Esri User Conference Behind-the-Scenes: SIGs and Socials
We are starting the party this week with our User Conference SIGs and Socials! Last year we held 176 different meetings and socials during the conference, giving attendees plenty of opportunities to network with their peers.
What is a SIG?
SIG stands for Special Interest Group meeting. These meetings typically take place at lunchtime or in the evening during the conference, although there are a 
few early birds that do breakfast meetings. The goal of these meetings is to connect with individuals in the same industry, with the same interests, or in the same area (known as Regional User Group meetings) to talk about relevant topics and trends in GIS.
How do we plan and schedule SIGs and Socials?
Each of these meetings is requested through our Meeting Request System and reviewed by a special team. The reviewing team looks at each request to make sure the meeting will be beneficial to attendees and that we will be able to accommodate the time and number of people attending in our open conference rooms. Once the request is approved, it is scheduled. We schedule the meetings on a first-come-first-served basis and try our best to place them in rooms near related User Presentations and Technical Workshops.
What kinds of SIGs are happening this year?
Currently, we have 157 scheduled SIGs and Socials. They vary in topic from Airports to Augmented Reality, from Telecommunications to Trails, and everything in between. (There’s also two GeoNet meetups!)
You can see the full schedule of SIGs and Socials in our Agenda.
Why should I go?
SIGs and Socials are a great place to connect with your community. The presentations focus on exactly the applications of Esri software used by your group and go over the most important changes and trends that the industries are facing.
These events are also one of the best places to network at the conference. Be sure to bring your business cards. What better way to make valuable connections than to surround yourself with people that have shared interests?
Tips from the Team:
- Bring a sweater
- Make sure you keep your phone and charging cables with you. We’ll have charging stations around the convention center to plug in
- Drink water! There are water coolers in most session rooms to fill up your bottles
- Are you a foodie? Check out this story map of places to eat in San Diego.
- Be aware there are cash limitations. Bring a credit/debit card.
For Discussion:
How do you find the balance between work and play at the User Conference? What are your best networking tips?