This month, Steve Burry, Managing Director of Dennis Maps, headed to the US for an…
This May, Dennis Maps attended the International Map Industry Association (IMIA) Mapping Leaders Forum for the fourth consecutive year. Steve Burry, Managing Director of Dennis Maps, tells us more about this unique event and what draws the company to it, year after year.
What’s the Mapping Leaders Forum?
It’s a three-day international conference for business experts, technology innovators and leaders in the mapping and geospatial technology industry. Each annual Forum focuses on new trends, advancements and challenges in the field. This year’s theme was ‘mapping uncertainty’ – looking at rapid change in the industry and the challenges and opportunities this presents. Over the years, the Forum’s been held in a variety of locations across Europe and North America, so members from both continents can attend. This year, it was held in Toronto.
Why is attending the Forum so valuable to Dennis Maps?
It’s a place to meet senior leaders within the mapping industry, from across the global stage. The opportunity to have all these senior people in the same location, at the same time is quite unique. That’s not easily replicated in many other scenarios. The event has speed networking, which is a great way of getting to meet everyone attending and to reconnect with existing connections, who you might not see often. I find this in-person contact much more fruitful than connecting online. The networking is a real highlight of the event.
Coupled with that, the focus of the Forum is valuable. The event’s focussed on business, compared to other conferences that are more about the technical, cartographic side of the industry, although this has its place too. At the Forum, there are several innovative presentations and panel discussions, where you learn quite a bit about what other businesses are doing – how they overcome any challenges and make the most of any opportunities.
What were the highlights of this year’s Forum?
All the presentation sessions and panel discussions were definite highlights. I enjoyed a talk on exploring how cartographic technology and design influence how geographic information is used in the real world. There were other sessions on using cartographic techniques to model sustainability issues, on working with Amazon in both North America and Europe, and on the impact of modern mapping initiatives on climate pressures and natural disasters.
The Amazing Race Around Toronto was also a real highlight. Everyone paired up with another attendee and then had a few hours to test their navigation skills. We had to navigate our way around Toronto, using clues to find destinations around the city, racing against the clock and one another. We had the dubious honour of being one of the few teams to walk, instead of using public transport. We finished in third place, 23,000 steps and 3 hours later! On day two, there was also a fun world trivia quiz from Avenza’s Rebecca Bennett, with Avenza also being the sponsor of the Amazing Race. It kept everyone switched on and focused in the afternoon.
How did Dennis Maps contribute to the event?
I delivered a presentation in the mergers and acquisition section of the conference, which went really well. I spoke about OS’ takeover of Dennis Maps and how this has been a positive acquisition. Two other businesses presented as well and spoke about their positive experience of mergers and acquisitions.
Dennis Maps also sponsored the evening drinks reception on day one, as the signature social sponsor, where I delivered a speech. Both were moments when the focus was on Dennis Maps and everything went smoothly.
Can you tell us more about Dennis Maps involvement with the IMIA?
We’ve been involved with the IMIA since around 2023, when we began to attend some of their events and found them really useful. These events helped get Dennis Maps more widely known in the industry, plus enabled us to meet new customers that we wouldn’t have connected with otherwise. We’ve sponsored the drinks reception at the Mapping Leaders Forum for the last few years.
Are there any upcoming events Dennis Maps will be attending?
I’m attending the British Cartographic Society Annual Conference in Edinburgh this September. In October, I’m going to the Frankfurt Book Fair as a visitor and later in the month, we’ll be at the North American Cartographic Information Society Annual Conference in Milwaukee, US. We’ll also be attending the next IMIA Mapping Leaders Forum in May 2027, which I’m already looking forward to!
All images, excluding image one, courtesy of the International Map Industry Association. Image one by Maarten van den Heuvel 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 size printing – large format print solutions using both large format litho printing and large format digital printing, plus specialised map folding and map finishing techniques.