NACIS - a North American cartographic community Steve Burry, the Managing Director of Dennis Maps,…
This month, the renowned International Map Industry Association (IMIA) Mapping Leaders Forum was held on UK shores for the first time. Roger Gilson, Operations Director at Dennis Maps, attended the event, a highlight in the cartographic calendar. He shares more about the Mapping Leaders Forum and what makes it so unique.
What is the IMIA Mapping Leaders Forum?
It’s an annual event that explores the newest trends and challenges in mapping and geospatial technology. Over two days, IMIA members – business experts, industry leaders and technology innovators – come together for presentations, workshops and networking.
Why did Dennis Maps decide to attend?
The Mapping Leaders Forum is the premier industry event in our calendar. It’s a great opportunity to build the cartographic community, knowledge share and to stay at the forefront of our field. We’ve attended several IMIA events before and we’ve always found them to be impeccably well organised and beneficial for everyone who attends.
Is this the first IMIA Mapping Leaders Forum Dennis Maps has attended?
No, Steve Burry, our Managing Director, has gone to previous events, most recently at the Forum in Denver, Colorado last year. This is my first time attending though.
What make the event unique?
There’s nothing quite like it. There are other events in the mapping world, but the Mapping Leaders Forum is unique and attracts a huge number of professionals from the global mapping community. This year, I met people from all over the world, including Canada, India and Latvia.
What did it mean to have the Mapping Leaders Forum in the UK?
It was held in the UK for the first time this year. I think it allowed a lot of people from the UK and Europe to attend, who may not have been able to travel to the US for the event. It was fantastic to see international colleagues enjoying London too.
Were there any event highlights?
The opportunity to build relationships, both old and new. There were so many moments to spark ideas, make business links and to get to know people better, which I really valued. I also enjoyed hearing Nick Bolton, CEO of Ordnance Survey, make his keynote speech. All the talks and speeches were very interesting.
Can you tell us more about the final night and why it was so special?
The final evening was a cocktail reception sponsored by Dennis Maps, as the event’s Crown Jewels Sponsor. It was at The Shard, the UK’s tallest building. The views were worth travelling 72 floors for! I gave a toast before the reception began, which was well received.
Why did you decide to become the event’s Crown Jewels Sponsor?
It’s a great way to increase our profile in the mapping community and to give back too. Sponsors help make these events happen and we wanted to play our part.
Do you have any more industry events in the calendar?
Plenty! Dennis Maps will be attending next year’s Mapping Leaders Forum. We always look forward to IMIA events. We’re also planning to go to the British Cartographic Society Annual Conference in Nottingham and the Frankfurt Book Fair, where we’ll be a co-exhibitor on the IMIA stand.
Header photo by Ana Paula Grimaldi on Unsplash
Dennis Maps is one of the leading map printers in the world, producing more than two million maps and charts every year. We offer comprehensive pre-press services, large format print solutions using both large format litho printing and large format digital print technologies, plus specialised map folding and map finishing techniques.