Attending the largest genealogy/family history conference in the world is always a joy and a blessing. Every year it seems to get more meaningful and helpful for me.
I have come a long way from when I was a hostess at the first “World conference on records” at the same venue, August 5-8, 1969. At that time my only duty was to direct the attendees to the correct room. I was required to make my own red hostess dress with white trim, and be somewhat familiar with the layout of the building. The hostesses were to be easy to spot, so standing in a prominent place was the main requirement. My spot was in the main foyer, where I smiled and directed to the best of my ability. I attended no classes and learned nothing.
What a difference this last one was. The classes offered were so varied and interesting and vied with each other for my attendance. Thank goodness there was a syllabus available for purchase, so the material would be accessible for study later.
The innovator summit that kicked off the conference had a number of classes dealing with starting a business, coding, future technology, marketing and advertising.
It was interesting to see the competing inventions, all trying to make it easier for us to find and compile our family history.
It was definitely overload to attend so many classes and try to grasp all the information. Reading through the class outline in advance helped some, but last minute changes or classes too full to admit me, made it challenging.
The offerings have shifted some as DNA has become more and more a vital topic. Several classes were offered in that area. Cell phone apps were also a major addition, as more and more apps are opening up the research possibilities on the go. How to handle your photos,videos and other memorabilia in the best way for safekeeping, was addressed in many ways. The legalities of copying or disseminating material you come across in your research, how to engage your children in family history, ideas for getting grandparents interviewed, were some of the offerings.
The classes that dealt with specific research areas were also many in number. Scandinavia, Britain, France, Africa, Mexico, Germany, Italy were represented. Helpful presentations were given on finding Jewish records and how to work with Native American ancestry. In connection with the African Heritage day at the conference, several classes were offered on everything from oral histories to the Freedmen’s Bureau records.
Nuts and bolts classes on research techniques and insight into the major research search engines, were very welcome. It was amazing to see classes highlighting so many record types, from newspapers and magazines to hospital and dog license records.
If anyone wants a complete list of classes offered, let me know and I will send them a copy of the schedule.
The Expo hall had over 200 booths. It was an adventure to meander around and try to drink in some of the amazing mini classes and presentations offered there.
In fine, there was not enough time in the four days to do it all. It was a complete deluge of information and I loved it.
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