FedGIS 2027 and the Two Clocks
Esri holds its Federal GIS Conference on February 9 and 10, 2027. Both days run at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center, 801 Allen Y. Lew Place NW, Washington, DC 20001.
Two separate clocks govern this trip. One belongs to your registration. The other belongs to your room. The dates do not line up. One sentence on Esri's registration page explains why the second clock exists.
The Registration Clock
Esri publishes its cancellation terms on the registration page. A cancellation received after January 11, 2027 forfeits 50 percent of the registration fee. A confirmed registrant who cancels after January 26, 2027 forfeits the entire fee. A registration received after January 26, 2027 is not eligible for a refund.
Substitutions are allowed at any time. If a colleague can take the badge, the fee stays with your organization.
The two cut-offs work in sequence. January 11 is the last day a cancellation costs nothing. January 26 is the last day a cancellation costs less than the full fee.
The Room Clock Is Separate
Esri's registration page carries one line about accommodation: cancelling your registration will not cancel your hotel reservations, if applicable.
That line sets the problem in one sentence. One cancellation closes your registration. A second cancellation closes the room. Each decision needs its own date, and the property sets the second one.
Esri's overview and registration pages carry no hotel block, no housing partner and no nightly rate. The room is your own procurement, and the release date is whatever the property writes into your confirmation.
Set the Room Release Date on or After January 26
One rule removes most of the risk. Ask for a cancellation deadline that falls on or after January 26, 2027.
A room releasable on January 26 lets you settle both decisions on the same day. A room that locks in December sets the room decision before January 11 arrives.
The arithmetic is short. January 11 to January 26 is 15 days. January 26 to the February 9 opening is 14 days. A room released on January 26 costs nothing and leaves the registration decision intact.
What Esri Charges
The general attendee rate runs in three steps. Early bird registration costs $899 and closes October 23, 2026. Standard registration costs $949 and closes January 8, 2027. Late and on-site registration costs $999 with no deadline.
Other categories hold their own ladder. State and local government employees pay $299, $349 or $399 across the same three windows. Students, education attendees and Esri Young Professionals Network members pay $179. Esri international distributors pay $275 early or $375 late. US federal government employees, non-US national government employees, and nonprofit or nongovernmental organization attendees register at no charge.
The early bird step saves $50 against the standard rate and $100 against the late rate. That window closes on October 23, 2026. The fee ladder and the room clock move independently, so take the registration discount on its own date and book the room on a flexible rate.
The Late Step Has No Deadline
Esri's rate table lists the Late/On-Site step at $999 with no deadline, so a badge stays available at that price to the last week. A late decision on the badge stays open. A late decision on the room carries its own cost.
The Booking Sequence
Step one: register, and take the early-bird rate if your category has one.
Step two: book two nights, from February 8 to February 10, on a fully refundable rate.
Step three: write the property's release date into your calendar beside January 26.
Step four: review the trip on January 12. A cancellation at that point forfeits half the fee, so the decision still costs less than waiting for January 26.
Step five: if the trip drops, cancel the registration and cancel the room. Two calls, two written confirmations.
Getting to the Building
The Convention Center sits above the Mt. Vernon Square/7th Street-Convention Center station on the Green and Yellow lines. The Red Line stops at Gallery Place-Chinatown, a five-minute walk away. There is no parking on site, and garages around the building charge hourly or daily rates.
A room beside either station removes the morning drive from a two-day conference.
For Teams of Ten or More
hotelhuddle submits one request to 50 or more hotels in the destination. Hotels respond with rates, terms and perks within 24 to 72 hours, and the platform adds no commission. The platform defines a group rate as a block of 10 or more rooms, so ask each property for its own minimum.
DC is not on the platform's restricted-state list. Ask every hotel for its release date inside the response, and compare offers on that date before comparing price. Send the request at /rfp/submit.
Checklist
Registration: confirm your category and its deadline. Early bird closes October 23, 2026.
Room: two nights, February 8 to February 10, fully refundable.
Release date: on or after January 26, 2027, in writing, with the time.
Penalty: the deposit amount and the cancellation charge.
Substitution: confirm the process at confregis@esri.com if a colleague may attend in your place.
Both cancellations: registration first, room second, each with its own confirmation.