"Driving Business with the Geographic Advantage" was the theme for the 19th Annual Esri Worldwide Business Partner Conference. Held March 17–19 in Palm Springs, California, the conference attracted more than 750 business partners and international distributors from all over the world. The conference presentations provided business focus, insight, strategy, and the tools to help partners align themselves more with Esri marketing and sales objectives.

On Sunday, Esri president Jack Dangermond's plenary message emphasized the importance of business partners, his vision for GIS, and the future of Esri software. David Maguire, director of products and international, shared the direction of the ArcGIS platform, offering insight into the new opportunities for business partners. Chris Cappelli, director of sales, shared Esri's sales strategy, the push to align partner solutions with Esri's sales force efforts, and the opportunities brought by working together.

Conference attendees participated in targeted sessions covering sales, marketing, business development, and product positioning. Business partners met and exchanged ideas at the Community Center lounge. The Esri Showcase gave participants a place to interact with Esri's technical staff.

The Business Partner Awards ceremony honored more than 50 partners worldwide for their outstanding performance and contributions to the GIS industry. A list of award winners can be found at www.esri.com/partners/partner-network/awards.html.

The GIS Solutions EXPO brought the conference to a close. With more than 60 exhibitors, the EXPO was the bridging event between the Business Partner Conference and Developer Summit and offered business partners a venue to showcase their solutions and services to both event attendees. The EXPO also included Esri Industry Islands, where the industry solution teams were on hand to network and share with attendees.

The 2008 Esri Worldwide Business Partner Conference will be held March 15–17 in Palm Springs, California.

More Information

For more information about the Esri Business Partner Program, visit www.esri.com/partners.