Esri Business GIS Summit
July 12-15, 2009
San Diego Convention Center, San Diego, California
Register today
Esri Business GIS Summit Joins the Esri International User Conference
By Karen Richardson, Esri Writer
For the first time, the Esri Business GIS Summit will coincide with the Esri International User Conference (Esri UC) at the San Diego Convention Center in San Diego, California, this July.
 Richard Junge will be a keynote speaker at the Esri Business GIS Summit. |
"Combining these two conferences gives attendees the best of both worlds," says Simon Thompson, director of commercial business solutions, Esri. "While our business clients and prospects will benefit from the host of opportunities available at the User Conference, users in government, utilities, and other fields have also wanted access to the experience and knowledge of successful commercial GIS implementations. This event will provide user presentations, workshops, and demonstrations that will bring this knowledge to them."
The Business GIS Summit will start July 12 and end July 15. Summit attendees will also receive access to the Esri UC from Monday through Wednesday. Esri UC participants who also want to attend the Business GIS Summit Plenary Session on Sunday should specify this when registering for the conference. Conference attendees who have already registered for the Esri UC and would like to participate in the Business GIS Summit activities on Sunday should log back into their Esri UC account and check the box specifying they will be attending the Business GIS Summit. All Business GIS Summit sessions, scheduled for July 14-15, are also open to Esri UC attendees, and all Esri UC sessions are available for Business GIS Summit attendees.
The summit opens at 1:00 p.m. on July 12 with a thought-provoking Plenary Session that zeroes in on how GIS is being used in the commercial sector to keep businesses healthy and experience optimal growth, even during a weak economic climate.
One of the keynote speakers will be Richard Juge, president of CCIM Institute, the largest commercial investment brokerage and real estate network firm in the world. Juge will discuss how GIS technology is an essential component of the financial and suitability analyses that underpin the business community's decision-making process, improving market evaluation and helping develop investments more profitably.
An evening EXPO and social will follow the Plenary Session. Attendees can check out the latest products, data, and services offered by Esri and Esri's commercial business partners. Networking with peers, industry experts, and Esri staff at this event will help attendees better understand what they will experience over the next three days. "With everything to see and explore at this conference, building a sense of community and planning activities for the days ahead is a great way to get the most out of this event," says Thompson.
On July 13, participants can spend the day at the Esri International User Conference Plenary Session, where Esri president Jack Dangermond will talk about the coming trends in the industry and acknowledge the innovations of GIS software users from around the world.
There will be more than a dozen Business GIS Summit sessions and workshops. For example, the session Improving Marketing and Marketing Analytics with GIS will include presentations from AltaMed Health Services Corporation and MarketStar Corporation addressing how to use GIS to streamline marketing activities and develop a deeper understanding of territories and market performance. The University of Redlands will cosponsor a Research and Education track with the U.S. Small Business Administration including a variety of research presentations, symposia, and workshops showcasing research from academia that will benefit businesses.
Since Business GIS Summit attendees can attend Esri UC sessions through July 15, they have the opportunity to meet leaders from other industries, spend one-on-one time with a wider variety of Esri product and development staff, and choose from more than 300 additional user presentations and technical workshops to attend.
"By having this wealth of information and resources available, it makes sense for some business users to bring additional technical, marketing, and executive staff," says Mike Johnson, commercial sales director, Esri. "This is a great way to consolidate travel costs and time out of the office, investing in learning everything they can about a solution that will benefit their companies now and in the future."
The Business GIS Summit is open to everyone in the business community, both Esri users and nonusers. For more information about the summit and to register, visit www.esri.com/bizsummit.
