Guest post: There ain't no party like a bimstore party...

Olly from BIM.Technologies blogs for bimstore

If you follow bimstore on Twitter you will surely have heard all about the #bimstoreparty we held at #AU2015 last week. Today Olly Thomas from BIM.Technologies gives us a little insight into how it all went down...

After months of tireless planning, telephone calls and late night emails by Joanna, marketing coordinator for bimstore, the eagerly anticipated party finally took place on the evening of Wednesday 2nd December, the second day of Autodesk University 2015 in Las Vegas. Doors opened at 9pm with a steady stream of ‘Golden Ticket’ holders arriving at the Penthouse Real World Suite of the Hard Rock Hotel. Before taking advantage of the free bar, most people, taken aback by the sheer size and experience, explored the facilities of the impressive suite, including: 3 huge en-suite bedrooms, a hot tub room, pool table area, kitchen, bar, and bowling alley!Leading the arrivals was Ben Malone from BIM. Technologies, chaperoning a convoy of Limos packed full of some of the most upstanding members of the BIM community. The party featured a wide mix of people and personalities, covering all areas of the construction industry. We were even joined by an extended visit from the official photographer, Chris, who didn’t want to leave such a fun party after his work was done.

It didn't take long until the bar area was full, the drinks were flowing and the sounds of pins falling, people in full conversation and the music, ramped up to full on the sound system, filled the air. In hindsight the volume level perhaps was slightly too high, causing the music system to overheat leading to a period of frantic running around trying to fill the void. But this momentary lack of musical accompaniment didn't dampen spirits which, if anything, were raised when the Hard Rock Hotel staff agreed to keep the bar open longer as an apology!

We shouldn’t have worried though as bimstore Director Adam Ward was leading the repairs, using all the best tricks to diagnose and fix the problem which, I’m reliably informed, were taught by the Space Group IT Manager Andrew Parker - turn off and back on, Google it, hit it, look at it, etc. The evening’s momentary panic must have tired Adam out though as he ended up taking an extended timeout slightly earlier in the night than expected, although the rest of the Space Group attendees thought this was acceptable given his hard work ensuring we had music. Of course, prior to his nap, Adam, alongside Paul Broadfoot of Space Architects, led the commencement of 'operation hot tub' - without a doubt a real highlight of the evening.

Ready to jump back into the hot tub at a moment’s notice, robes were donned and a collective move was made to prop up the bar. It’s not every day that you’re stood at a bar, in Las Vegas, wearing a robe and glow stick glasses (for that intellectual look) discussing the intricacies of BIM - I’m not sure we ever will again!

Returning to more formal attire the party continued late into the night, with the Hard Rock Hotel barmen replaced by Spacers, with myself offering up drinks to the room; the hostess with the mostest! In the wee small hours of the morning, those who were still standing decided to continue the party elsewhere or headed off to bed, but not before a few festive numbers were belted out, led by Nick Craggs of Space Architects, a rendition of “Santa Claus is Coming to Town” brought the evening to a close.

We hope those who came enjoyed the first bimstore party as much as we did and we trust everyone will join us in thanking all those who made it possible and such a success, most of who weren’t lucky enough to be in Las Vegas to attend.

“But what about the rest of the night”, I hear you ask... As they say: What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas!

Big thanks to Olly for sharing his view of the event - though he’s not strictly correct... Not everything that happens in Vegas stays there – keep your eye on our Twitter feed as we will be sharing the official photos from both Autodesk University and the bimstore party very soon!