Location matters. For businesses such as Cisco and The Shopping Center Group, it’s the vital ingredient that drives better business analytics. Learn how these companies and others have added location to their business operations and how you can, too, at the Esri Business Summit in San Diego, California.
“Every single new twenty-first century data source contains location,” said Simon Thompson, director of commercial solutions at Esri. “Attending the Esri Business Summit will help you understand the importance of discovering that key location data and putting it to its best use for your organization.”
Location is fundamental to all aspects of business, from deciding where to locate a new store to where to market to new customers. Organizations—including commercial companies—have used geographic information systems (GIS) for decades to analyze and visualize location information and make better business decisions. Now, organizations can use Esri’s location analytics solutions to add maps and geographic context directly into their business systems including customer relationship management systems, business intelligence, and office and productivity tools.
Speakers at the Esri Business Summit will help you understand location analytics and what it takes to successfully champion the adoption of location-based geospatial technology in your organization. Presentations will center on using GIS and location analytics solutions in retail, real estate, and risk management.
The conference will open July 7 with a fast-paced morning Plenary Session that features keynote speakers from several types of commercial industries. The afternoon session will be divided into four tracks: location analytics, retail executive, risk management, and user best practices. You can attend any of these tracks and dive deep into how location analytics and GIS can become a vital tool that your organization can use to save time, increase profitability and competitive advantage, and reduce risk.
Add Location for Better Business Analytics
In the location analytics track, you will learn how early adopters such as Petco have implemented these technologies to their advantage and the lessons they have learned along the way. Location analytics brings together dynamic, interactive mapping, sophisticated spatial analytics, and complementary data that these companies use with established business analytics software.
Mark Smith, CEO and chief research officer at Ventana Research and an expert in enterprise software and business technology innovations, will give the track keynote, explaining why astute businesses are adopting location analytics and how to best integrate it into your own enterprise system.
An Action Plan for Retailers
During the retail executive track, attendees will hear from retail leaders such as Plenary Session speaker Gregg Katz, director of innovation and technology at The Shopping Center Group (SCG). SCG advises tenants, landlords, developers, and others involved in retail real estate. He will talk about how he helps his local account managers be even more effective with using location analytics.
Katz and his managers use Esri technology and data to help place tenants, using up-to-date demographic, business, traffic, and competitive information. The account managers’ ability to easily share ideas and information with each other and their clients using GIS and location analytics ensures that their tenants find the right place to stay for the long haul.
“Information is power, and the Esri solutions provide us all we need to do our jobs well,” Katz said. “Being able to apply that information when and where it is needed and then analyze it is what has separated us from the pack when it comes to retail real estate.”
Making Risk Management Less Risky
If retail isn’t your thing, join risk managers for the risk management track. Executives from companies including Capital One, Regions, Swiss Re, and Wall Street Network (WSN) will talk about how they apply location analytics to better manage risk and mitigate consequences such as property damage and loss.
The track will focus on how cloud-based mapping technology like ArcGIS Online helps to bring risk information directly to people who need it in an easy-to-understand format.
“The bottom line is you don’t have to be a meteorologist to understand a hazard, or a rocket scientist to understand people or property,” said Kristina Mazelis, chief operating officer and chief financial officer, WSN. “We do the science and analytics in assessing risk and provide access to it through ArcGIS Online, giving everyone the opportunity to assess their own risk.”
The Commercial Business Perspective
The afternoon of July 7 also will be devoted to breakout sessions from commercial business presenters such as Warner De Gooijer, a strategic analyst with Cisco Systems. He will talk about how the Cisco Global Service Supply Chain (GSSC) has integrated GIS into their business systems.
Esri technology provides Cisco GSSC staff with an accurate visualization of its service supply chain footprint and operational capabilities by linking into the company’s business environment. “GIS is a foundational tool for Cisco,” said De Gooijer. “Although still in its first development stage, it is already proving its value.”
A Ringside Seat to the Esri UC
If you go to the summit, you will also get a ringside seat at the Esri International User Conference (Esri UC). Not only will you join business leaders and innovators like yourself, but you’ll be introduced to other Esri software users from a wide spectrum of industries and government agencies.
Whether you see them at the Plenary Session or meet them at the user presentations, they will underscore the value of location analytics and GIS. Don’t forget to regroup at the GIS Solutions EXPO, where you’ll be able to compare notes with your business colleagues and get the answers to any questions you still have.
