The theme of the 2001 Pro/USER International Conference, "A Virtual Odyssey," is particularly apt for this year. An odyssey is a long series of wanderings filled with notable experiences, leading to personal discovery. This is surely a good description of the knowledge you can expect to gain from making the trip to Reno, Nevada in June. But the metaphor is also fitting for the evolution our organization has undergone over the past decade.

As the official voice of PTC® product users, Pro/USER, Inc has had to grow and change right along with PTC's software offerings--starting when Pro/ENGINEER® was little more than a 3D part modeling program, all the way through its evolution into 70+ modules just few years ago. Indeed, it was among Pro/USER’s mandates to help PTC combine this array of products into logical packages, easing the administrative burden for PTC and users alike.

But the proliferation of Pro/ENGINEER modules is only part the story. Along the way, PTC acquired several companies whose software Pro/USER has also come to support with Technical Committees, such as MEDUSA®, CDRS®, Pro/DESKTOP®, and Pro/MECHANICA®. All of these acquisitions presented definite challenges for Pro/USER, forcing us to balance integration of the new software with unwavering support of current members. Admittedly, the process was not always smooth, but I believe we learned our lessons not just well, but quickly.

And now, with PTC's growing emphasis on its Windchill® initiatives, we have agreed to take on another challenge--perhaps the greatest so far. Windchill software is much different than previous PTC products, yet it integrates with them. It generates common interests among users, but it also has a breath of applications that extend far beyond the expertise of our current MCAD membership. As Pro/USER's Pierre Quesnel explains on the next page, however, there are good reasons to include the Windchill Developers Group under our umbrella organization.

For the time being, we see the core Pro/USER membership and the Windchill Developers Group working in cooperation and sharing the same venue for their annual conferences. Nevertheless, we also expect the content and character of the organizations to become even more distinct as each user group evolves.

We at Pro/USER very much look forward to working with all of you to make this odyssey a success.