Showcase GIS in your community

What venues are available to showcase GIS to local businesses in your community?

How can you use this as an opportunity to develop your own skills or network?

In Duluth, MN there are a number of ways to spread the word to local businesses. After Hours, and Finally Fridays are two great options which are facilitated directly through the chamber of commerce.

After Hours is an informal social networking event for area businesses and their employees to come together to share appetizers and beverages while meeting other local business owners. This happens the third Tuesday of each month from 4:30pm – 6:00pm. The location of this varies each month.

This could be a great place to meet other business owners and spread the word of your work in GIS and practice relating it to a variety of industries.

Finally Fridays is one of the Chambers monthly networking events which provides its participants opportunities to network with one another. Typically, a local business will signup to host the event each month. They will provide a light fare of coffee, rolls, fruit, etc. and a space for people to mingle. They might offer tours of their facility and an introduction to who they are as a business and their contribution to the community. After a tour people are welcome to mingle and network some more before heading out.

This could be a great place to set up some displays of work that a GIS Specialist has created or examples of what could be done for local businesses.

How about your community? What have you found to be a good platform for spreading the word about GIS? Where could you network or share examples of your work?

Comment below and let us know.