Esri User Conference 2020 - A Review of Resources and Method to Bring Value to Your Organization

[Anonymous User]

The Esri UC in San Diego is the GIS conference and provides hours of learning experience via technical sessions, presentations by industry professionals, workshops, and seminars, all of which share best practices in GIS, enabling attendees to leverage the capabilities of GIS to stay ahead of the digital curve and bring real value to their organization.  But this year, with the entire world going through a global pandemic, the Esri UC (normally 20,000+ attendees in San Diego) was made virtual. 

And if you're like me, the virtual Esri UC somehow felt even more overwhelming due to the amount of fantastically beneficial content and sessions. In fact, I felt a lot like this good boy trying to manage it all:

CAN'T CONCENTRATE - EVERYTHING IS AWESOME!

This is where I'll try to help.

First, let's take a step back and look at this year's first Virtual Esri User Conference. By the numbers:

• 86,482 Registered Attendees
• 2,200+ Esri Staff
• 180 Countries (57% US, 43% International)
• 118 Live Workshops
• 114 On-Demand Workshops
• 250 On-Demand Demos
• 200 User Videos
• 39 Special Interest Groups
• 153 Exhibitors

Second, any conference comes with its fair share of swag, and everyone walks away from the Esri UC looking something like this:

Hope you left room in your suitcase

And while it's not quite the same experience of sitting on your suitcase trying to cram it closed, Esri put together a Digital Swag Bag, which includes:

• An Esri Map Book
• Creative Activities for you or your family
• Screensavers, backdrops, and wallpapers (I actually saved all of these and used many of the background in the Special Interest Group I hosted!)
• A National Geographic FREE 3-month Subscription
• Oh, and I almost forgot to mention, Esri launched a MERCH STORE that will be open year-round!

Now that I've overwhelmed you even more than before, here's where we get to business:

1. Take Advantage of the (Unprecedented) Available Resources

As I mentioned above, this year was the largest Esri User Conference yet! And the greatest part about this year's UC being virtual is that almost every session, presentation, and special interest group is now available to stream on demand. Usually these events happen in San Diego and then, poof!, they're gone forever. Here's what you can stream today:

• All Plenary Sessions 
• All Technical Sessions (filterable by session type, topic, or day)
• All Special Interest Groups (from a completely unbiased position, may I humbly offer my personal favorite SIG that  my team and I hosted for the Renewable Energy Industry)

Plus, if you are reading this, there's a good chance you are one of my clients.  Refer to the Renewable Energy Guide for the UC to see what sessions may be of high-interest to you to help narrow down the selection.

2. Learn from Other Industries

One of my favorite things to do at every Esri UC is explore how other industries are utilizing the ArcGIS Platform.  Don't be afraid to jump into a Tech Session on a new ArcGIS Product you've been curious about or spend the free time you find throughout the day browsing the Digital Map Gallery. Then think about how you could apply these capabilities or ideas to your organization.  Many times, the Esri products you already own are capable of much more than how they are currently utilized and you already have the tools in your hand to perform those workflows that seem unattainable!

3. Set Realistic Goals

Now that you have inspiration and ideas in mind, translate this to business value.  Technology is not just an invaluable but critical component to the generation of business value.  "Business Value" is different for every organization: whether it be ROI, deploying an authoritative platform, completing initiatives ahead of schedule and under budget, etc. GIS provides the ability to inform, automate, detect/predict patterns, and enable organizations, all of which have the ability to provide unparalleled business value.

Here's how we develop business value both quickly and efficiently:

• Develop a Goal for Something Your Organization Can Accomplish Using the Esri Technology in 30 Days
  • An example of this may be to build one Operations Dashboard for one workflow, or add 5 Named Users to your Web GIS Organization
  • Utilize this "low-hanging fruit" to accomplish quick and powerful wins for your organization. (I find that these are typically the most important for all organizations to understand the value of GIS!)
• Develop a Goal for Something Your Organization Can Accomplish Using the Esri Technology by the End of the Year
  • An example of this may be to adopt a new Esri technology, or integrate a new data set
• Develop a Goal for Something Your Organization Can Accomplish Using the Esri Technology for the Long Term
  • An example of this may be to integrate a new business unit, or for your entire organization to utilize Web GIS (ArcGIS Online or Portal) as their Authoritative Content Management System

Setting these goals gives you a road map on how you can execute something today.  Otherwise, everything you've learned at the Esri User Conference may stay as a wish list or philosophical ideas, and the potential you can accomplish with GIS will always stay an "if" rather than a "when."

4. Remember Your Resources

You are not alone!  There are a multitude of resources available to you to get started.  My job as an Account Executive is to help my clients work through these business challenges their organizations face, the goals they want to accomplish, and partner with them to help them leverage the ArcGIS Platform technology to quickly achieve business value.  I work specifically with Esri's Renewable Energy Industry, but no matter what industry you are in, Esri has an Account Manager, Digital Sales Representative, Solution Engineer, Professional Services Contact, Solution Architect, Product Manager, Digital Sales Contact, or Business Partner for you!

5. Take Action!

Always remember that you are a resource! No matter where you are in your GIS maturity, you too have the ability to use Esri technology to understand data, gain insights, See What Others Can't, and make better decisions. Whether you spent the entire week watching all the available Esri UC sessions or are still working through it, the information you need to maximize your investment in the ArcGIS Platform is waiting for you to act on it.

And finally, take care of yourself, stay safe, and know that your work helps everyone to understand how we can all collaborate and build a better future.  Thank you!

Have any specific questions?  Feel free to comment below or shoot me an email: amillican@esri.com