#FGS2015 Registration Deadline: ACT NOW!

I received this press release today from the Federation of Genealogical Societies (FGS) regarding their upcoming 2015 Conference in Salt Lake City. I hope that you will join FGS, and me!, for what is sure to be a not-to-miss, once-in-a-lifetime event. And hey! Maybe you could come to one of my lectures? 

For Immediate Release
January 9, 2015

2015 FGS Conference Early registration discount Ends January 23

January 9, 2015 – Austin, TX. The early registration discount for the 2015 Federation of Genealogical Societies Conference ends January 23. Early registrants pay $159 for the full four days. The online registration price increases to $189 after January 23. The cost to add-on RootsTech remains $39. Register now to pay the lowest registration price.

The FGS 2015 conference will be held February 11–14, 2015 in Salt Lake City, Utah in conjunction with RootsTech. Visit www.FGSconference.org to learn how those two conferences will operate while sharing the Salt Palace Convention Center and to find out about sessions, speakers, luncheons, and special events. If you have already registered, log in to your account at FGSconference.org to purchase luncheon tickets.

Subscribe to the FGS Voice blog at www.voice.fgs.org and FGS social media channels (links available at www.FGSconference.org) to keep up with the latest news and announcements about the 2015 conference.

See you in Salt Lake City in February.

About the Federation of Genealogical Societies (FGS)

The Federation of Genealogical Societies (FGS) was founded in 1976 and represents the members of hundreds of genealogical societies. FGS links the genealogical community by helping genealogical societies strengthen and grow through resources available online, FGS Forum magazine (filled with articles pertaining to society management and genealogical news), and Society Strategy Series papers, covering topics about effectively operating a genealogical society. FGS also links the genealogical community through its annual conference -- four days of excellent lectures, including one full day devoted to society management topics. To learn more visit http://www.fgs.org.

Follow us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/FGSgenealogy), Twitter (http://www.twitter.com/FGSgenealogy) and on our blog at (http://voice.fgs.org).

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Contact:       

Federation of Genealogical Societies
PO Box 200940
Austin, TX 78720-0940
phone: +1 (888) 347-1500
fax: +1 (866) 347-1350
office@fgs.org

Making a Plan: #FGS2014

#FGS2014 will be upon us before we know it! I'm starting to prep by creating my conference plan. 

As a conference attendee, planning your days at an event like the Federation of Genealogical Societies Annual Conference can be quite rewarding. It's quite helpful to know in advance which sessions are on your "must-see" list and which special events and luncheons to look forward to. As a conference vendor, volunteer, speaker, ambassador, and attendee, the planning becomes a bit more... complicated. 

Of course, I also want some time for networking, visiting with friends, and toss in the live #genchat that will be done from the venue. All of this pretty much means it's going to be a long week, I'm going to be exhausted when it's done, but I'm going to have a grand time. 

My planning actually started a while ago when I settled on my dates. I'll be in San Antonio the Monday before the conference, and I'll stay through the week, leaving the Monday after. Yes, it's an entire week of heat-filled fun in Texas for me, but I'm going to need it. I'm going to need the time to settle in a bit, get myself organized, and ensure that I have everything I need. That's what Monday is all about. Travel - set up - change of mindset from regular life to conference life. 

The Paid Gigs

As my role with Findmypast will keep me quite busy, I'll use the time on Tuesday to preset some Tweets and other social media from my personal accounts, and to get all those "on site" tasks started as I wait for my team members to arrive. There is always just one more thing to do, and that includes making sure our area in the Expo Hall looks amazing, grabbing some early pictures to tweet out during the show, and confirming hotel reservations for late arrivals.

I'll take some time to go over my session, "Embracing Technology: Tools You Can Use Today to Move Your Society Into Virtual Space," one last time. This is a panel, which I'm co-presenting with D. Joshua Taylor, on behalf of the NextGen Genealogy Network. I'm excited for it, and I hope that the attendees will walk away with new, practical tools to assist their organizations, that they can implement immediately. That's the goal. 

Volunteer - Ambassador - Attendee

This conference is certainly not going to be boring! As a volunteer for the Preserve the Pensions War of 1812 effort, I'm planning on spending some time with that team, working to spread the message of our goals to digitize the pension files from the War of 1812. I'm planning on working my social media network as an FGS Ambassador. And I even get to attend a session or two! I'm looking forward to attending the FGS Society Luncheon on Wednesday, "The State of Our Societies," and "Volunteering From A Distance" with Paula Stewart-Warren. 

I'll be honest, the rest of the sessions on my list are questionable. I'll likely get to one or two, but the paid gig comes first, so it all depends on how busy we are over in the Expo Hall. One thing I do enjoy about these events is working with my fellow team members at Findmypast, and how we all try to look out for each other. Yes, we are there to represent the company and our product, but we also encourage each other to get to sessions and continue our own education. 

How is it possible? 

In discussion with a colleague the other day, I listed out all of my roles during #FGS2014. The question that came was, "how do you do it?" How do I keep it all straight, organized, and be where I'm supposed to be? 

The answer is focused preparation in advance of the event and the use of Excel. I started using Excel a lot more about 12 months ago in all facets of genealogy, and the trend has only continued - in fact - exploded! I now have spreadsheets for everything (I've written about this before), and that includes conferences. I have one for Findmypast and Preserve the Pensions, and each includes daily schedules, people I want to connect with, blogging ideas and social media prompts for myself, and more. 

I also get a lot of material from the FGS Conference website and the conference blog. Both are loaded with great material, that you can access in advance. Of course, that all transitions to the FGS app when I'm on site, so I can stay current on what is happening and have it all at my fingertips. 

Let's go to Texas! 

I've only been to Texas once before, spending a few days in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. I got to meet Troy Aikman on that trip (his hands are huge - woah!) but I am absolutely positive that San Antonio in August will top that! 

I'll be there - with my boots on! Will you? 

RT 1082

“RT 1082.”

Gibberish?

Hardly.


RT1082 is the code assigned to my presentation at RootsTech 2014. I like it. It has an R2D2 ring to it, and that makes me smile.

R2D2. Would't he be cool to have at RootsTech?

Image: Jan SOLO, Wikimedia Commons

I have been looking forward to this adventure for months, and as we get within just days of departure, my anticipation only grows. I have so many people to meet, research to do (yippee!), friends to see again and spend time with, and an entire week of genealogy immersion to enjoy. Without further ado, I would like to take this opportunity to introduce you to my session and those that have agreed to participate in it with me.

“Online Trees: The Root of All Evil?”

This session is a panel discussion, focused on the merits of online trees. It melds together a little bit of me, five panelists, and hopefully an engaged audience that will all come together to create a lively, but also beneficial, conversation regarding the issue of whether or not to place your genealogical research online.


It’s a bit of a hot bed, and I cannot wait to get the discussion going.


After careful planning and consideration, I have invited five people to be on the panel, and I am proud to present them now. In no particular order…

• D. Joshua Taylor, Data Strategy Manager – North America, findmypast.com and President of the Federation of Genealogical Societies.
• Anne Gillespie Mitchell, Senior Producet Manager at Ancestry.com. She is fondly known as "Ancestry Anne"
• Chris Whitten, CEO & Founder of WikiTree
• Laurie Desmarias, Genealogist, Geneablogger at Confusethedead.com and #genchat participant.
• Elissa Scallisse Powell, CG, CGL, Co-Director at GRIP and President of the Board Certification of Genealogists

The session will be conducted on Thursday, February 6, at 2:30 pm in Ballroom A.


I am incredibly pleased to be bringing together a dynamic group of innovators, forward thinkers and leaders in our community for this session. Each of these individuals provides an alternative thought process, a different perspective, and obviously, various backgrounds and experience levels for the conversation to draw from.

I would be remiss if I did not take a moment to thank those that have helped me to get to this point. Speaking at RootsTech has been a goal of mine for some time, and I have had more than one cheerleader on this road.  My wonderful family, my amazing mentor, Kassie Nelson, Rorey Cathcart and Pat Richley-Erickson have been especially helpful, encouraging and are deserving of recognition. 

For those of you who are also attending, I'll see you there! Be sure to connect with me, I love meeting new people. You can tweet me at @ancestryjourney or seek me out some other way. Just be sure to do it! I'm the short girl, with the coffee.

The Countdown Begins

Two years ago, I watched live streamed sessions from RootsTech 2012. I promised myself, less than 15 minutes into the keynote, that I would go. I would go to that conference, attend those sessions, meet those people. More than any other webinar, conference, hangout, or anything else I have ever seen, RootsTech was it. 

And now? 

Not only have I kept that promise to myself by attending RootsTech 2014, I am presenting a session, too. 

Sweaty palms? Check.

Butterflies? Check.

Anxious wake-up-in-the-middle-of-the-night panic moments? Check. 

(Ok, this last one is pushing it a bit. I'm not that nervous!)

What I have more of, though, is friendship and support. 

My mentor will be there. My #genchat friends will be there. Folks that I respect will be speaking, blogging, and otherwise networking (and maybe one or two will even come to listen!). People that I have never met before will be there; thousands of them. 

I always get a little nervous before public speaking, but within five minutes or so, I settle into my topic, and I'm good after that. I enjoy it! Engaging with people, bringing new information to them, sharing something I am passionate about; that is a part of my job I truly enjoy. It fits in so nicely with my three words for 2014, too, doesn't it? 

NGS 2013

While attending the National Genealogical Society Conference last May in Las Vegas, I met some really incredible people. Made some truly lasting friendships, and learned a great deal. Not just about genealogy (that's a given, right?), but about myself as well. I cannot wait to see what happens in Salt Lake City. 

I still have quite a bit to do before we head west, and I'm sure I'll be blogging as I go. If you are planning on attending, please leave a comment so we can connect in person! 

Beyond the conference, the session, and the great folks, I get to spend some time at the Family History Library, too... bliss.