GITA's Geospatial Infrastructure Solutions Conference

The Geospatial Information & Technology Association (GITA) is pleased to re-introduce our flagship conference as the Geospatial Infrastructure Solutions Conference and Exhibition (formerly annual conference), slated for March 9–12, 2008, in Seattle, Washington.

Our recent conference name change and shift to include more infrastructure was a deliberate move to focus more on the customer prospects you want to meet. If you have anything to do with the infrastructure, and it involves geospatial technology, we want GITA to be your home.

in·fra·struc·ture: all fundamental services, activities, and operations that sustain our communities and way of life.

GITA’s Geospatial Infrastructure Solutions Conference showcases the relevance and importance of geospatial information—and the many vendors that bring geospatial technology to infrastructure. We view the importance of our event to the geographic information systems industry as a major responsibility and take great care to manage the conference in a highly professional manner, attract the highest quality audience, and uphold the quality standard that GITA has earned over the past quarter century. Join us in Seattle and make GITA’s 31st Geospatial Infrastructure Solutions Conference the highlight of your year!

Why Exhibit?
GITA is the leading provider of high-quality, unbiased information for professionals who use geospatial information. We have a worldwide reputation for providing superior programs and services.

The Geospatial Infrastructure Solutions Conference draws a unique cross section of decision-makers representing many facets of infrastructure. They come to learn about the latest technological developments and attend educational sessions in our respected technical program. They come to network with peers. And they come to visit with suppliers of products and services to make important purchasing decisions. Here you will meet and interact with high-level buyers.

By exhibiting at GITA’s Geospatial Infrastructure Solutions Conference 31, you’ll include your company on the exclusive list of “who’s who” in the geospatial information technology industry. Through a combination of generous exhibit hours, private demonstration time, and free evenings for hospitality events, you will have ample opportunity to demonstrate your products and services and make valuable sales contacts.

Annual Conference 30 in San Antonio, Texas, hosted more than 1,500 industry professionals and more than 80 exhibiting companies on a massive exhibit space. And with our new direction, we expect those numbers will grow in 2008! Make sure you’re represented on the exhibition floor at the most respected industry event of the year.

New for 2008!
With a new conference name comes new and exciting additions to make this the geospatial event of the year for your company. And there’s more to come! Sign up for e-mail updates at gita.org/seattle to find out what other surprises we have in store!

First-ever Geospatial of Dimensions Emergency Response Symposium
GITA is pleased to announce Geospatial Dimensions of Emergency Response, a first-of-its-kind series, taking place in conjunction with the organization’s 31st Geospatial Infrastructure Solutions Conference. The meeting will be the first ever to address the application of mapping technologies such as GIS, GPS, and remote sensing to emergency and disaster response. Expect to see a lot of buzz on the exhibit floor because of the symposium!

GITA’s Going Green
Organizations across the globe are implementing environmentally friendly practices using “Green GIS.” GITA’s next Geospatial Infrastructure Solutions Conference in Seattle, WA, will have content focused on green GIS, and the organization will add on to this element of the conference in years to come—even in its own conference operations. Geospatial of Dimensions Emergency Response Symposium Buyers in Abundance! Over 80% of GITA’s user attendees have direct purchasing authority.

Key Exhibitor Benefits
Exposure to Proven Buyers
■ Your company name in the official conference program, seen by 70,000-plus geospatial professionals worldwide
■ Twenty FREE exhibit-only passes to invite current and potential clients
■ FREE products and services listing in the On-Site Exhibit Guide
■ Listing on GITA’s searchable online solution provider directory for a full year, with your detailed company description, complete contact information, and link to your site

Access to Hundreds of Top Professionals from a Cross-section of Industries
■ Exceptionally qualified floor traffic
■ FREE printed preregistered attendee list distributed on-site
■ Preconference attendee list available
■ FREE digital final conference attendee list in electronic format
■ Badge-scanning services available
■ Fourteen exhibit hours and seven hours of scheduled private demonstration time ■ Hospitality event opportunities

Unparalleled Attention to Your Needs
■ Three FREE booth personnel exhibit passes per 10’ x 10’ booth
■ Private exhibitor lounge
■ Comprehensive exhibitor service kit
■ Professional staff attentive to your needs before, during, and after the show

We understand that a well-designed, comfortable, spacious, and attractive exhibit hall promotes traffic flow and ensures a successful and productive exhibit experience. GITA designs its conference program hours, meal functions, and special events to attract conference attendees to the exhibit floor. Tuesday evening’s Exhibitor Reception, a popular feature of the conference, provides two hours of time dedicated exclusively to the exhibit floor. It’s an outstanding opportunity for attendees to become more familiar with your products and services.

Conference Track Topics Conference-goers will be able to choose from a vast array of paper presentation topics, covering the complete spectrum of issues involving geospatial information.

Knowledge Immersion Seminars
Geospatial Infrastructure Solutions Conference 31 will feature half-day seminars that will offer attendees the opportunity to gain in-depth knowledge on a variety of geospatial topics. Subjects slated for discussion range from field data acquisition and business case development to interoperability, integration, and project management issues.

Join the Industry Leader
Unlike other industry events, when you exhibit at GITA’s Geospatial Infrastructure Solutions Conference, you’re not just renting floor space at a one-time trade show. You’re exhibiting at the premier geospatial event of the year and you’re becoming a valued member of a prestigious association. Joining GITA as a Corporate Member combines all the advantages of exhibiting with comprehensive, year-round membership benefits that keep your organization at the forefront of the geospatial industry.

Bigger Is Better
Need a larger booth? There’s no restriction on the number of additional 10 x 10’ booths available for purchase by a single vendor. If your company is interested in purchasing a booth larger than what is shown on the floor plan on page 4, contact GITA’s education/ exhibits coordinator at 303-337-0513, or e-mail info@gita.org.

Corporate Sponsors
All contracts received before noon on September 4, 2007, will be considered equal with one another. Each exhibitor will be placed into a random drawing to determine the order of booth selection according to booth size, starting with the largest booths. Each exhibitor will be telephoned in the order in which they are drawn to make their booth selection until all contracts received by September 4, 2007, have been executed. You will be given 48 hours to make your booth selection. Exhibit space for Corporate Sponsors will be assigned for all paid 2008 Corporate Membership and Exhibit Contracts received at GITA headquarters beginning at noon on Tuesday, September 4, 2007.

Corporate Contributors
Corporate Contributor member booths will be assigned beginning Monday, October 1, 2007. All contracts received before noon on September 4, 2007, will be considered equal with one another. Each exhibitor will be placed into a random drawing to determine the order of booth selection according to booth size, starting with the largest booths. Each exhibitor will be telephoned in the order in which they are drawn to make their booth selection until all contracts received by September 4, 2007, have been executed. You will be given 48 hours to make your booth selection.

Small Business Affiliates/Nonmember Booths
Small Business Affiliate and nonmember booths will be assigned beginning November 12, 2007. You will be given 48 hours to make your booth selection.

Organizations can exhibit at GITA’s Geospatial Infrastructure Solutions Conference without becoming Corporate Members of the association. The fees are slightly higher, so why not join as a member and enjoy all the benefits of membership?

Limited Marketing Budget?
Make your presence known at Geospatial Infrastructure Solutions Conference 31 with a mini exhibit. Display your company literature on-site in Seattle and get a hot link from the GITA Web site—all for just a few hundred dollars. Contact GITA’s exhibits coordinator at 303-337-0513 or info@gita.org for details.

Subleasing of Space Corporate Members may occupy a portion of another corporate member’s booth provided that the shared booth is the equivalent of at least one 10’ x 10’ booth for each sharing Corporate Member company, e.g., two Corporate Members sharing a booth need a minimum 10’ x 20’ booth space.

Corporate Members sharing exhibit space cannot apply the 10’ x 10’ booth that is associated with each Corporate Sponsor or Contributor membership to the cumulative booth space. There is no refund associated with the Corporate member’s complimentary 10’ x 10’ booth included in the corporate membership package. Exhibit space is assigned only when a completed membership application and payment in full are received at GITA.

Nonmember Logo Display
Exhibitors may display logos of nonmember companies in their booth at no extra charge. However, this does not permit the presence of nonmember company personnel, products, and literature within the booth. To ensure the integrity of the show floor, the primary exhibitor must have the main presence.

Conference Event Sponsorships!
Get the most out of your Corporate Membership with GITA by choosing one of the exciting conference event sponsorships below. You’ll enhance your visibility and strengthen your corporate identity at the show. Align your organization with GITA, the leading professional association serving the geospatial industry. Reserve your sponsorship today by calling Henry Rosales, GITA’s deputy executive director, by calling 303-337-0513 or e-mailing hrosales@gita.org. Please note that the previous year’s sponsors will be given priority on sponsorship items.Grand Sponsorship $30,000 This premier sponsorship gives your organization the highest level of exposure at this prestigious event.

Grand Sponsorship Benefits Include:
■ Corporate signage/logo at main entrance and registration area
■ Signage at the Opening Session
■ Thank-you announcement during the Opening Session
■ Signage at the President’s Reception along with a special thank you
■ Corporate logo on cocktail napkins at President’s Reception
■ Advertisement on the inside front cover of the Conference Program—the only non-GITA ad in the entire program.
■ Pre-conference attendee list
■ Corporate logo on the GITA Web site
■ Top billing on sponsor thank-you announcement in all attendee bags
■ Advertisements in every preconference issue of Networks, GITA’s online newsletter targeting all GITA members
■ Logo on all promotional pieces printed after the signing of the sponsorship agreement. ■ Two full-conference registrations

Chair Massage Station $15,000
■ A professional massage station with your corporate logo on the exhibit floor providing attendees a free five-minute back massage. This would make a great addition to your booth! GITA will provide the extra booth space if required.

Cyber Café $15,000
■ A sponsorship exclusive, with corporate signage/logo on the highly popular Internet café. Conference

Attendee Bags $12,500
■ Corporate logo printed on high-quality attendee bags along with one piece of literature and a gift, or one disk/CD and gift in each bag.

Badge Lanyards $10,000
■ Company logo on all badge lanyards, placed in all attendee bags and available at the registration counters and membership booth.

Official Conference T-Shirt $10,000
Put your logo alongside the GITA logo on a high-quality T-shirt that will be given to each full-conference attendee.

Seated Luncheon $5,000
Exclusive luncheon for seminar attendees.
■ Corporate signage/logo on all tables
■ A five-minute presentation by your company representative

Exhibit Hall Boxed Lunch $5,000 For all attendees.
■ Corporate signage/ logo on all tables
■ Sponsor-provided logo shirts on wait staff (if desired)

Conference Proceedings $3,000
■ Company logo on the CD cover containing comprehensive conference proceedings with extremely long shelf life. Once opened, your corporate logo and ad will appear.

Seminar Breakfasts $2,000 each day
Continental breakfast for seminar attendees only on Sunday and Monday.
■ Corporate signage/logo on all tables

Conference Bag Gift Items $1,000 each
■ Put your sponsor-provided logo pens or logo notepad in each conference bag.

Conference Bag Inserts $1,000
■ A limited number of sponsors will include one piece of literature in each attendee bag.

Tuesday and Wednesday Breaks $750 to $1,000
Your corporate signage/logo will be prominently displayed at each break station you sponsor. Choose from Sunday morning, Sunday afternoon, or Monday morning at $750, or Tuesday morning, Tuesday afternoon, or Wednesday morning at $1,000.

Web Banner Ad on GITA Conference Page
$750/month Reach thousands of interested GIS professionals through GITA’s popular Web site. Don’t miss out; site visits skyrocket in the three months prior to the conference.

Water Station $250 each
Your corporate logo on each water station you sponsor. Stations will be located throughout the convention center.

Exhibitor Action Plan
Follow these five steps to make your experience at GITA’s Geospatial Infrastructure Solutions Conference 31 a success!

1. RESERVE YOUR BOOTH SPACE Choose your level of membership and submit your membership application and contract to GITA headquarters. Corporate Sponsor booth space is assigned first, followed by Corporate Contributors, Small Business Affiliates, and nonmembers.

2. RESERVE YOUR HOTEL SPACE After your application has been processed and you have booked your hotel rooms, information will be sent to you so that you can reserve any function space for hospitality events.

3. REVIEW YOUR EXHIBITOR SERVICE KIT The online Exhibitor Service Kit, containing order forms, marketing opportunities, registration information, and other details, will be available in January. Please review the information carefully and pass along any relevant information to others in your company who will be participating.

4. WATCH FOR EXHIBITOR UPDATES Watch for e-mails titled Solution Sentinel regarding updates on activities to prepare you for Geospatial Infrastructure Solutions Conference 31! Our exhibitor updates will keep you informed of conference happenings, remind you of important deadlines, and provide useful tips on making the conference a success.

5. INVITE YOUR POTENTIAL CLIENTS Prior to the conference, Corporate Members will have the opportunity to purchase attendee mailing lists for pre-conference promotions and invitations. Each exhibitor will receive 20 free exhibit-only guest passes that can be used to invite existing and potential clients to visit the exhibit area.

WATCH FOR ADDITIONAL GITA MARKETING OPPORTUNITIES!
■ Event sponsorships
■ Exclusive advertising opportunities in Conference News, the on-site news daily
■ Promotional opportunities on the GITA Web site
■ Discounted exhibit space and sponsorships at the 2008 GIS for Oil & Gas Conference and Exhibition