More than 950 Esri business partners and international distributors convened in Palm Springs, California, in March 2004, at the annual Esri Worldwide Business Partner Conference. Attendees took advantage of intensive technical workshops and product updates, most of which centered around the upcoming ArcGIS 9 release and two new developer-focused products—ArcGIS Server and ArcGIS Engine. Throughout the four-day conference, there were also numerous opportunities to network with other partners, distributors, and Esri staff.

During an evening reception that began the conference, more than 45 partner organizations were presented with awards in recognition of their efforts and dedication to GIS and Esri. Each of Esri's regional offices and international distributors had the opportunity to nominate a partner in three categories—Partner of the Year, New Partner of the Year, and Foundation Partner of the Year. A complete listing of award recipients is available at www.esri.com/partners/bpc/bpc2004_awards.html on the Web. Throughout the evening, Esri's industry solutions managers were on hand to discuss the latest trends in their markets and discuss with partners additional opportunities for collaboration.

Following the plenary session, which included a keynote presentation by Jack Dangermond, Esri president, conference attendees visited the GIS Solutions EXPO. More than 60 partners showcased their latest products and services, providing another exceptional setting for partner-to-partner networking.

The dates for next year's Business Partner Conference are February 12-15, 2005. To learn more about Esri's Business Partner Program, visit www.esri.com/partners on the Web.