![](https://i0.wp.com/blog.freecad.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/FCNA24.webp?resize=1024%2C768&ssl=1)
In case you don’t read the forum, I’d like to announce FreeCAD’s 2024 North American Meetup!
In Springfield, Illinois, on August 15th — 18th, we will be hosted by Innovate Springfield, just south of the Old State Capitol downtown (pictured above.)
For FreeCAD users, developers, and anyone interested: all are welcome.
Before I get into the details, if you’re planning on coming, please help us estimate attendance by filling out this form.
The first and last days of the meetup will be free-form hackathon events, allowing for those who have to arrive late or return early, and to provide space for coming and going to take part in local food and tourism options.
On Friday, August 16th, in addition to ongoing “hacking on the side” in other parts of the building, we will schedule some lightning talks and short & medium presentations, i.e. timeslots of no more than 5/25/50 minutes. If you have FreeCAD-related knowledge you’d like to share, some niche but interesting work to showcase, or even a bold plan you want to argue for, please reach out! Proposals can be sent to spi24@freecad.org.
For Saturday, we’ll be doing something a little different: public outreach. The idea is that there are plenty of people “outside the fold”, so to speak, who might never see this announcement but could find FreeCAD interesting or useful, like Springfield-local engineering & manufacturing companies, or perhaps a high school student interested in pathways to a career in software (or hardware!).
With an open invitation to the public, please come ready to showcase what you can do with FreeCAD, or even things you’ve done or made; how to use FreeCAD, how to make it better, or lessons you’ve made to help learn it. Consider this something an informal poster & booth session with a chance to showcase to future users, developers, customers, or even fans. If you have any questions, or know specifically what you’d like to showcase, please contact spi24@freecad.org.
For more detailed and up-to-date event information, please use the short link freecad.org/spi24, which points to the wiki page for the meetup.
As with similar events in the past, the FreeCAD Project Association is offering travel grants. Please reach out to the FPA at fpa@freecad.org for information on how to apply.
Leave a Reply