The 2017 ESRIUC and 10 Things You Don't Want to Miss! #UCTips

Well, it’s all real now as we turn the calendar page and reveal the month of June. Yes indeed, that means the annual International Esri User Conference (2017 esriuc) is about a month away. Have you started your planning yet? Have you booked your travel yet? Have you registered yet? We sure hope so, however, if not, there’s still time but you really need to kick it up a notch! Note, GEO Jobe will be exhibiting again this year – see more info

In case you missed all the updates earlier this year from events like DevSummit, the FedUC and other Esri meets, the theme of this year’s UC will be wrapped around the moniker, “The Science of Where”. UC is where it all begins for those who want to know more about the Science of Where. From July 10-14, 2017 the crew from Redlands will host users from around the World at their annual conference where learning, connecting, and sharing will be the focus of some 15,000 GIS professionals and others who are harnessing the Science of Where for good. Attendees will be made up of: Esri staffers and project managers, GIS professionals, students, educators, Esri business partners and solution providers, and others who are interested in Geography and passionate about geography and geographic learning.

To say that Esri UC week is busy and daunting would be somewhat of an understatement! If you already don’t know this, there’s a lot going on and the week will be busy and for many it will be quite overwhelming. Truth be told, it really is easy to miss out on something and we’d hate for that to happen! There’s a number of things you don’t want to miss out on and here we’ll share our list of 10 things you must see and do while attending ESRIUC. In no particular order here they are:

Pre-conference seminars and events – Sure the main conference starts Monday, however, if you get to town early you can also enjoy special day long training and other events like the Imaging Summit for EDU conference. Check out related events like the GIS Manager Open Summit, as well as the pre-conference seminars.
Monday Lightning Talks – The Map Gallery is the focus of Monday afternoon and evening and no doubt you’ll be there. Keep in mind though, if you wander over to Ballroom 20D at 4:30 Monday afternoon, Andy and the Dev crew will be hosting developers in a fun round of lightning talks. Grab a beer, sit down and enjoy!
Wednesday morning 5K fun run – It may not be fun for all but it is popular! If you want to start your Wednesday off with some fresh air and run along some beautiful shoreline be sure to get registered and set your alarm clock! Kick off is 6:30 AM at the Hilton Bayfront
Esri YPN Social – Are you a young professional or perhaps relatively new to GIS? The YPN social event is a blast and a great networking event. Typically it takes place on Wednesday evening but just in case, seek out some Esri YPN folks and find out where and when (See also @esriYPN on Twitter)! Note, young GIS professionals also can enjoy greatly reduced registration for ESRIUC and DevSummit!
Esri DevMeetup – this is an early evening social gathering for the dev crowd. If you happen to be a programmer who’s looking for work or just want to meet other hard-core coders then this is for you. Network with geeks, have a beer and a snack, then enjoy some pitches and lightning talks – wear your best Geek T-shirt for this one! This one takes place Wednesday evening at 5:30 on the Terrace of the Marriott and you’ll have to register in advance on this MeetUp page.

Meetup with GeoGeeks at ESRIUC!
The StartUp Zone – The exhibition hall is huge and you can easily get lost or caught up in one area. Don’t forget to wander around the start-up Zone where you can meet reps from more than 20 start-ups. These are new ventures, often many of them are hiring or need contract workers etc… There’s also a demo theater where you can catch presentations right in the zone and save your feet.
Family Friendly Events – You may be bringing the whole family for the week, after all, San Diego is a great place to vacation! To share the GeoGeekness with your family you can take part in plenty of things including: The Map Gallery (open to all), a kids learning camp, family night on the exhibition hall floor (Wed), and the Thursday night Party in Balboa Park.
Vendor Socials – Many Esri Business Partners, particularly the large ones, will be hosting special evening social events. These typically take place Tuesday and Wednesday evening as the official conference hotels (Hilton, Hyatt, Marriott) as well as at local bars and clubs in the Gaslamp. Keep your eyes and ears open for tips and ask around. There’s also a number of official Esri sponsored SIG socials (like the water/waste water social). If you watch the Twitter stream in the evening you’ll likely see images and tweets from party-goers as well!
Closing Session – Many folks are a bit burnt out by Friday or head out of town to make it back for the week-end. If you’re sticking around though be sure to catch the closing plenary as its really awesome! Jack Dangermond and his key staffers and product managers will all be on stage to say a thank-you, share a recap and take loads of questions. This session is much more relaxed but it’s also unscripted and pretty interesting.
Come and Meet Us! We may be a bit biased, however, you have to be sure and come meet the GEO Jobe crew on the Exhibition Hall floor (Booth #2438 by the Startup Zone!). Chat with Jeremy about the GEOPowered Cloud and David can fill you in about Admin Tools, Mapfolio and a few other things that we’re working on. Oh… and keep your ears open for details of a Sunday evening social event/ Happy (Mappy) Hour that we’re planning where you can hang with us over a casual beer prior to a hectic conference week kicking off… Stay Tuned! Note, Glenn (@gletham) may be rolling some GeoGeeksincars video interviews so if you want to roll with him be sure to connect!