Add up the admission ticket, flight, hotel and meals, and traveling to the annual Autodesk University conference will set you back several grand. More than that if you gamble, as it's always held in Las Vegas. But this year the pandemic's scuttled the in-person gathering, and Autodesk is holding AU virtually--for free.

I think this is a fantastic idea. I've been to my share of AU conferences over the years, and except for the Exhibition Hall, I believe all of the talks, lectures, presentations and classes can deliver the same punch virtually as in person, plus you won't have to put up with Vegas between events.

This year's conference promises the same expert-taught classes, Q&A sessions, roundtables, keynotes and product briefings as the in-person events, but you can do them all mask-less and in socks. AU 2020 runs from November 17th to 20th, and while there's no admission to attend, you do need to pre-register. You can sign up or learn more here.