If you’ve experienced it you probably don’t need anyone to list off the reasons to attend RootsTech 2018. You know. If you’ve never been, let me help you out by showing you a few photos still on my phone from RootsTech 2017 and 2016.
First off, full disclosure. I’m a RootsTech Ambassador, which means I get some perks at RootsTech, like a free pass and VIP seating. I don’t, however, get any type of commission on RootsTech passes. As I stated in last year’s RootsTech Genealogy Conference: Why You Should Go
I’m not raving about the RootsTech family history conference to fulfill my Ambassador obligations. It’s the other way around. I’m excited about being an Ambassador because I love going to RootsTech.
A few quick swipes through my photo stream on my phone, brought a lot of good reasons to attend RootsTech 2018. Here are my photos (warning, I’m a lot better with my DSL than with my iPhone).
Worth the Travel
1. Salt Lake City is beautiful. There’s something about seeing the sky pinken over the mountains. (Get a room with a view!)
2. Interesting discoveries loom around every street corner in Salt Lake City, whether it’s the art installations, City Creek shopping, or the great restaurants and pubs.
3. Spending a day or three at the LDS church’s Family History Library (FHL) alone would make traveling to Salt Lake City worth the trouble and expense. During RootsTech, the FHL has extended hours and is staffed with volunteers determined to see that your research is successful.
3 – continued: In the FLH (I think of the “the” with the same emphasis as when OSU fans say “THE Ohio State”), history is literally at your fingertips.
A drawer full of microfilm
3 – continued: If your eyes blur at the microfilm, there are books you won’t find in your local library.
The Expo Hall
One of the biggest reasons to attend RootsTech is the fabulous expo hall. According to Amy Archibald’s Why I Attend RootsTech Year after Year article, “You could spend all day every day in the Expo Hall visiting with vendors and not see them all.”
4. The major players in the Family History market are all represented, ready to give you information or even listen to your ideas!
The calm before the storm: The expo hall shortly before it opened last year.
5. Great vendors (like Mia’s books) offer everything from scrapbooking materials to jewelry to photo light boxes to books and software… The list goes on.
6. Wandering around (or walking purposefully), you realize you’re part of something much bigger than yourself, or even your own family history
7. Again, you don’t know what’s (or who) are around the corner, and where you might encounter living history.
The Keynotes:
8. The Keynotes aren’t the same old, same old. RootsTech stresses the Family and Story part of Family History. His stories, her stories, their stories and our stories abound. We haven’t heard the full keynote speaker lineup for 2018, but it does include Olympic Champion Scott Hamilton.
The Property Brothers – Jonathan and Drew Scott told all sorts of family stories.
9. Articulate, thought-provoking speakers
Levar Burton, for instance, explained how StarTrek broke new ground, featuring a future with brown-skinned engineers. You can Listen to it here .
10. Unforgettable moving moments.
Inevitably, one of the speakers will move me to tears. (See What LeVar Burton Taught Us About Storytelling Made Us Cry)
The Courses
11. Instructors that know their stuff! Who better than Kenyatta Berry or Judy Russell to teach a class?
Kenyatta Berry
12. You meet people during classes!
Case in point, I met the lovely Katherine Willson, who lives just down the road from me at RootsTech 2016. Now we’re buds!
Katherine Willson wearing her trademark pink
Other Reasons to Attend RootsTech
13. Genealogists loosen up at RootsTech. It’s not a gathering of stuffed shirts, but a fun celebration of people who share the same passion.
Genealogy Jan Gow rocks an unusual pair of research glasses. Why? For fun!
14. There’s always music, whether on the main stage or in the evening events.
15. The innovations and innovators
Learning about new innovations in the industry is fascinating and the innovators make themselves available to the public. They’re open to new ideas, enhancements, and brainstorming about future solutions to problems. At the showdown, the audience gets to help select the winner!
Picture-less Reasons to Attend RootsTech
16. A great variety of classes. You don’t have to take my word for it, check out the #RootsTech 2018 class offerings online! (My session called “Choosing details: The secret to Compelling Stories” is on Thursday at 4:30 pm.)
17. Early bird pricing. Book now, and you’ll save money!
18. Inspiration: RootsTech leaves you empowered to go out and try new things, whether it’s having another go at that brickwall, acquiring new expertise, or writing a different type of story.
Need more reasons to go? Really? Check out What’s New at RootsTech 2018.
Your Turn:
Don’t wait! Get your pass today.
