The Power of Community

Originally posted by Kristin Quinn on trajectorymagazine.com

In the wake of the sudden, unexpected decision to postpone the GEOINT 2013 Symposium, which was scheduled to be held in Tampa Oct. 13-16, more than 200 Intelligence Community members gathered Oct. 15 for a USGIF special event at the Embassy Suites in Springfield, VA.

As a result of the ongoing government shutdown, USGIF announced Oct. 8 the decision to postpone its 10^th annual GEOINT Symposium to April 2014. The special event offered community members the opportunity to reflect upon this news, look ahead to the spring, and network.

USGIF CEO Keith Masback said there is "no playbook" for postponing an event the size of the GEOINT Symposium, which was expected to bring more than 4,000 attendees and around $5 million in revenue to the Tampa Bay area.

Masback lamented that postponing the Symposium is only one small piece of what has been a challenging time for many individuals and businesses across the Nation as a result of the government shutdown.

"While USGIF is certainly disappointed in this unavoidable delay of our event, we are also cognizant that there have been furloughs and layoffs with profound and lasting impacts," Masback said. "We are especially sorry for the immediate impact to our great partners in Tampa, including our official hotels and the Tampa Convention Center."

"We are a community," Masback told the crowd. "And you have acted like a community with your emails and phone calls of support."

He also expressed his appreciation on behalf of the Foundation's staff for the universally positive engagement by the organization's members, as well as registered exhibitors and attendees.

Additionally, many senior leaders from the Intelligence Community attended the special event to show support for the Foundation, including Director of National Intelligence James Clapper; Deputy DNI for Intelligence Integration Robert Cardillo; Assistant DNI for Acquisition Kevin Meiners; Deputy Undersecretary of Defense for Intelligence, Warfighter Support, and Director of the ISR Task Force LTG Ray Palumbo; National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency Director Letitia Long; NGA Deputy Director Michael Rodrigue; NGA Chief Operating Officer Ellen McCarthy; and Director of the U.S. Army Geospatial Center and U.S. Army GIO Dr. Joseph Fontanella.

Masback asked DNI Clapper and Director Long to briefly address the crowd.

"We certainly all understand the decision that was made and support that and know that the spring is going to be even better--even with all of the challenges that it comes with," Long said.

Long thanked the attendees for being there and expressed appreciation for the community's flexibility throughout a challenging situation.

"It is great to see so many folks coming out here tonight," she said. "We just very much look forward to next spring."

Clapper described the high turnout for the special event as a reflection of the importance of the Foundation and its efforts to foster great relationships between government and industry. He also reiterated Masback's sentiments about the power of community.

"So as we contend with what I call the '4 Ss'--Syria, Sequestration, Snowden, and Shutdown--there has never been a time though when collectively all of us need to hang together more than right now," Clapper said.

The DNI also gave a nod to the many industry partners present.

"I'd be remiss if I didn't take a moment to thank all of the corporate representatives here," Clapper said. "Your presence here tonight speaks volumes about the success of the Foundation, and we'll see you in the spring."

Masback concluded that USGIF intends to communicate thoroughly and often as it shifts its focus toward an April Symposium, and the full array of other Foundation-sponsored events throughout 2014.

For those with questions about the postponement of GEOINT 2013, the Foundation has also published a FAQ document.