RootsTech – I’ve been attending for four years now! How is that even possible? I have to confess, in Year One (back in 2016), I had no idea what to expect. I am not entirely sure I do now! We had earned a reasonable sum on an estate commission back in 2016 and Sylvia Valentine @HistoryLady2013 said “Why don’t we go to RootsTech?”
I merely got in touch with Silver Compass and asked Kit to look into flights and accommodation. How I even got to the airport half packed is beyond me, but those who know me know that is not unusual! (Well known for working better under pressure, that’s me!) Sylvia had encouraged me to be an ambassador in 2016 and each year, I have added an extra string to my bow. 2017: Speaker and Ambassador, 2018: Speaker, Ambassador and Bronze Sponsor. This year, we (FWL) are just bronze sponsoring. Oh and I am an ambassador, flying the flag for the UK and the Commonwealth (looking forward to the annual Commonwealth gathering, @geniaus!).
We arranged all the flights and our lovely rented home many months ago now. All sorted, paid for etc. And then, January arrived. And then January was over and suddenly, it’s almost time to fly! Not everyone is lucky enough to fly though, for various and numerous reasons, but never fear – you don’t have to miss out! If you’re interested in genealogy or family history, you really should get RootsTech firmly in your diaries.
I am sure I’ve told you before, Rootstech is the world’s largest family history and technology conference and trade show which is held in the ‘mecca’ of family history – Salt Lake City, Utah. This year, the event will run from 27 February to 2 March. With over 300 workshops and numerous keynote speakers, you’ll be well on your way to learning and researching into your own family histories and stories. AND you can do this from the comfort of your own armchair as many of the sights and skills from the conference will be streamed live on the RootsTech home page! For more information before the event, further details of the live stream schedule are available here.
If you are attending from home, you will miss out on the experience of the large Expo Hall – a sight to behold, as it’s huge! That’s where we will be. This year, we (well, three of us!) fly from Bristol. Ideal for us! We meet Carole Steers @lazyloverUK and John Boeren @antecentedia_nl in Amsterdam before our long haul to Salt Lake City. For John, Katherine and David, it will be their first trip so, exciting times. Of course, #MiniMDFWL will be in tow (as always). Having made her debut @RootsTech2018, she’ll be infamous on Twitter and Facebook, with sponsors and exhibitors queuing up to take pictures!
So, now you know what all the excitement is about, keep following our blogs and if you don’t already follow us on Twitter and on Facebook or me personally on Twitter or Facebook, you might want to now! During RootsTech we will be posting a series of blogs for you to read at your leisure and keeping you up to date on the social media platforms as much as we can, so you can keep up to date with all of our shenanigans and experience this amazing journey with us!
Written by the Real MD@FWL (not the Mini version)!
