It’s amazing what the important things are at conferences/events like this …. the carpet colour, the length of the queue for the ladies toilet and how good the catering is!! Well, that’s what people seem to be talking about a lot anyhow! As I mentioned yesterday, the carpet is blue. Much easier on the eye than the bright pink of last year and more ‘corporate colours‘ I would say? The ladies toilet queues have been rather long (so I am told) though clearly I managed to select a ‘good time’ as there were no such issues when I visited!
This year’s event is the first time that I am completely itinerant. For as many years as I can remember, I have been behind one stand or another, publicising a society or organisation of some ilk. Today, I have just been me and I’ve been able to talk to whoever I wanted to, avoid whoever I wanted to (successfully I might add) and generally network with fellow genealogists.
The beginning of the day started well – breakfast in the Hilton with Dick Eastman and Mia Bennett followed by a brisk walk to the NEC. With no plan whatsoever, I pottered around a few stands prior to ‘official opening’ and managed to locate the enormous bag of marketing goodies (for The Surname Society and Society for One-Place Studies) with some long-standing friends at Devon Family History Society to avoid rupturing my back on Day 1.
Although I have neither attended or given any lectures, I did a two-hour stint on the Ask The Experts tables, helping members of the public with their queries. Some initially filled me with dread but in fact, each and every case I managed to advise on and even made significant progress for some individuals.
Networking is the key at these events and it is lovely to meet up with so many fanatical genies in one place. Apparently, we are returning here to the NEC next year – so the sign outside tells me – from 28 to 30 April 2016. Date in the diary….
And now to the Findmypast evening reception, in their 1939 Tea Rooms! How lovely to be invited and thankfully, we do not to have to dress up!
[Note to self: Tomorrow, I must attend some lectures – perhaps most importantly, my own!]
