{"id":585967,"date":"2026-07-29T00:02:31","date_gmt":"2026-07-29T00:02:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/en-us\/industries\/blog\/?post_type=blog&p=585967"},"modified":"2026-07-29T00:03:14","modified_gmt":"2026-07-29T00:03:14","slug":"pw-highlights-from-2026-esri-international-user-conference","status":"publish","type":"blog","link":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/en-us\/industries\/blog\/articles\/pw-highlights-from-2026-esri-international-user-conference","title":{"rendered":"2026 Esri International User Conference Recap\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"

The 46th Esri International User Conference (UC), July 13-17, 2026, in San Diego, CA, was a compelling week. I am fortunate to attend this keystone event, and one of the many benefits is a respite from the hot and humid weather back home in Charlotte, NC. This blog is a follow up to my pre-UC blog<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n

GIS Leadership Summit<\/h2>\n\n

My week started early as I participated in the 14th GIS Leadership Summit<\/a> on Sunday, July 12. This is an impactful, energizing way to kick off your UC week. It is an all-day, interactive event full of networking, group discussions, and inspirational presentations.<\/p>\n\n

This year’s was the largest ever, with over 500 attendees, including 100 executives. The group was highly diverse, with 57 different industries and 28 countries represented. If you are a current or future GIS leader or executive, please consider attending it in the future. Many attendees consider it the highlight of their week.<\/p>\n\n

More information about it can be found in the GIS Leadership User Group<\/a> on the Esri Community. I want to pass on my appreciation to everyone who helped make this such a huge success: the presenters, Esri colleagues, and the attendees.<\/p>\n\n

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UC Plenary<\/h2>\n\n

In the global GIS community, there is nothing like the UC Plenary on Monday. For over five hours, 15,000 people in person, and thousands more online, united to celebrate the people and technology that drive our industry.<\/p>\n\n

This year’s theme was GIS – Creating a More Intelligent World<\/strong> and started with Jack Dangermond welcoming everyone and encouraging attendees to spend a few minutes meeting someone new, as this is an important part of the week and helps expand your personal network.<\/p>\n\n

I met a gentleman who was attending his first UC. He works for an energy company in Japan. Meeting GIS users from abroad always reminds me of the reach of the GIS industry and how, no matter where we live or where we work, we are all very similar, dealing with the same challenges and sharing the same drive for the science of geography.<\/p>\n\n

The work of our users is highlighted with examples from all industries and locations around the world. This included many public works users. Jack delivers his vision, and then colleagues review our work. Live demonstrations show off the latest developments. Users tell their stories, illustrating the impact of ArcGIS on their organizations and communities.<\/p>\n\n

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Recognizing GIS Excellence<\/h2>\n\n

Awards are given to those who excel in maximizing the impact of ArcGIS. This includes the Special Achievement in GIS (SAG) Award.<\/p>\n\n

These winners represent 0.2% of Esri customers, so if you are looking for others to emulate success, check out the winners here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n

My nomination for the Public Works industry was Houston, TX Public Works. Read more about them here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n

Congratulations to:<\/p>\n\n