More than 800 Esri Business Partners and international distributors convened March 22-25, 2003, in Palm Springs, California, at the annual Esri Worldwide Business Partner Conference. Attendees took advantage of four days of intensive technical workshops, product updates, and numerous opportunities to network with other partners, distributors, and Esri staff.

The conference began with a Welcome Social on Saturday evening that also included an Industry Solutions Social and partner awards presentation. Members of Esri's Industry Solutions staff were on hand to talk with partners about GIS solutions in their particular industries.

Attendees were welcomed by Esri President Jack Dangermond at the opening day plenary session. His presentation emphasized the importance of Business Partners to the overall success of Esri as well as their role in supporting the ever-growing GIS community. Dangermond also provided an overview of Esri's current and upcoming product architecture, emphasizing that ArcGIS continues to evolve and supports many solutions ranging from the desktop to Web and e-commerce solutions.

Following Dangermond's presentation, attendees were given a demonstration of ArcGlobe, which is planned for release with ArcGIS 9 later this year. (To learn more about this easy-to-use 3D visualization application, please see "Introducing ArcGlobe—An ArcGIS 3D Analyst Application.")

The remainder of the plenary focused on senior staff and development managers providing attendees with an update on current and upcoming Esri products and technology. Presentations and demonstrations included ArcGIS 8.3, the use of GIS with Tablet PCs, Business Data products, ArcPad, MapObjects—Java Edition, ArcIMS, and Web services. Special attention was given to ArcGIS 9 including presentations and demos on geoprocessing and the ArcGIS Engine.

More than 60 breakout sessions were held in two tracks. Technical sessions were geared to help partners understand new Esri product features and learn what is ahead during the next year. Industry and business development tracks assisted partners selling Esri products in specific markets.

More than 60 partners exhibited at the GIS Solutions EXPO featuring their ArcGIS solutions, services, and data products. The event also provided another opportunity for partner-to-partner networking. New at the EXPO this year was a map gallery that consisted of more than 90 maps showcasing the work being done by many Esri global partners.

In keeping with this year's theme, Technologies for Building GIS Networks and Collaborative Communities, 50 Esri Business Partners were honored for their ongoing dedication and collaboration with Esri on bringing superior GIS technology, services, and solutions to Esri users around the world.

The dates for next year's Business Partner Conference are March 6-9, 2004. To learn more about Esri's Business Partner Program, please visit www.esri.com/partners.