RootsTech Genealogy Conference

Picture this

8,000* people

from

49 states (all but South Dakota)

32 countries

Add to this mix 

4,000* youth on Saturday for their own track of classes

This was the fourth annual RootsTech conference, a convention that brings together the geeky, nerdy, techy, often young people and the often older genealogists.  The idea is to get the techy people excited about making applications that will help the genealogists find family and tell and preserve information about those families. 

And - to help the genealogists learn how to use the technology. 

The conference ran Thursday, Friday and Saturday in Salt Lake City

200+ sessions

137 vendors in the exhibit hall

The Salt Palace Convention Center is a large enough venue that people could spread out and you didn’t feel you were crushed in a crowd. It was right across the street from my hotel so I could dash over in the cold of the morning without a coat - and not have to keep track of a coat all day. 

I stayed at the Shiloh, one of the earliest high-rise hotels in downtown Salt Lake City. It's outlined in red neon at night. Recently it was bought and will be remodeled and reopened as part of the Holiday Inn brand. 

The exhibit hall is one of my favorite places at a conference

With 137 vendors - this exhibit area was HUGE 

the whole length of the lower level in this picture

 it went on 

and on 

and on

The black area in this picture was reserved for "unconferencing." 

If you look closely you can see a white board outside the area. 

Anyone could write a topic on an open timeslot 

and lead a discussion on any genealogy topic.

OCLC/WorldCat had the booth on the left. This "collective collection" of the world's libraries is based in Dublin, Ohio. I went up to talk with the people expecting to talk "Ohio." The woman at the booth worked for OCLC but just moved from Seattle to San Francisco. The man with her was from FamilySearch. They were congratulating each other on the partnership they've developed between their two organizations. 

The demonstration area was a favorite part of the exhibit hall. The soft leather couches were a wonderful place to rest and listen to short presentations by vendors. Free popcorn, lemonade, soda and recharging stations for miscellaneous devices - all available nearby. 

Some classes were taught in computer labs

Most classes were in large meeting rooms

Some of the classes I attended - 

Storytelling in the Sea of Social Media 

Using YouTube for Family History 

Self-Professed Uber-Organized Freaks Talk Genealogy Tech Organization

Using Social Media to Break Down Brick Walls

Using Flipboard program for Genealogy

Pinterest for Genealogy
Several classes on how to share stories online

Information Overload - Managing Online Searches & Their Results

About 4,000 youth joined the fun on Saturday. 

There was a special track of classes for them. 

This was a fantastic conference!

I enjoy learning. 

I enjoy being with people who are enthusiastic about 

finding, preserving, and sharing stories about ancestors. 

Everyone has a story. 

Everyone should be remembered.

Click on "Utah" label to the right for more posts on this trip

*preregistration