Old Friends and New Users Mix to Create "GIS Learning Community"

9,000 Users to Converge on the Nineteenth Esri User Conference

We would like to invite you to attend the Nineteenth Annual Esri International User Conference, which will again be held in Southern California. The User Conference is open to all Esri software users with current maintenance or paid registration. The conference will be held July 26-30, 1999, at the San Diego Convention Center in wonderful seaside San Diego. Esri expects nearly 9,000 attendees in 1999.

Excitement Builds

The user conference is an annual event designed to help users do their work. During the sessions, users will show off applications ranging from spatial thinking to everyday endeavors. Learning, training, and growing from real-world experience is what the user conference is all about. Users share a wealth of practical information, offer ideas for creative problem solving, and help each other achieve GIS goals. Many users--analysts and consultants, trailblazers and newcomers, students and teachers, planners and visionaries--prepare and display maps, demonstrate user applications, and present technical papers.

Preconference Seminars

More than 1,500 people are expected to attend more than 30 preconference topical seminars the weekend prior to the conference week. The purpose of these workshops is to provide technical training on a host of subjects ranging from GIS management offered by Dr. Roger Tomlinson to a spatial analysis course by Dr. Michael Goodchild and various technology courses on database design and Visual Basic programming for GIS. The preconference seminars will be held on the weekend of July 24 and 25; they are separate from the user conference and require separate registration.

Conference Web Site

As the conference draws nearer, you may need to firm up your plans. Numerous materials and a wealth of information are available from the conference Web site at www.esri.com/events/uc. You can register online for both the conference and the preconference seminars, check out the sessions and the exhibitor list, submit a poster entry, and learn about child care services. In addition, there are many social events, local tours, and a special GIS Kids Camp with sessions for primary and high school-aged children.

More than 700 Papers

More than 700 papers will be presented by Esri's users, including sessions that address more than 30 industry areas and countless applications of GIS in real-world situations. The papers for the moderated sessions and individual presentations will be presented on the Web and integrated into Esri's Virtual Campus Web site. This means that users unable to attend the San Diego meetings will also benefit.

Esri Showcase

At the Esri Showcase, Esri staff will be on hand during conference hours to answer your technical and marketing questions, demonstrate the latest software, and provide assistance with technical support and application development issues.

GIS Solutions EXPO and Education Fair

The GIS Solutions EXPO will feature nearly 100 Esri Business partners who offer custom applications, commercial data sets, and consulting services to help GIS users.

At the GIS Education Fair, community colleges and universities will promote their GIS programs.

More Activities

Of course, the annual plenary presentations will kick off the conference with talks by important speakers, all underscoring the growing value of geographic information and GIS technology.

The Map Gallery and evening reception will feature an amazing collection of maps created by Esri users for display during conference week--as well as provide an opportunity for users to meet, share their work, and create new friendships.

The Exhibit Pavilion is one of the more visible components of the user conference, a complete trade show within the conference. Attendees have the luxury of visiting a wide range of hardware, software, consulting, and technology companies all in one place.

Recreation events will include a golf tournament on Friday, July 30; a 5K Fun Run on Wednesday, July 28; the tennis tournament Tuesday and Wednesday, July 27-28; as well as the Thursday night party on San Diego's waterfront--this year inspired by Esri India!

From Esri's perspective, the conference is an opportunity to get direct feedback from our users via personal discussions and User Conference Questionnaires. While the conference will be supported by an improved online messaging system to expedite conference communication, the main intention is to "be together" and share values and ideas at the personal level.

Register today at www.esri.com/events/uc.

For more information, visit our Web site at www.esri.com/events/uc or contact user conference information (tel.: 909-793-2853, ext. 1-1363; fax: 909-307-3128; E-mail: uc99@esri.com).

And it's not too early to mark your calendars for the Twentieth Annual Esri International User Conference--June 26-30, 2000, also to be held in San Diego.

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