SHELTON, Conn., Dec. 13, 2018 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- The COFES Institute is pleased to announce the 20th annual COFES event. The COFES 2019 theme will center on the impact of technology convergence on engineering and the engineering software ecosystem. For the first time, the event will be held in Silicon Valley at the Hotel Nia, April 7-10, 2019.

COFES provides a highly valued, unique environment for experts and entrepreneurs to share knowledge and connect with others who are interested in driving the future of engineering software. With each innovation over the past 20 years, leaders have met at COFES to share ideas, network, form alliances, and shape future innovations that fuel the industry. "COFES is a unique opportunity to connect with new and existing thought leaders throughout the industry," said Jon Hirschtick, founder of Onshape and SOLIDWORKS. "The event provides an ideal environment to develop partnerships and engage in great discussions."

This coming year, COFES will explore a key trend affecting the engineering software ecosystem – Convergence. Engineering software and solutions must evolve to help conceptualize, design, validate, develop, make, and support the complex interplay of technologies common in today's innovations (such as autonomous vehicles and smart buildings). The industry needs to harness the creative power of teams from previously disparate design disciplines while continuing to accelerate innovation and improve quality through digitalization.

COFES 2019 will explore convergence themes the engineering software industry must support, including:

• Mechanical, electrical, and software design and development
• Collapsing design and production phases
• Design and development incorporating IoT and cloud infrastructure
• Connections between virtual and physical items, including ray tracing and augmented reality (AR)
• Correlating simulated (virtual) performance with real-world (physical) behavior
• Human and machine cooperation on design and production

"The engineering community is embracing opportunities enabled by technology convergence, designing solutions that were previously unattainable," said Jim Brown, president of Tech-Clarity, "At COFES, we'll discuss how the engineering software community can help manufacturing and AEC companies take full advantage of those opportunities."

COFES attendance is limited to qualified attendees. Please visit https://www.cofesinstitute.org/cofes2019 for information on how to register. Early bird discount pricing is available for registrations submitted before December 31, 2018. The COFES keynotes will be announced in the coming months. Sponsorships are available for appropriate technology companies.

About COFES:
The COFES Institute is a non-profit 501 (c) (3), which serves the engineering technology community in order to design and build a better world. Its mission is to bring together a broad ecosystem of stakeholders to serve as a catalyst for the development of future products and services. The stakeholders are comprised of technology developers, business leaders, venture capitalists, analysts, press, academics, and users of the technologies. People participate in COFES Institute programs to gain insights, knowledge, understanding, and to build relationships, test new ideas and launch companies.

The COFES Institute is a member-based organization that hosts the annual COFES Event. The Institute encourages pushing boundaries and fostering progress in ways that benefit product design, manufacturing and AEC.

SOURCE The COFES Institute