It’s the biggest event in the genealogy calendar, bringing together millions of people worldwide to celebrate family history. Founded in 2011, the first RootsTech conference was held in Salt Lake City, Utah. It’s huge success prompted organisers to travel across the Atlantic, to stage the show in London in 2019. Originally an in-person exhibition, RootsTech was interrupted in 2020 due to COVID. But family historians didn’t miss out; the brilliant team behind the scenes delivered a virtual event, which proved to be surprisingly triumphant.
Sponsored by FamilySearch (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints), the annual conference is accessible – and FREE – to people across the globe, from the comfort of their own home.
But the 2022 RootsTech conference was 4 months ago I hear you say, why are you writing a blog about it now? Well, I wanted to remind you that the show’s thousands of classes are still available online. With topics ranging from DNA to Storytelling, Online Dutch Records to Chinese Tombstones, there really is something for everyone.
The live online event back in March, was full of fantastic Keynote sessions from the likes of Maysoon Zayid, Matthew Modine, and the man himself – the president and CEO of FamilySearch, Steve Rockwood. There was so much to see, including product demos of innovative technology in the ‘Expo Hall’, it was impossible to catch everything during the three days; which is where the brilliant Playlist tool became invaluable.
You can simply search the list of talks, click on the sessions you want to watch, and add them to your personalised playlist to view later. The presentations are available until March 2023, so you have plenty of time to experience what’s on offer.
So far, my favourite sessions have been from Dave Annal, Nick Barratt, Michelle Leonard, Janet Few, Jenni Phillips, Debbie Kennett, Aoife O’Connor, Sue McNelly, Michelle Patient and Else Churchill (although there are still many more I’m planning to watch, including some from Melanie McComb, Taralyn Parker and Alison Spring).
If you’d forgotten the sessions are still available to view (or have been living under a rock and hadn’t heard about this brilliant event), take a look at the website here.
I’d like to leave you with a little something from this year’s show, an extremely catchy song that I love, created just for the conference, celebrating the ethos of RootsTech – Connection.
Breaking News : Next year’s exhibition will be a new hybrid event, taking place in Salt Lake City and online from 2nd-4th March 2023.
Who Am I? Family Tree Research 