I came home from Autodesk University 2026 with the usual stuff. A backpack of swag, a pile of new LinkedIn connections, and a lab-confirmed case of Influenza A.
When we win big, we win big!
My wife joined me at AU again this year, and I made sure she got the full experience. Keynotes, the expo hall, the parties, and a matching flu for the trip home. Influenza A is the nastier branch of the flu family, and it earned its reputation in our house. It put us both down for almost seven days, and we both ended up on Tamiflu.
Turns out I had company
Once I could hold my phone up long enough to scroll LinkedIn, I found out I wasn’t special. Several AU folks posted that they brought something home too. A cough, a cold, COVID, Influenza B. Pick your strain.
This isn’t a one-year thing either. My CIO came back from AU last year with COVID. So that’s two years in a row someone close to me paid the conference tax with a week of their life.
I love AU. It’s also thousands of us flying in from everywhere, running on no sleep, shaking every hand in sight, and sitting shoulder to shoulder for days. The germs don’t need a session pass.
My proposal for AU 2027: the AU Suit
I had a lot of couch time to think about this. AU 2027 needs a dress code.
One inflatable bubble per attendee, AU logo on the front, badge clipped to the outside. You bump into someone you know and the badge scan happens on contact. Whatever you brought to Vegas stays in your bubble. Keynote seating finally becomes a real bubble-packing problem, which is more than I can say for half the optimization demos I’ve sat through. Add a snack port sized for exactly one mini sandwich and we’re done.
Practical? No. Would I wear one to skip another week of fever? I’m not saying no.
The real plan
I’m not giving up AU, and I’m not giving up the hallway conversations with people I’ve known for decades. That’s the whole point of going.
But next year I’m wearing a mask on the flights, actually using the sanitizer in my bag, going to bed at a reasonable hour at least one night, and getting my flu shot early.
If you came home with your own parting gift, rest up. Don’t rush back to the office to prove something.
Next year is my 35th AU. Nothing keeps me away. Not COVID, not the flu. See you in Vegas, but don’t cough on me or shake my hand, you nerdy petri dishes from around the globe. I’ll be the one in the bubble.
Cheers,
Shaan
