My wife and I enjoyed another trip to San Diego, California for the Esri User Conference. Being the first time returning in person since 2019, I was very impressed to see such a great turn out at the conference. Here is a small recap of our time at the UC:
Day 1
Plenary session- It was great to be with people from all over the world learning about how to make the world a better place using GIS technology.
Enjoyed participating and meeting some new friends in the Christian GIS user group
We got to test out the scooters to help us get around downtown San Diego
We enjoyed a beautiful stroll along the sea walk before dinner and stopped by the USS Midway for a quick Photo-Op
Dinner with some friends and clients at Eddie V’s. The restaurant was located in the heart of the Seaport district, near the convention center. We enjoyed the classic steakhouse atmosphere and especially appreciated having our own room to dine in. It was great to reconnect with old friends and even meet some for the first time in-person. It’s hard to replace the value of face-to-face engagement.
Day 2
An early morning starting out with Public Works special interest group. Unfortunately, stopping for a bathroom break on the way meant that I didn’t get a seat in this packed, standing room only, session.
Attended the morning session on ArcGIS Indoors to learn about the latest updates to the solution and what lies in the road ahead.
Covered the entire exhibit hall in 1 hour. It was a lot to take in. Look at what type of companies were exhibiting, what Esri booths/help areas were there. The time-lapse video that I took helps give a feel for how many people and exhibitors were present. Even met another ‘Hodel’ which is definitely a first for me.
The highlight of the day was the smart campus operations special interest group that I participated in. The Esri representatives split us into 3 groups involving indoor mapping, utilities, and public safety. I was in the indoor mapping group where we discussed a variety of topics including ArcGIS Indoors implementation, best practices in space management, lessons learned with indoor mapping, and indoor positioning.
I continued to enjoy making new connections with people from all over the world, sharing our common love for GIS!
exhibit hall: in 5 Seconds
Here’s some bonus footage of a very active and wonderful exhibit hall experience. I was amazed at the variety of products and services, as well as the amount of specialized GIS technical support available.
When returning from a trip to the Esri User Conference, it is easy to feel like you were drinking information from a fire hose. There is so much GIS knowledge in one place, and it’s important to take in as much as you can. I thoroughly enjoyed my time at the UC and am already looking forward to my next visit!
