Finally, we return to in-person! My Top 5 Things to do at the 2022 #EsriUC
Although still in my first year working at Esri in my role as Partner Community Manager, I've been fortunate over the years to have attended the EsriUC 21 years in a row! Sadly my streak attending came to an abrupt end in 2020 when Covid forced us all to attend virtually.
So, with a return to San Diego this year for UC it's looking more and more like business as usual. With that, I'm now busy working on my duties which include preparation and planning for EPN activities taking place at Partner Central - you'll find us way down at the end, co-located in the corner with the Startup Zone - an ideal spot for all of our partner related activities, including the Marketplace (this is the first year Marketplace has a spot and it's a pretty big presence), directly across the aisle from our partner central space.
As a long-time, frequent attendee what am I looking forward to? Well, there's many things, however, as I will be working for much of the week my agenda will be quite different than the previous 20+ years. Still, there's a a number of activities that I will be following and attempting to participate in. In addition to any technology presentation with the words "Road Ahead" or "An introduction" in the title, some of the Top things on my list of favorite EsriUC activities include:
1. The plenary - thankfully, my schedul and travel plans will allow me to enjoy the Monday plenary session. Listening to Jack and all the technology innovators that have been invited to speak on day 1 is always very motivating and delivers plenty of WOW factor! Of course I wouldn't miss this and it's the perfect way to get totally amp'd up for the week!
2. The Map Gallery - What better way to get re-acquainted with colleagues and old friends than wandering the map gallery, scanning hunderds of awesome data visualizations and enjoying the hard work that has been put into these projects. Food and beverages are the icing on the cake and yes, there may even be cake there! A tip, when you need a quiet break during the week, the map gallery hall is a great place to walk around and reset your mind.
A favorite map from the Map Gallery.
3. Lightning Talks - Organized by the Dev teams, lightning talks are always fun and really interesting. The short, 5 minute-ish talks always deliver and it's a great way to see loads of cool tech from really smart people in a casual, end of the day setting. Attendees will hear about interesting projects that people are working on and also take away some handy tips! These take place Monday PM starting around 5 and are conveniently accessible close to the map gallery.
4. Startup & Partner theater presentations - When time is limited it's always nice to be able to catch sessions that are short and to the point. A number of startups, partner companies, and UC sponsors will be presenting in the theater. See the agenda of talks HERE
5. Dev Day - Sadly, I'll be busy working and not able to attend the dev day event, planned for Wednesday morning, however, this one definitley makes my list of things to check out. This half day event will educate attendees on developer programs, tools, resources, and other related activities. In addition to getting schooled on the latest tools, APIs, and code resources, attendees are invited to gather to socialize at the end of the day and keep the geeky chatter going! SDCC - Room 07 AB (8:30-11) DETAILS HERE
Bonus thing(s) to do - Socialize! The days are long, there's no doubt about that but after 8-9 hours of sessions or walking the exhibitor hall you ned to save some energy for socializing. The biggest perk of being in-person once again is that we get to meet, mingle, and socialize. Tuesday and Wednesday evening there's a number of social events, industry-sponsored and corporate socials taking place. Keep an eye open for party invites from exhibit companies and the UC sponsors. A few suggestions, if applicable to your job, include the water / waste water industry party, Canada night , YPN social, the Federal social. Don't be afraid to ask other attendees about socials and special events that are taking place - attendees and staff at UC are always very friendly and glad to assist others.
Enjoy the networking and socializing in the Gaslamp (photo, UC 2011) Need restaurant ideas? Visit the Gaslamp Map (below)
Gaslamp Map StoryMap (updated for 2022)
I hope this helps a little and I look forward to meeting and connecting with tons of you in July! You can connect with me at UC at Partner Central or ping me on twitter @Gletham . What are you looking forward to doing at UC?
Related weblinks:
GroupSector Sessions & Activity flyers