RootsTech Connect 2021 - 5 Days to Go

 

Did you know that RootsTech Connect starts next Wednesday, February 24th, at 7:00pm Eastern time? That's right, it is only 5 days away and the participants are doing everything they can to get ready for it. The Expo Hall opens Wednesday at 7:00pm and gives attendees the opportunity to interact with the various vendors, see their sales, and ask them questions. I will be hosting chats at The Family History Guide's booth for 6 hours (8:00am-11:00am Thursday & Friday) during the conference but we will have people there throughout the entire conference to answer your questions. Each vendor will have their own virtual page at RootsTech with open chats and some will have their own classes going on during RootsTech. When RootsTech was in person, many people had to choose between attending classes and visiting the vendors. Now that it is virtual, you can set your own schedule and not worry about missing a class.

Classes, or sessions, will be on demand and you can set up your own playlist. Each session will have a virtual site where you can view the class, find similar classes, and leave chat messages for the speakers. Most sessions are about 20 minutes in length but some are up to an hour with several 20 minute sessions. The 18 page list of English language sessions can be found here. There will also be talks in over 35 other languages and every talk will be translated into 11 different languages so viewers around the world will be able to participate. I will be presenting a session on Adding Maps to Your Family History Analysis so be sure to stop in and chat with me. 

There will also be live keynote speakers but don't worry if you miss them. Their talks will be on demand after their live event. The keynote speakers begin on Wednesday at 11:00pm Eastern and run nearly every hour with a new speaker until 2:00pm Saturday. The keynote schedule can be seen here.

There will also be live Zoom panel discussions throughout the conference. These discussions are part of the Let's Do Good Together initiative. The panels will consist of around 4-6 panelists discussing the specific topic and will be open to audience participation and may have breakout sessions so you can talk to others about the topics. Each hour long discussion will also have an open chat room during the conference. Participants can post their questions or ideas, network with others, and encourage and inspire others to do good for the genealogy community. I will be participating in several of these events as a host or panelist. The three topics I will be participating in include Community Reconstitution Projects, Inspiring Youth in Family History, and Incorporating Family History in School Curriculum. We hope to have great discussions and send you all home inspired to try some of these initiatives in your community.

There are many other things planned including cultural events, a song contest, adding your family photos to a mosaic image, and much more. You can also participate in the Relatives at RootsTech activity. Once you log into the Relatives at RootsTech event you will be able to see all of your relatives attending the conference here. This is based on your tree on FamilySearch so make sure your FamilySearch tree is up to date. Once you discover a relative, you will be able to direct message them and begin your discussion. I guarantee you that you will not get much sleep during this event.

Thinking about all the activities that will happen during the three days may be overwhelming but you can plan your days around the events you want to participate in. The class sessions will be available for one year after the conference so you can go back to your favorite ones anytime you want or find ones that you haven't already watched anytime during the year. I believe I saw that there were over 1500 class sessions available so you are bound to find something.

So how big is RootsTech anyway? At last count, there were nearly 326,000 registered participants! They represented 226 countries and territories and I believe there were only 5 countries that were not represented at the event.

And did I mention that this conference is FREE!? That's right, when was the last time you were able to attend a worldwide event from the comfort of your home, visit nearly 100 vendors, and see over 1500 genealogy sessions all for free?

You are all invited to experience this first of its kind worldwide event and experience how RootsTech can inspire you to connect and discover your family! Registration will be open until the end of the conference on Saturday but don't wait until then to register. You will want to experience the whole event and meet participants from around the world.