GEO Business 2015, which took place at the Business Design Centre in London last week from 27-28 May, is delighted to report another highly successful show, following its launch last year. Visitors were queuing to get in on the first day and the overall attendance was up a remarkable 25% on the 2014 show. Over 2000 people attended from a staggering 47 countries, positioning GEO Business as a truly international show.

A key highlight of GEO Business show was the international exhibition with a bigger and improved layout from the 2014 launch show, incorporating an additional lower floor area and exhibitors from 20 different countries. Running alongside the exhibition was a cutting edge conference which hosted unmissable presentations about world-leading projects and over 140 free commercial workshops and outside demonstration sessions for hands on product testing, which proved a real benefit to visitors with some sessions so packed there was standing room only.

Caroline Hobden, event director for GEO Business, commented: “We have had so much positive feedback following the show and are thrilled to see such an increase in attendance in just a year since we launched the first show. We are keen to support the community through our annual show by offering an opportunity to share knowledge, promote cutting-edge commercial solutions and provide networking opportunities.”

Derry Long, Business Development Manager of MBS Survey Software Ltd, was one of many who provided personal feedback after the event: “GEO Business is now the established show for everyone involved or interested in geospatial activities. Once again GEO Business delivered a top quality exhibition and conference that showcases the best that the geospatial community has to offer. We will be back next year.”

The GEO Business conference featured an exceptional line-up of presentations with updates about high profile projects and technologies. The keynote address by Kate Hall, Director of the Built Environment at HS2, the UK’s proposed new high speed rail line, attracted much interest with an enlightening talk about how high quality geospatial and GIS data will form the core of rail travel in the future. Other popular subjects included wearable GIS tools, future technologies, and BIM – with the second keynote address by Dr Stephen Hamil, Director of Design and Innovation at NBS National Building Specification, providing a fascinating insight into BIM tools for digital planning and project management.

Conference Chairman, Graham Mills (Chairman of Technics Group and Past President of The Survey Association), reported a conference that was bustling with delegates, explaining: “The conference perfectly represented the energy of the geospatial industry at the moment, with inspiring presentations to reflect all the opportunities of a growing community – I’m delighted to have achieved this through our 50 papers.”

In addition to the exhibition, conference and workshops, GEO Business also hosted a lively social programme with welcome drinks and a gala dinner which raised over £1700 for the charity MapAction. MapAction is on standby 365 days a year, ready to deploy skilled volunteers to the scene of a disaster within hours of an alert. The humanitarian mapping service they deliver can make the difference between life and death for survivors.

Caroline Hobden, summarised: “With so much achieved at our second GEO Business event, we’re already looking forward to our 2016 event where we hope to reach an even greater level of success for the industry. GEO Business 2016 will once again return to the Business Design Centre on 24-25 May 2016 and we look forward to welcoming the industry once again.”

To view further images from the 2015 event, please visit http://www.geobusinessshow.com/photo-gallery.

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Media enquiries to:
Sophie Potten, Marketing Manager, Diversified Business Communications UK
t. +44 (0)1453 836363 e. [email protected]
www.GeoBusinessShow.com

Notes:
Diversified Communications UK Ltd is the UK division of an international media company with a successful portfolio of sector leading exhibitions, conferences, publications and websites. Industry events with relevance to the geospatial marketplace, include the International and European LiDAR Mapping Forums, the SPAR Point Group 3D Imaging events, and the Ocean Business event in Southampton. www.divcom.co.uk

GEO Business 2015 is the UK’s biggest geospatial event for everyone involved in the gathering storing, processing and delivering of geospatial information. Launched in 2014 and organised in collaboration with the Chartered Institution of Civil Engineering Surveyors (ICES), the Association for Geographic Information (AGI), the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), The Survey Association (TSA) and the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE).

The Chartered Institution of Civil Engineering Surveyors (ICES) is an international qualifying body dedicated to the regulation, education and training of surveyors working within civil engineering. ICES is now recognised as the leading chartered professional body for civil engineering surveyors. They have introduced relevant and meaningful competencies for geospatial engineers and commercial managers which make a difference. www.cices.org

The Association for Geographic Information (AGI) exists to represent the interests of the UK’s GI industry; a wide-ranging group of public and private sector organisations, suppliers of GI software, hardware, data and services, consultants, academics and interested individuals. The AGI, by way of its unique membership forum, brings together this previously disparate GI community to share ideas on best practice, experience and innovation, and offers access to unparalleled networking opportunities with significant business benefits. As such it acts on behalf of the community as a whole. Since its formal inception in 1989, it has built up a significant membership base and established itself as the respected voice in GI and is the membership body for everyone with an interest or involvement with GI. http://www.agi.org.uk

RICS – the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors – was created in 1868 in the United Kingdom. It received a royal charter in 1881. Their members are known as chartered surveyors, and are recognised by the designation after their name – FRICS (for Fellow of RICS) or MRICS (for Member of RICS). Today we are a global property professional body which aims to: regulate and promote the profession; maintain the highest educational and professional standards; protect clients and consumers through a strict code of ethics; provide impartial advice, analysis and guidance. www.rics.org

The Survey Association, known generally as TSA, is the trade body for commercial survey companies in the UK. The association was formed in 1979 to give a focus for private sector businesses in land and hydrographic survey. It is important to realise, however, that it is not a regulatory body. The role of TSA is to promote best practice amongst its members, provide a forum for members for discussion, debate and continuing professional development and, to the wider audience such as engineers and architects, provide guidance on new methods and techniques and a list of suitably qualified and experienced companies. www.tsa-uk.org.uk/ The Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) strives to promote and progress civil engineering. ICE was founded in 1818 and was granted a royal charter in 1828 where they declared that their aim was to “foster and promote the art and science of civil engineering”. That is still their aim today and they represent around 80,000 members worldwide. http://www.ice.org.uk/