Innovate, Integrate, Motivate: The Cleveland Engineering Society

Recently I have been working with The Cleveland Engineering Society (www.cesnet.org) to develop its annual Industrial and Manufacturing Conference and Tradeshow (October 21^st at the Case Western Reserve University’s Tinkham Veale Center). If you are a manufacturer in the Cleveland/Akron area, this is an event you will want to attend – here’s why:

·         The theme for this year’s event is “Innovate, Integrate, Motivate”, and the CES event planning committee has put a great deal of effort including each of these concepts into keynote and breakout presentations, with a specific focus on manufacturing. You will hear local thought leaders discuss topics related to innovation, quality, process efficiency, and resources.

·         You will have the opportunity to network with your peers from other manufacturing organizations. The information presented at the conference will provide good conversation starters, and will give participants the chance to share insights, opportunities, and concerns that they can use to help move their own organizations forward.

·         You can tour CWRU’s “think[box]” in its new space. Think[box] is a wonderful resource of which area manufacturers may not even be aware. CWRU provides access to 3D printers, computerized routers, a circuit board router, photo tables and more. This will be a great opportunity to learn how your organization can take advantage of this resource to help you innovate – without making investments in cutting-edge technology. See http://engineering.case.edu/thinkbox/ for more information.

·         You can meet representatives of several local engineering products and services providers – all in one place. The trade show typically draws suppliers of automation equipment, engineering consulting, specialty coatings, machine builders, and other vendors with a depth of experience in manufacturing.

·         Professional Engineers can earn 5 continuing professional development (CPD) hours for attending this conference, but other professionals can gain professional development credit as well. For example, project management professionals should be able to claim professional development units (PDUs) for self-directed learning for attending keynote and breakout sessions.

·         You will be supporting the Cleveland Engineering Society (CES). This organization has been part of the fabric of Cleveland and Northeast Ohio since 1880. You will be contributing to not only our local heritage, but to our future as well. Engineers are fundamental to the long-term success of manufacturing, and CES is a great resource for inspiring and developing engineers in our area.

The cost for this conference is very reasonable, and it is local! If one day is too long, you may choose to attend either the morning or afternoon session. If you are interested in exhibiting at and/or sponsoring the event, there are still opportunities available (better hurry though, spaces are going fast). You can register for the event on the CES website at http://cesnet.org/EventDetails/482. I will be there, and I hope to see you there as well!