Six Activities You Don't Want to Miss at EsriUC
The Esri UC is happening soon! There are plenty of sessions to attend (over 1000), lots of maps to view (more than 700), tons of training (hundreds of hours), an amazing amount of demos and presentations (we can’t even count that high anymore) and opportunities for experts to help you check your data health, give you tips on your cartographic prowess, provide you with technical assistance and more.
Want some advice? Take a break. We know. You feel like there is so much to do and no time to do it. We get it. But you need some downtime to process all that information. Here are some great activities you can enjoy around the conference events – and even bring your family so they can enjoy the UC with you and catch some of that crazy geolove!
Yoga
Join your fellow attendees on the lawn for some stretches before the UC.
Start your UC days with a sense of inner calm. Join your fellow geo geeks for morning yoga! Get loose and relaxed with downward dog on the grass just outside the Hilton Bayfront near the Embarcadero. Yoga will be in session from 6:30 a.m. on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. You can attend all three sessions or purchase a single class pass. Classes are $20 each and include a yoga mat.
5K Fun Run
Lace up your shoes and join the 5K Run/Walk.
All work and no play, … well that can be boring. Life is all about balance, including at the UC. Take a break from conference activities and join the 5K Fun Run/Walk right on the waterfront path. This year, the 5K Fun Run/Walk is scheduled for Wednesday, July 22. The stating gun goes off promptly at 6:30 a.m. for this chip-timed event. Don’t delay in signing up – this event always sells out fast.
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Kids Fair
Open up the world of GIS to your kids and spark a love of all things geo!
The GIS Kids Fair provides an opportunity for parents and their kids to explore the world using maps and GIS at the Esri UC. There will be interactive booths, a hands-on computer lab, and a fun movie to help our next generation understand the cool technology that you work with every day. GIS Kids Fair provides a hands-on learning experience for children of all ages along with their parents.
There will be activities for children ages 5 – 14. They will learn about the Earth’s continents through interactive projects designed for their age groups. Staff will be on hand to assist, but parents or guardians are required to accompany their children.
The Kids Fair is in session at the Marriott Marquis Hotel – Marina Ballroom Salon D on these days:
- Tuesday, July 21 – 9:00am – 5:00pm
- Wednesday, July 22 – 9:00am – 4:00pm
- Thursday, July 23 – 9:00am – 2:00pm
Come and check out the cool activities and learn more about the Americas, Africa, Australia, Europe, Asia and Antarctica!
Family Night
Family night always gets rave reviews and a thumbs up. Join Tim Rankin, lead of Esri’s practices and patterns division as he opens up Family Night with his bagpipes and some special guests again this year.
Show your family and friends what GIS is all about when the Exhibit Pavilion in the GIS Solutions EXPO is open to anyone accompanied by a registered attendee. The EXPO hosts more than 300 exhibitors representing companies and organizations at the forefront of geospatial technology. This is the place to find products and services and take your GIS work to the next level. Check out the amazing technology, talk to some friendly people, play some fun games and treat your kids to fun take-aways. There is no need to sign up for this event, but someone in your party must have a UC badge to be shown for admittance.
Wednesday, July 22, 4:00pm – 6:00pm – Exhibit Pavilion, San Diego Convention Center.
Padres Tickets
Catch some of America’s favorite past-time for a discounted rate – all because you are you – an awesome Esri UC attendee!
Break out the crackerjacks! It’s time for America’s favorite past-time! Root for the San Diego Padres at Petco Park as they face the Colorado Rockies, San Francisco Giants, and the Miami Marlins while you are at the Esri UC. It’s such a short walk from the SDCC, you just can’t miss this great opportunity! And there are plenty of games, so you can be sure to catch at least one before your week is up-
Saturday, July 18 – Padres v. Rockies 5:40 p.m.
Sunday, July 19 – Padres v. Rockies 7:10 p.m.
Monday, July 20 – Padres v. Giants 7:10 p.m.
Tuesday, July 21 – Padres v. Giants 7:10 p.m.
Wednesday, July 22 – Padres v. Giants 12:40 p.m.
Thursday, July 23 – Padres v. Marlins 7:10 p.m.
Friday, July 24 – Padres v. Marlins 7:10 p.m.
Conference attendees can receive up to 50% off single game prices. Get your tickets now!
Party by the Bay
This year the Esri UC party will be held at the beautiful San Diego Waterfront Park and Maritime Museum. You won’t want to miss this – get your wrist bands now!
The Esri UC party will be held Thursday night, July 23 from 5:30 p.m. – 10:00 p.m. at San Diego’s Waterfront Park! Enjoy great food, awesome entertainment, interactive games and activities for the whole family. End your Esri UC with a bang – hang around until the end for a fireworks display!
The newly constructed Waterfront Park is the most significant waterfront open space in downtown San Diego and fulfills a vision decades in the making slating it as a quintessential destination for residents and visitors. Take in some live entertainment from bands including The Red Hot Band, Ryan Hiller, Millionaire Beach Bums and more. Have some fun in all four of the interactive zones – the Game Zone, the Sports Zone, the Art Zone and Kids Zone.
The Maritime Museum of San Diego is also located here and enjoys a worldwide reputation for excellence in restoring, maintaining and operating historic vessels. The museum has one of the world’s finest collections of historic ships, including the world’s oldest active ship Star of India. Our collection of ships and exhibits are available for daily public tours.
Stroll through the exhibit FRAGILE WATERS. a powerful artistic and ecological statement through the inspiring black and white images of three renowned photographers and environmentalists – Ansel Adams, Ernest H. Brooks II, and Dorothy Kerper Monnelly. The traveling exhibition of 119 photographs, many not previously exhibited, takes viewers from the snow-melt of the High Sierras at 12,000 feet elevation to far below the crashing waves of the Pacific Ocean.
You can only get in to the party with a wristband. Getting your wristband is simple – scan your badge on Wednesday or Thursday at the Activities Desk, Information Desk or the Main entrance to the party. You can bring as many guests as you’d like and children under the age of 12 receive complimentary admission when accompanied by a registered attendee. Guest tickets can be purchased for $50 each through the UC Activities Registration system.
Transportation to the party is easy. There are continuous round-trip shuttles from the front entrance of the San Diego Convention Center to the San Diego Waterfront park. (please note that you need your wristband to be able to board the shuttle). You can also take the Green Line trolley from the Gaslamp district. The fee is $2.50. And for those Fitbit lovers out there, you can easily walk the 1.5 miles from the convention center to kill that step challenge.