Leaving UC 2023 with a Mission
“What kind of world do you want to see?”
This was the central question Jack Dangermond, Founder and CEO of Esri, asked an intent audience of thousands who attended this past week’s User Conference plenary.
With that question, staff and customers alike were called on to not just perceive a future in which safety, sustainability, and prosperity are the norm, but to fully embrace our role in making that future by leveraging the common language and advantages GIS offers. The message took a clear-eyed view of the enormity of those tasks before us while reveling in the camaraderie and joy of having over 30,000 motivated, powerfully capable in-person and digital event attendees come together in shared purpose.
Jack’s directive, along with numerous special guest presentations, and updates from the Esri team on the biggest product news, set the stage for five unforgettable days of learning, connecting, and support.
As we’ve done in previous years, the Esri Community team hosted a booth where we spent time demonstrating Esri Community and its benefits to the unfamiliar, fielding on-the-fly questions from existing members swinging by with a query, or just taking the time to get to know the people that Esri Community serves every day but who we may never have met in person.
No embellishment: It’s loads of fun for us! Now, imagine we’re your in-laws dusting off the attic-banished slide projector to show everyone some color negatives of the vacation we’re still glowing about as we feed you some highlights …
New this year, GIS Day (coming Nov. 2023) got its own feature at UC and the
Esri Community team was able to participate in a special meetup with folks Esri has dubbed
GIS Day Champions—people who planned and organized incredible GIS Day events in 2022,
a few of whom are shown above. We can’t wait to see what they (and you) have in store this year
and hope you’ll join the conversation just starting in our GIS Day 2023 Forum!
New this year, the Esri Customer Benefits Passport program prompted attendees to visit
six booths in the showcase where they could receive personalized recommendations to boost
career—and organizational—success. Esri Community members who completed their passport
will also receive a limited-edition badge for their profiles within the month.
New this year, Esri dedicated a wall to recognizing Esri Community’s incredible MVPs who bring so
much expertise and support to this space through their generous contributions!
Phew! Now that’s how you work your core. Adorned with seven years’ worth of event badges,
Greg swung by the Esri Community booth to make sure ours claimed a place in his collection.
Our team had a great time catching up with some attending Esri Community MVPs
over local bites: @DougBrowning, @BillFox, @KenBuja, and @AdrianWelsh
We recorded stories of members using Esri Community in interesting
and impactful ways, including Mervyn Lotter, a Biodiversity Planner & GIS Manager
at Mpumalanga Tourism & Parks in South Africa.
There’s too much that happens at User Conference to really capture the scope of what goes on and why it’s so meaningful. But, like your in-laws insisting ‘you just had to be there!’ while fawning over pictures of bountifully filled tables, mountain views, and favorite locals, we hope the picture we paint sparks a hint of the flame that being present inspires.
If you joined Esri Community because of this year’s User Conference, welcome! Make sure to check out our Getting Started Help Document and the Community Resources area to help you get acclimated.
If you’re a familiar face here in Esri Community but couldn’t make it to UC this time around, we hope to see you there in 2024!
And to all of you: We look forward to seeing and supporting the collaborations you create here in Esri Community as we together pursue the important work of creating a world worthy of our future.