and to look for opportunities and issues that may be best served by the industry as a whole, rather than by individual players within the industry. Leaders of the DaS symposium hope to inspire, raise awareness, build relationships and seek sustainable synergies. The bulk of the DaS Symposium will take place on Thursday, April 16, from 8:30 AM to 3:00 PM PDT, followed by discussions as part of the general COFES program.

There is a free COFES Player iOS app which readers can get from the Apple App store. To read the full agenda for COFES this year visit this link.