GEO Business 2017 Reports Record Attendance

London was the capital of the geospatial world last month when GEO Business returned to the Business Design Centre in Islington (from 23-24 May) to showcase the best new products, services and solutions of the year. The UK’s biggest geospatial exhibition and conference enjoyed its fourth year of significant growth, serving up 2,386 attendees to its 200 exhibitors – a 19% increase in visitors from 2016 and a 50% increase since the show was launched in 2014. Notably, the show also attracted a large contingent of international visitors from 52 different countries.

Caroline Hobden, event director of GEO Business, calls the support of the show ‘phenomenal’. She said her team has just experienced two of the most amazing days in GEO Business history and been overwhelmed by the positive reactions from visitors, exhibitors, speakers, associations and media partners. The organising team works hard every year to ensure that the content stays as fresh, and as relevant, as possible for our audience, and the support from the industry, as always, has been phenomenal. Judging by the wonderful feedback, GEO Business is meeting – and surpassing – the demands of the dynamic industry that it serves, Hobden added.

Advice and inspiration

This year’s line-up offered  visitors an excellent opportunity to experience first-hand, ground-breaking new products and services, and get expert advice and inspiration from leading innovators and key thinkers.  From the ‘buzz’ across the show floor, to the packed keynotes, popular associated meetings, and commercial workshop theatres all full-to-the-brim, as well as the 200 exhibition stands.It was a very busy, valuable and productive two days for everyone involved, Hobden summarises this year’s edition.

Summing up their exhibitor experience Muneer Hassan, technical sales and support manager at SCCS, commented they have been non-stop on the stand all day – “for us, this has been the best show of the year!"

Many companies regard it as essential to have a presence at events like GEO Business. The sheer amount of people who work in the geomatics  industries who attend these events means that they have a fantastic opportunity to network, develop existing relationships, meeting potential future clients in the process. Year on year it is impressive what GEO Business has to offer the business, said Formby Surveys’ managing director Andy Roberts.

Show highlights

One of the show’s key draws has always been its exceptional, CPD accredited educational content, including 80 highly relevant commercial workshops (many were so popular, there were queues outside the door). Workshops by Leica Geosystems, Earth-I, 3D Laser Mapping, Ordnance Survey, and Bentley Systems, were the top five crowd-pullers.

The conference programme yet again delivered a magnificent array of cutting edge presentations with eager delegates piling into the room for each session.  Notable highlights, attracting well over 150+ attendees each, included keynotes by Nigel Clifford, CEO of Ordnance Survey; Stuart Martin, CEO of the Satellite Applications Catapult; and Charles Kennelly, CTO of Esri UK. 

The newest highlight for 2017 was the introduction of GEO Careers, a one day educational programme for students organised in collaboration with Alison Watson from Class of Your Own.  Students studying the Design Engineer Construct course were invited to attend and industry experts delivered exciting presentations, designed to offer ‘inspiration for the next generation’ and based on the feedback, it did just that.

However, it wasn’t all work, work, work, regulars to GEO Business will be familiar with the notorious programme of social events including the very well attended welcome drinks, the popular ale trail and the lively GEO Business dinner that saw guests networking through to the early hours.

Save the date for 2018

GEO Business will return to the Business Design Centre, in Islington, London, on 22-23 May 2018.  For further information, visit www.GeoBusinessShow.com.