What happens when a first‑timer attends to the biggest event in the SOLIDWORKS ecosystem?
This year at 3DEXPERIENCE World, that first‑timer was our Account Executive, Juhani Siro. While ATR has attended the event many times before, this was Juhani’s first experience, and he promised to share it as it unfolded, live from Houston, on LinkedIn.
What followed was a journey filled with travel chaos, lost luggage, unexpected meetings, big conversations, and even bigger lessons. This is his story, 3DEXPERIENCE World seen through fresh eyes.
Friday, January 30, 2026
I’m sitting at the ATR office, trying to gather my thoughts while the coffee machine competes with the sound of my keyboard. It’s one of those days when everything feels slightly surreal.
Two members of our four‑person team flew to the U.S. yesterday, and thanks to the winter storms sweeping across the country, their trip has been anything but smooth. Unexpected delays, getting to a plane after gate has been closed through side door only to wait three more hours for de-icing of the plane. The whole package.
And as if that wasn’t enough, half of our luggage has gone missing somewhere between continents. Naturally, the missing half includes our brand materials. Perfect timing, right?
So here I am, packing our plan‑B materials into my bag, hoping they’ll be enough to carry us through the week: 200 flyers, 200 mousepads, 100 pens and two branded fabric banners. Tonight, it’s my turn to head toward Houston. I’ve never been there before, and honestly, I have no idea what to expect. New city, new event, new everything.
There’s a strange mix of excitement and uncertainty in the air. The kind that only comes when you’re stepping into something completely unfamiliar. Maybe that’s exactly what makes this whole experience worth writing about. Maybe the best stories start with a little chaos.
Either way, Houston, here I come. Let’s see what this first‑timer’s journey has in store.
Saturday, January 31, 2026
If yesterday felt surreal, today took that feeling and added a dash of adrenaline. Our flight from Helsinki was delayed by an hour and twenty minutes, which meant one thing: the tightest connection imaginable in Amsterdam.
The moment we landed, we sprinted through Schiphol like Usain Bolt and Maurice Greene in some chaotic airport reality show. Our connecting flight was supposed to have already departed, but somehow, against all odds, we made it. A reminder that it’s always worth giving your best shot, no matter how unlikely success seems.
Of course, the universe likes balance, so the short connection came with a price: our luggage didn’t make the same heroic dash we did. The bags are somewhere out there, enjoying their own mysterious adventure. Which means building our booth now requires a healthy dose of creativity and improvisation. But honestly? It’s hard to be frustrated when the whole team is finally together here in Houston.
The sun is shining, and so is the mood. In the evening, we headed to the Sponsor Appreciation Reception and the legendary CAD Monkey Dinner. I met people with fascinating stories, unexpected connections, and the kind of enthusiasm that reminds you why events like this matter.
And as if the day hadn’t already been memorable enough, I somehow ended up winning the grand prize in the raffle. Talk about a plot twist.
What a start. What a place. What a privilege to be here.
Sunday, February 1, 2026
After more than twenty‑four hours of being awake, sleep finally caught up with me, and despite the time difference, I actually managed to rest. I woke up feeling surprisingly energized, ready to take on whatever the day had in store. We began our day with a breakfast meeting with Jartek, a company based near Stavanger.
Our luggage situation has not improved though. Still no bags. At this point, I accepted my fate and headed out to buy clean clothes and basic toiletries. Next trip, I’m listening to my wife and putting an AirTag in the suitcase.
In the afternoon, we finally got to register for 3DEXPERIENCE World, and the atmosphere immediately shifted. The event space started filling with people — familiar faces, new faces, and that buzz that only big events have. Even though the evening was short, I met a surprising number of new connections, including SOLIDWORKS CEO Manish Kumar and Dassault Systèmes Senior Vice President Gian Paolo Bassi, who was all smiles in the photo we took. What struck me most was how everyone, no matter how senior or busy, took the time to stop and talk without rushing.
After the expo hall closed, we headed to a local restaurant with colleagues from Bechtle Switzerland and Germany to discuss future collaboration opportunities. One thing I’ve noticed: nearly every restaurant here has massive screens showing sports. And with so many top‑tier teams in Houston, there’s no shortage of games to watch. In a way I do like it, but it can be a bit distracting too.
And yes — the steaks really are huge. The biggest one on the menu was 450 grams, so the saying that everything is bigger in Texas seems to hold true.
Monday, February 2, 2026
Last night stretched all the way to midnight thanks to a mix of work, a much‑needed shower, and a quick shave. The alarm went off at 6:30, and despite the short night, the day greeted us with a stunning sunrise. We headed out for a business breakfast, but before that, we made a quick detour to the registration desk at the convention center. Maybe Tero and Simo could finally get their badges.
No such luck.
Instead, we found Manish Kumar standing casually in the middle of the hallway. Francois went over to say hello, and Manish explained the situation: the registration system had failed because the printers shipped from Boston to Houston had somehow ended up in California. So there the CEO was, personally overseeing the process to make sure things would run smoothly despite the chaos.
Throughout the day, we kept hearing more unbelievable travel stories from attendees arriving from all corners of the world: rerouted flights, broken airplane engines, lost luggage, you name it. It felt like almost everyone had their own tale of misadventure. Somehow, it made everything feel more human. Shared struggle breaks the ice faster than any small talk ever could. Titles fade, and people become people. I like that.
Since there was still no sign of our luggage, I decided to take a more assertive approach. After recent trips, I’ve learned that airline chats are painfully slow compared to an actual phone call, so I rang KLM directly, and things finally started moving. My afternoon turned into one mile runs between the convention center and our Airbnb thanks to some very vague delivery estimates from the local courier, but after a few more phone calls, the situation began to clear up. Having lived in the U.S. a few times, I had a slight cultural advantage there.
The yellow suitcase arrived at the door, and the dark clouds felt like a distant memory. Energized by this small triumph, I decided to check on the rest of the missing items. The booth table was located, but Simo’s suitcase had most likely been stolen from the Airbnb doorstep.
The Partner Pavilion was noticeably busier today than yesterday. New leads drifted to our booth throughout the afternoon, and several conversations opened doors to genuinely exciting opportunities. It’s inspiring to experience the best parts of international sales — the endless possibilities.
We also picked up a lot of ideas for future events. That part excites me just as much. I love finding clever guerrilla‑marketing tactics that make an impact without needing a massive budget. There’s something deeply satisfying about creative problem‑solving.
The day wrapped up on stage. Tero delivered an excellent talk, though the audience was smaller than we’d hoped. There’s definitely room to rethink how get more out of these, speaking slots are huge opportunities.
The days are long when you’re traveling, but everything is so new and interesting that you barely even notice.
Tuesday, February 3, 2026
I want to share little more about last night’s Special Event. Not only did I run into our resellers in the queue, but I also met our new 3DEX friends from Costa Rica. They were fantastic company! Truly great colleagues!
Today marked the final day of the conference. Our team was down by one, as Tero had flown back to Finland the night before. Traditionally, the last day is said to be quieter and filled with students. The morning did start slowly, but that changed quickly, suddenly we had a line at our booth. Francois, Simo, and I did our best to keep up. Once again, plenty of new business opportunities surfaced. I’ve been genuinely impressed by the depth of the conversations and the clarity of the needs that companies have shared. We also met Bart Kotlarek from the Consulate General of Finland in Houston, which was a very positive and promising discussion. I am looking forward to following up on that.
After the Playground wrapped up, we dismantled the booth. The students helped us out. We couldn’t have transported bar stools and other items back to Finland anyway, so we donated them. They were incredibly grateful, and the whole thing happened so fast that our booth disappeared in the blink of an eye. In the final general session, next year’s location was announced: 3DEXPERIENCE World 2027 will take place in Nashville, February 14–17. The music city will be a perfect place for the conference.
There’s one more thing I want to write about. Our team had booked an Airbnb for the event, a three‑bedroom apartment for four people. Since I’m the rookie, I asked early on whether I should bring a sleeping bag for the sofa or whether the apartment had sheets and blankets. I didn’t get a clear answer, so a couple of days later I called Francois, who assured me everything was taken care of. So I didn’t bring anything.
When Tero and I arrived a couple of days after Francois and Simo, Tero, who is my superior, announced immediately that he will sleep on the sofa. To which Francois added that Juhani’s bedroom is upstairs. I called out after them that I could sleep on the sofa too, to which Tero replied, “so we’ll all sleep on the sofa.” In the end, I carried my things to the top‑floor bedroom, sincerely surprised. And of course, I was able to rest much better during the conference nights in a real bed. I value that kind of leadership very highly. Thank you.
Wednesday, February 4, 2026
Our ATR team woke up ready to wrap up the week and travel back. We found ourselves packing together as thanks to lost luggage we all had bought replacement clothing and were now carrying extra. I did a morning run to CVS to get a scale and then it was packing Tetris for quite some time, but we made it in time to the airport and to the plane. Houston truly gave us a lot!
I can easily recommend 3DEXPERIENCE World. You hear the latest insights and meet motivated colleagues around the world. ATR has bit of an upper hand there as we have been part of the network since early 2000’s but there is lots to see for newcomers too.
As I reflect on the trip I feel like I want to write some travelling tips that might help a newbie that will be joining the 3DEXPERIENCE World in the future. First, if you have a team, divide your material between different people so that if the luggage gets lost, at least some material makes it to the target location. If you can manage everything to a carry-on, that is the way to go, but sometimes conference materials do not allow that. Pack smartly, so that you are able to mix clothes and create new outfits from them. Travel with such clothing that you can attend work events in case you have no other outfits available. Third, place an Airtag to your luggage so if that gets lost, you are still able to locate the baggage.
It might sound like a no-brainer but in case the day gets long, having a power bank is a good option. Phone battery tends to drain fast when you are traveling and doing lots of things on the phone. Nowadays many companies restrict the use of public Wi-Fi as it is not always a secure option so sharing a hotspot for a long time can cause surprises. In addition, basic toiletries must go to your carry-on. Sure, you have a right to buy them if things happen but in many cases, there is just no time to go shopping between meetings and events. Our world is fast paced and in order to keep up with that it is good to be well prepared.
About minimizing the jet lag. Try to take a small nap on the outbound flight. That will help you to make it through long hours of the first day. If you make it all the way to late evening, there is a good chance that the arrival to U.S. might go just perfect. One thing that goes hand in hand with this is avoiding alcohol. I am not against alcohol by any means. Years with Oura have taught me that if I want to maximize the recovery and get the most out of short nights of sleep, it is better not to drink at all. If your schedule is free and allows longer nights of sleep, the case is little different. And if you are young and immortal, do whatever you want, because you still can.
This concludes my first-timer’s journey to 3DEXPERIENCE World in Houston. Thanks for reading, commenting and liking the posts. Please let me know if you found some of the tips above useful. I am looking forward to meeting you in Nashville 2027!
