Invest Time in Learning about the Business Benefits of GIS
By Karen Richardson, Esri Writer
One smart way to invest in your business in a volatile economy is to familiarize yourself with the advantages of using geographic information system (GIS) software to manage and analyze your company's geographic-related data.
 Henrik Dahlin from DHL Express Europe will be a keynote speaker at the 2009 Esri Business GIS Summit. |
The best place to learn how to use GIS in a business environment? The 2009 Esri Business GIS Summit, which will be held May 4-6 at the Westin Tabor Center in Denver, Colorado.
The summit will bring together a mix of thought leaders, representatives from businesses that use GIS, and Esri's technical professionals. These experts can answer your questions about GIS and provide ideas for solutions that you can implement to keep your business healthy and continue to grow revenue.
During the Summit, you will find out how GIS serves as a powerful tool for
- Planning continuity and contingencies
- Delving deep into the geographic and demographic shifts in the marketplace
- Assisting with facilities management
- Saving on operating expenses
The summit is relevant for any facet of commercial business: banking, health care, insurance, logistics, manufacturing, media, real estate, retail, utilities, and related industries. Speakers will include senior business executives and managers who will talk about the benefits and solutions that GIS brings to their organizations.
Henrik Dahlin of DHL Express Europe and Richard Juge, president elect of the CCIM Institute, will keynote this year's summit, speaking at the Plenary Session on May 4.
CCIM Institute is the largest commercial investment brokerage and real estate network firm in the world. The institute is implementing Esri technology for its commercial property listing and data exchange service platform, handling thousand of transactions a year that represent $200 billion in value.
With approximately 285,000 employees doing business in more than 220 countries, DHL International is the largest logistics provider in the world, shipping hundreds of thousands of packages and letters each day.
"GIS is used at DHL every day, and it makes a real difference to our business," says Dahlin, senior director of process engineering with DHL. "By using this technology, we've optimized our transportation network and given our customers reliable delivery timetables. This gives us improved margins and allows us to respond to changes in our marketplace quickly."
More than 300 people attended last year's summit, and it proved to be beneficial to attendees such as Artie McDonough.
"The [summit] was an excellent venue for networking with other professionals in the commercial business space," says McDonough, a GIS project manager with SNL Financial, a leading financial information and research firm. "Not only that, but attendees had the chance to meet with software product managers. This gave us a chance to discuss how we use GIS applications in our own business and work together with Esri to ensure that future solutions will include what we need." Now in its sixth year, the Esri Business GIS Summit attracts business GIS professionals from more than 30 industries and market sectors. The event is recognized as a leading forum in the use of GIS in retail, real estate, insurance, manufacturing, media, logistics, and general commercial business processes. The Summit combines best practice sessions and roundtable discussions with user presentations, technical workshops, and an education program sponsored by the University of Redlands in California. For more information about the Summit and to register, visit www.esri.com/bizsummit.
