Worldwide Genealogists Are Getting Ready For RootsTech/FGS 2015!

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I am pretty excited to be attending RootsTech/FGS 2015 which starts next week in Salt Lake City. It appears that the weather is going to surprise all of us and we will have pleasant temperatures and no chance of snow. I have been to Salt Lake City three times in the late January time-frame and although we had cold temperatures and snow, the City does an amazing job of clearing sidewalks. No matter the weather, it is a beautiful and clean city to walk, shop and visit mecca (the Family History Library).

I am an FGS Ambassador so I have posted on my personal blog for the past few Sundays about preparing for the conference. Over the weekend I worked on my packing list, made a shopping list for the few things I needed to pick up, and worked on some handouts to use with my session “Who Does That? An Introduction to One-Name (surname) Studies.” I think we will have a good time on Friday, February 13^th (thank goodness I am not superstitious!) at 1:00 pm and if you have any interest in learning a bit about surname research or one-name studies, please join me! 

I am a member of the Guild of One-Name Studies and am quite excited to finally meet several other Guild members – Jill Ball, Julie Goucher, Paul Howes, Drew Smith, Helen Smith, Darris Williams, Russ Worthington – to name a few. It will also be nice to finally meet up with several of my genealogy friends (although I “know” them online, we haven’t met in person) Jen Baldwin, Linda McCauley, Caroline Pointer, Pat Richley-Erickson, Cheri Hudson Passey, and Thomas MacEntee.

So this morning I sat down and played with both the online and the mobile versions of the schedule/agenda for the conference. It is a bit overwhelming and if you are going to RootsTech/FGS you will definitely want to spend some time reviewing all your choices. Here are a few tips that might help you go through the process. 

1. Be sure to have your transportation and accommodation information on both your smartphone/tablet and printed out (you just know Murphy’s Law will wreak havoc otherwise). Are there any special things you need to think about – like checking in with the airlines, confirming your hotel reservation, determining if you will have excess luggage charges, contacting your credit card companies to let them know you will be traveling (and charging in a distant place), having cash (you remember cash) for the taxis, porters, or last minute minor purchases.
2. Put together a rough draft of your schedule. I use a page a day while I am playing around and I list the days and time to check in (and register) with RootsTech and/or FGS. Do you know where you are going at the Salt Palace and what you need to pick up your registration packet (hint – photo identification). Get that “stuff” early so you can go through it at your leisure and “lighten your load.” Have a highlighter or pen handy for making notes on the conference guide and marking the booths at the Exhibit Hall that you don’t want to miss. You can also do this on the mobile apps – so whether you are old school (paper and pen) or new school (mobile apps) or a combination of both, take the time to note the “must see” and “must do” booths and sessions.
3.  What is on my page a day sheets right now?
• The general session (and whether I plan to attend)
• The sessions I am interested in by session number, title, time and location (and if there are alternates, I make a note of both – something may change, a session might be full, or I might not decide until the last minute – bring a coin to toss!)
• My plans for lunch – whether a planned lunch or an idea of a walk and a place nearby to try
• The late afternoon or evening social or program (and whether I registered and have my ticket or confirmation)
• My plans for dinner – I will be meeting up with Jill Ball and the Aussie contingent on Tuesday and attending the “after party” at Dear Myrtle’s home on Saturday. In both cases I have responded to the invitation, checked the location, signed up for transportation if need be, and put the information on my sheet.
4. Looking at the page a day sheets shows how much of my time I have pre-scheduled and will be helpful when I decide to print out the syllabus for my final selections – and know there will be print kiosks at RootsTech so why not take advantage of getting your printing done on-site once you have made your selections.
5. I am not going to schedule my sessions back to back to back for the four day conference (I am attending both FGS and RootsTech). Wednesday will be a busy day as it is Society Day and I have lots to learn for the genealogy societies and groups that I belong to, but I will still limit it to four sessions because you start to burn out and stop enjoying and learning if you get too tired. I did check to see which sessions were being recorded and that will help me narrow down my “in person” choices. Thursday is a four session day and Friday and Saturday are both three session days. I certainly want a mix of attending sessions, visiting booths at the exhibit hall, visiting with genealogists at lunches, evening socials and just that sit down and chat time (preferably with a cup of coffee or a glass of wine – depending on the time of day).
6. I intend to focus on sessions that are new to me and will raise the bar a bit (mostly intermediate and advanced sessions OR sessions on topics I am not familiar with and haven’t had in my personal family history). Right now I am leaning toward 21^st Century Italian Genealogy, Native American Research, African American Research, Railroad Records Research, Manuscripts & More, and School Records – to name a few. Hopefully these new ethnic and record type courses will provide some “aha” moments with my own research or add to my knowledge base.
7. Together with three Guild members, I plan to work the FGS Society Showcase on behalf of the Guild on Saturday morning – probably from 10:00 am to 12:00 pm. If you have questions about surname research, one-name studies, researching record sets in various parts of the world – or you simply want to pick up our Guild flyer and chat about how to find out more about your particular surnames, please stop by. I think the FGS Society Showcase will be amazing with flyers from genealogical and historical organizations and societies. It promises to be one of the highlights of the Exhibit Hall with many FGS member groups represented (flyers are available whenever the Exhibit Hall is open so definitely put the FGS Society Showcase on your “must visit” list). 
8. My conference pie (love pie!) is divided into sessions, exhibit hall, meals, research at the FHL, volunteer time, and a little bit of walking to clear my head and get that exercise in. 

How is your conference pie being sliced and what have I left out? Let me know in the comments and please add me to your list of friends in the mobile app (the next project on my to-do list) and let’s meet up, if only to say hi and exchange genealogy cards. This time next week I will be through with my Society Day sessions and ready for the Behind the Scenes FGS Opening Social – hope to see you in Salt Lake City in a week. 

Catch up on your sleep this week and have a safe journey. 

Genealogy Conferencing, You have to do it!

Having just come off the 5th Unlock the Past Genealogy and History conference aboard the Marco Polo I am still living in buzzing world of things found out, new potential areas of research, lots of addresses of new friends and so much more. 

5th Unlock the Past cruisers aboard the Marco Polo 2014

Being with a whole group of people who enjoy researching family history, who talk about new resources, who get excited for you when you tell them about your record finds and who suggest ways of breaking down your brick walls is a fantastic experience. Being part of this atmosphere gives a lasting buzz better than any drug, even better than chocolate!

There are many conferences and seminars from the big conferences lasting four days to ones all the weekend to one day meetings to single lecture offerings.  Many family history societies have a talk at their monthly meetings, quite a lot of libraries now also have a seminar program (and if yours doesn't why not suggest it to them?) and the bigger conferences are often advertised in family history magazines such as the UK Family Tree magazine and online at GenEvA (Genealogical Events and activities).  In the USA there is Dick Eastman's calendar  among other.

In Australia there is the Unlock the Past site which lists events. August is Family History Month in Australia and New Zealand and there are many events listed there by state and an online category.

If you haven't attended a genealogy/family history conference because you feel a little unsure there is no reason for this as family historians are a friendly bunch but if you don't want to go on your own to an event why not bring a friend?

If you are on Facebook (and there are many, many genealogy groups there) ask about what conferences are occurring. Or once you have picked one ask if anyone else is going so you already have a friend there you can meet in person or even travel together.

It is one of my joys in going to conferences in meeting in person my online friends. Also for the big conferences such as RootsTech in Salt Lake City in the USA there is often a Facebook group of people and bloggers who go and we talk about our preparations for the conference, what we are packing and any new tech toys we have found, the best restaurants at which to eat and any tips we have found.

Joining your local society (even if none of your ancestors lived in the area) means you would always have friends interested in going and even more important interested in your genealogy wins throughout the year! Many societies go as a group sharing a car or coach.

Once you decide to go there is generally an Early Bird registration which will save you some money. Booking early for hotels can also be beneficial if you want to stay close to the venue. Sometimes the conference organisers can get special deals for the hotels but these do tend to book out quickly.

You will be able to get a program of what is on, with synopses of the presentations so you can plan your days. We are seeing more of the big conferences with apps so you able to have it on your phone or tablet and which can even give you reminders about the lecture starting in ten minutes with the synopsis and presenter bio information.

Exhibition Hall Who Do Think You Are? Live Feb 2014 London

Another great reason for going to conferences apart from the actual lectures and being with all the like-minded people is the exhibition hall. You will usually find genealogically related items for sale, family history group tables where they often have look-ups available in their databases (often free) and items such as indexes for sale. You will often also find experts in an area of research that may be able to help you break down that brick wall.



Unfortunately I have to go home before Who Do You Think You Are? Live in Glasgow in August but I will be at RootsTech and FGS in Salt Lake City in February 2015 and at the Australasian Congress in Canberra in March 2015 along with a range of other seminars.

I hope to see you at some of these events and do please say hello!