2004 International Cadence Usergroup
Guide to the Conference
Welcome
Welcome to the 2004 edition of the International Cadence Usergroup conference, where our focus is Users helping Users. The usergroup is an independent, not-for-profit organization of users of Cadence products and services who meet annually at a conference in the fall and interact throughout the year electronically, sharing information, ideas and solutions. It is independent of Cadence but maintains strong ties at all levels into the company in order to conduct its business. Membership to the Usergroup is open to any and all people involved with the use of software produced by Cadence Design Systems.
The goal of the conference is to bring Cadence users together to share information, ideas, and solutions. We are all more productive when we better understand the features, limitations, and applications of (Cadence) electronic design tools. Some examples:
- Shortcuts that accelerate design cycle time
- Learn about software bugs or problems that other users have already found and solved
- Find out about changes in the tools you use, and how they will affect your design methodology
- Insights into Cadence priorities and technical directions, and provide feedback to keep Cadence on track
- Network with Cadence employees and other users to put faces to the names of people you have worked with
The annual conference is organized by users for users and boasts a comprehensive program that includes:
- Technical papers by user and Cadence experts
- Up to six parallel tracks covering 20 themes and 110 papers!
- Low cost half and full day tutorials on Sunday and Thursday
- Cadence product demonstrations on Monday night.
- John Cooley's industry-wide survey results when he presents "Cadence: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly" on Tuesday afternoon.
- Reception and Third party Vendor Fair in conjunction with IEEE-SOC Conference attendees on Tuesday night.
- Technical Panel Sessions
- Q&A forums with Cadence Application Engineers
- Interaction with Cadence R&D, Executive, AE and Marketing staff
Meeting Organization
This year, the conference has both general sessions and Special Interest Themes. General Sessions include keynote addresses, the executive panel, and other events that meet the common interest of all attendees. We have continued the use of themes and have 20 themes divided into concurrent tracks. Typically, there are two concurrent sessions each for IC, PCB and Sys Admin. Again this year, we have returned to covering both front-end and back-end design issues in the PCB and IC interest areas. Be sure to let the ICU Board know what you think of this structure.
The ICU Board 2004
The planning team for this conference includes ten user volunteers, meeting planners that work for the Board, and two Cadence employees whose job includes assisting us with the International Usergroup meetings. These people include:
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Also essential to the success of this conference are the Cadence Champions. These Cadence employees serve as the primary interface between the board and their corresponding Cadence business units. As area experts, they assist in securing the technical and marketing presentations for the SIG tracks. They also assist the ICU team in securing Cadence and customers for the numerous panel discussions throughout the conference. For 2004, this group includes:
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Guide to the Program
This year the conference will span five days. Sunday Tutorials held at the hotel, three days of technical sessions and Thursday Hands-on Tutorials at Cadence San Jose Training Center. Attendees can thus customize their conference attendance based on the needs of their companies and the applicability of conference content to their careers.
Detailed schedules and room assignments are included in your registration package and posted near the registration desk. Late breaking changes will be announced during breakfast and lunch each. Further questions can always be asked at the registration desk. Be sure to wear your conference badge at all times, including the evening events.
Conference attendees are welcome to attend activities from any SIG track throughout the week. In general, SIGs will be held in the same room throughout the conference.
Scheduled throughout the duration of the conference are presentations developed by experts – both user and Cadence employees. The ICU Board believes these are one of the most valuable components of the conference and shapes the program accordingly. Attending paper presentations and reading the conference proceedings can provide a wealth of information for attendees. The MVP (Most Valuable Presenter) awards to close-out Wednesday's events will recognize the best presentation in each SIG with an Apple iPod Mini sponsored by National Semiconductor.
Tutorials offered at this conference are courtesy of Cadence (instructors, instructional materials, content). With user input, the ICU selects Tutorial topics and the Cadence Champions do the rest to help staff and develop the tutorial content. The tutorial fee is set to subsidize room and food costs for the attendees. Feedback is generally very positive for this training that it has valuable content very similar to standard Cadence training courses.
You must be registered for a tutorial in order to attend it. See the registration desk for space availability. Generally, instructional material and handouts from the tutorials are not available for purchase to those who did not register and attend the tutorial.
Sunday evening is conference registration and the Registration Reception. Renew friendships with colleagues from past conferences and other industry events. Review the schedule and abstracts that will be presented. Revive yourself with food and drink.
Keynote speakers are scheduled for Monday and Tuesday mornings. Monday will open with welcoming remarks from Donna J Ducharme, ICU Chairman and Michael J.Fister, Cadence, President and Chief Executive Officer. In addition Ted Vucurevich, Cadence, Sr. VP, Office of the CTO described how Cadence is strategically planning its role in the future. Segway HT drawing will be held immediately after the keynotes for a lucky ICU Attendee. (ICU Board members and Cadence employees are not eligible)
Monday afternoon will start the technical portion of this conference. Blending a balance of Technical papers discussing current problems and solutions with product roadmaps and where applicable we lead you into Technical Panels encompassing both. There are five parallel tracks, Spec Driven Environment, Accelerated Layout, Digital IC, System Administration and Allegro Platform themes within these tracks.
Monday evening will be Cadence Technology Night, held at the Westin Hotel Ballrooms A thru H. Please refer to your registration packet for a list and detailed descriptions of the demos. Entertainment and Refreshments will be available.
Tuesday opens with breakfast and Keynote speaker, Steve Schulz, Si2, President and Chief Executive Officer.
Tuesday focuses on SIG presentations on the following themes: Spec Driven Environment, Mixed Mode Simulation, Accelerated Layout, Open Access, Digital IC, Allegro PCB Editor SKILL, Allegro PCB SI and Allegro Design Entry CIS. Come hear the experts and find out how to better use Cadence tools and improve the design effort at your company. Preview the schedule and abstract information provided in your registration packet to guide you in selecting the most appropriate presentations for you. Please also think about presenting at next year’s conference.
Tuesday afternoon don't miss John Cooley's industry-wide survey results when he presents "Cadence: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly"
Tuesday evening is the annual Vendor Fair, co-sponsored by Sun Microsystems. Representatives of electronics companies will present products that extend and improve your investment in Cadence software. We have reserved space for 65+ booths in the Hotel Ballrooms so it is sure to be an exciting event. A complete list of vendors and their locations are included in the registration packet. Food and Drink are provided as you stroll Vendor booths looking at their offerings.
The John Cooley discussion, reception and Vendor Fair will be jointly attended by IEEE-SOC Conference attendees so be sure not to miss it.
Wednesday continues with a full day of Expert presentations in the SIGs with these themes: Analog Front End, Mixed Mode Simulation, Accelerated Layout, IC & Open Access SKILL, PDK Development & Verification, Allegro Package Designer, Allegro Design Entry HDL / Data Management and Allegro Platform Technical Panels. Please be sure to complete the speaker voting and comment sheets. IBM Thinkpad drawing will be held on Wednesday during lunch time sponsored by IBM. (ICU Board members and Cadence employees are not eligible)
Wednesday afternoon we will have the Cadence Response to customer input, "Cadence: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly", held in the Santa Clara Convention Center Theater. We will recognize the Most Valuable Presentations from the conference by awarding an Apple iPod Mini sponsored by National Semiconductor and introduce the new ICU Board for the 2005 conference.
The return of Thursday's Hand-on Learning Tutorials held at the Cadence San Jose Training Center, with Buses to transport attendees between the hotel and the Cadence campus. If you did not sign up when you registered for the conference, please check with registration desk to see if space is still available. Training available includes both lecture and hands-on classes lead by Cadence experts
ICU Executive Board