CAD Society Launches Membership Drive at COFES

Substantial software discounts available to new members

Scottsdale, AZ April 10, 2008 -- The CAD Society, the industry association of CAD users, announced today its new campaign to boost membership, offering new members thousands of dollars in possible discounts on software, hardware, training, publications and events. The campaign kick-off begins at the COFES 2008 event held in Scottsdale, AZ, April 10th-13th.

“The response from software vendors and other services in support of us has been tremendous,” says new CAD Society President Michael McGrath. “This translates into very generous discounts to members.”

For the first time, members of the CAD Society benefit from an entire catalog of CAD-related products and hardware at greatly reduced prices. New members receive discounts on HP workstation and plotter hardware, as well as on a wide variety of software packages, including Solid Edge, Rhinoceros, VersaCAD, Innovate3D, and CADnection,
CAD Society members also find savings on online training from OpenCAD or I*Get*It, or publication subscriptions, like CADCAMNet.

The membership drive is just one of McGrath’s new initiatives to revitalize the twenty-year-old professional organization. A re-vamped Society website is due to launch this spring, with added amenities such as user forums, software tutorials and advice, member networking, and a CAD wiki.

“These web site improvements will not only foster more of a dialogue among members, it will also provide a wealth of resources for professionals who make their living using CAD-related technologies,” says McGrath.

The CAD Society has consistently appeared at The Congress of the Future of Engineering Software (COFES) meeting, where an awards dinner announces the Society’s three annual winners.

This year, the CAD Society’s Leadership award goes to Autodesk CEO, Carl Bass for his promotion of sustainable design; its Lifetime Achievement Award recognizes the career of Mike Riddle, programmer of early PC-based CAD applications; and Evan Yares receives the Joe Greco Community Award for CAD-user advocacy.

Annual fees for individual professionals is $40, while students showing proof of university ID can receive entry for only $20. Corporate fellowships start at $250. To join the CAD Society, simply sign up at www.cadsociety.org.

The CAD Society Contact:

Michael McGrath
President
The CAD Society
president@cadsociety.org

Press Contact:
Rachael Dalton-Taggart
Strategic Reach PR
(303) 487-7406
rachael@strategicreachpr.com

About The CAD Society

The CAD Society (www.cadsociety.org) is a not-for-profit industry association with the goal of fostering community and encouraging open communication among those who make their living within the CAD industry including AEC, mechanical, manufacturing, and GIS. The CAD Society is dedicated to creating an informative community and improving the tools its members employ in order to get their jobs done. This is achieved by providing an open forum of communication, which helps to illuminate the practices of industry vendors. It has been a leader in creating interoperability guidelines that encourage software vendors to develop applications that can openly share data.

About COFES

The ninth annual Congress on the Future of Engineering Software (COFES), meets at the Scottsdale Plaza Resort, Scottsdale, Ariz., April 10-13, 2008. COFES, a mainstay event of the engineering software industry, provides an intensive conference atmosphere where private and public discussions are held. Attendees are executives, end users, CAD and PLM vendors, analysts, and members of the press who work together to define the newest business issues of engineering technologies.

COFES is an invitation-only event. To find out more information and to request an invitation, please visit www.cofes.com.

This release was published on openPR.