Saturday, February 24, 2018

ROOTSTECH PREPARATION ~ MY FIRST TIME ATTENDING

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I’m pretty excited that I will be attending Rootstech for the very first time this year.  It’s been on my wish list for a long time.  Why not?  It’s the biggest genealogy conference in the world, with thousands of attendees, hundreds of speakers and a huge exhibit hall.
 
I’ve been to Salt Lake City and the Family History Library twice.  Once in 2011 and again in 2015.  But, never during a big seminar or conference.  This at least makes me familiar with the library, the Plaza hotel and the surrounding area.  My friend Pam is joining me, coming in from Colorado. She started her genealogy journey not long ago and is anxious to learn more.  I expect we will both be overwhelmed by the sheer number of people, classes and activities.

THINGS I’M LOOKING FORWARD TO
  • Meeting face to face some of the people who have been my virtual friends for several years.
  • Attending the plethora of classes that are offered each of the four days.  It’s very difficult to choose which ones to attend.
  • Walking through and experiencing all the vendors in the exhibit hall.  I’ve hear reports there will be as many as 200 of them. 
  • Being able to share my passion for family research with my friend of over 30 years and helping her with her research.
  • Spending time at the FHL and hoping to find some of the hidden treasures and dare I hope….break down a brick wall.
  • Being around others who share my love for our ancestors and making sure they are never forgotten.
WHAT I’VE DONE TO PREPARE
  • I long ago made my reservation for the conference and my hotel reservation at the Plaza.  And, of course, my plane reservation.
  • Over the past several months I have been making a list of the people, places and things I want to look for.  Whether it’s microfilm or books.  I keep this list in Evernote so it is with me on all my devices.
  • I do all my work on my desktop PC.  Of course I’ll need to take my laptop and I’ll be taking my iPad.  I’ve made sure that everything that’s on my desktop is also on my laptop.  All the programs I use for editing, my Legacy program etc. are all synced up. 
  • I’ve made new “business” cards so that I can share them with the people I meet.  My genealogy is not really a business, but it’s an easy way to share websites, email and phone numbers with others. 
  • I’ve downloaded the Rootstech app to all my devices.
  • I’ve pre selected the classes I’d like to attend.  They are first come first serve, so I also need to be sure I have a second choice for that time slot.
  • I’ve washed and packed all my clothes.  It’s not easy for a southern California girl  to prepare for the cold weather in Utah this time of year.  I hope I’ve chosen wisely and brought enough layers.
  • I’ve secured my ride to the airport.
  • Now…..I just wait until Monday for my flight and let the fun begin. 
I’m hoping to be able to write a blog post or two while I’m attending the conference.  But…I won’t be surprised if I’m so busy or tired, I don’t write until I get home.
 
If you will be attending, please look me up on the Rootstech app and get in touch.  The more people I meet the more fun I’ll have.

Happy hunting,
Michigan Girl
Copyright ©  2010-2018   Diane Gould Hall
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.  NO USE WITHOUT PERMISSION

9 comments:

  1. You'll have a great time. I'm looking forward to meeting you.

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    1. I’m sure that I will Linda. Can’t wait to meet you too.

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  2. Have a great time with your friend Pam meeting up with all our genealogy friends, attending classes, and grabbing all the freebies from vendors. I want to hear all about the keys you find to open the doors in your brick walls.

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    1. I wish you were going to be there Cathy. I hope I get to share some good stories about at least 1 of my many brick walls. I'm hopeful, as always. It should be pretty overwhelming. The only other big conference I've been to is Jamboree back in 2016. I'll be attending Jamboree again this year. Thanks for your good wishes.

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  3. This will be my second time attending RootsTech. It's awesome! I hope to finally meet you in person this coming week. :)

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    1. We are gonna meet in person, no doubt about it. We can message each other via the app or cell # etc. I know we'll make it work. Looking forward to seeing you.

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  4. I have been three times. Decided to give this year a rest. I have noticed the volume of attendees has been steadily climbing. Make sure to spend some time wandering the vendor hall. It can be tough to get from one class to the next, particularly when they are a distance apart. Pay attention to that issue when you are planning. Since I have sometimes arrived at a class after it was full, especially for popular sessions, this can be frustrating. If you like decent ethnic foods, there are a few within walking distance, although they are long city blocks to walk, and there are too many homeless around, even in winter. When I attended the last two times, I stated out by the airport to keep the cost down. I rode the light rail from the airport to the stop right by the venue. Jack Dozier

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    1. Well, Jack, it is incredibly crowded and you are entirely correct about getting from one class to the next. The vendor hall opened this evening, but we were at dinner. I will be spending time there tomorrow for sure. I’ve had fun meeting some of my fellow bloggers with whom I’ve only had a virtual relationship with for as long as 6 or 7 years. Will I attend again? Yet to be determined.
      Thanks for stopping by.

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  5. Are you going to give a trip report on your RootsTech adventure?

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I look forward to reading your comments. If you have any connection to the people mentioned in this blog, please let me know. I write about mine and my husband's ancestors and would welcome new information or meeting a new cousin or two. Thanks for visiting and come back soon.