RootsTech 2017!
Well there’s literally only a month to go until the biggest genealogy show on the planet hits Salt Lake City, Utah!
Held yearly, RootsTech has become one of the “must-attend” genealogy events for many around the globe. Each February thousands of genealogists converge on Salt Lake City, to attend this four day event. Organised by FamilySearch, the number of attendees has been around25,000 for the past couple of years, but they are expecting over 30,000 in 2017.
And this year I’ll be one of them.
When: 8-11 February, 2017
Where: the Salt Palace, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA
the Salt Palace Convention Center, Salt Lake City, Utah
I’ve booked my flights, my accommodation, and paid my registration to attend, and can’t wait. This will actually be my third RootsTech, having attended in 2013 and 2015. Both of them were a whole heap of fun mixed with a whole heap of exhaustion. But I’ve made so many new friends from around the world, and had the pleasure of meeting many of the big names in the genealogy industry as well. And I look forward to doing it all again.
So now you have the When and Where, but what about the Why?
So what’s so good about RootsTech?
– Well for a start there are over 200 talks you can choose from, as well as workshop classes you can attend.
– There are celebrities like LeVar Burton, Buddy ‘Cake Boss’ Valastro, and the Scott Brothers who will be there to talk about their stories.
– There’s an absolutely enormous expo hall, filled with hundreds of exhibitors.
– There’s the Innovator Summit and Showdown, which features the latest and greatest in the technology+genealogy field.
– There is a Family Discovery Day, so bring along the whole family!
– You can watch demonstrations of websites and software
– You can bring photos along to get dated, and heirlooms along to be valued, and charts to get printed, get one-on-one help with your research.
– In the past they had a story-booth where you could video record your own story in a sound-proof booth, and they have had scanners to scan photos and documents as well – these may be there again this year, I don’t know.
the Expo Hall
You’re probably getting the idea that it truly is non-stop action between the talks and expo hall. IT IS. There’s just so much to do, to see, and to hear. And four days actually isn’t long enough to take it all in.
And then of course there’s the evenings, where you meet up with friends for dinner or drinks, stay up too late, and then do it all again the next day. I guarantee that I shall be coming home to have a rest after it all!
my autograph book
So now I have 4 weeks to get everything organised. My clothes, my autograph book, my research, find all my US plugs, decided what tech toys I’ll take, and then wonder how it will all fit into one suitcase!
RootsTech at home
Oh and for those who can’t make it to RootsTech, keep en eye out on their website for the livestream schedule. They’ve done it before, and I’m sure they will again, where they livestream a number of the keynote talks. Also a number of other talks are filmed and put up on their website or YouTube to watch later. So you still get to experience some of RootsTech from home.
For more on RootsTech:
Check our their website www.rootstech.org
Have a read of 7 Reasons to Attend RootsTech 2017
And 5 More Reasons to Attend RootsTech 2017
5 Responses to “RootsTech 2017!”
Leave a Reply
What’s on?
Free Stuff
Proud to have my blog on
You seem just a little excited.. look forward to hearing all about it.
Yes, very excited. I’ll certainly blog about it all, but it might be once I get back! 🙂
Sounds so wonderful. Looking forward to hearing all about it. I’m sure you’ll have a great time
It’s truly an incredible experience – unlike anything I’ve ever had at Aussie genie conferences. The atmosphere is so electric. There is just an incredible vibe. If you ever get the chance, don’t hesitate, just GO!
It will be so good to see you. Roll on Rootstech.