Thursday, February 18, 2010

Four Family History Conferences in One Week in SLC

We want to make you aware that four major family history conferences will all happen in one week in Salt Lake City this spring:

· National Genealogical Society 2010 Family History Conference

· Brigham Young University 2010 Conference on Computerized Family History and Genealogy

· Brigham Young University 10th Annual Family History Technology Workshop

· FamilySearch’s 2010 Developers Conference

You may find information at these conferences beneficial in helping members find their ancestors—particularly the free classes for family history consultants and workers that will be offered just before the conferences begin.

The premier event of the week is the National Genealogical Society’s annual conference. The theme for this year's NGS Conference is “Follow Your Ancestral Trail.” It will be held at the Salt Palace Convention Center, Salt Lake City, Utah, on April 28–May 1, 2010.

Many free events are planned in conjunction with this week; a complete schedule is below. Of particular note for family history consultants are classes and a fireside on Tuesday, April 27. Simply bring the Free Consultant Training Pass coupon below for access to the consultant classes. There is also no cost for attending the fireside or any of the other events listed below.

If you want to attend the NGS conference classes, price and registration information can be found at http://www.ngsgenealogy.org/cs/attendee_registration. There is an early-bird discount until March 8, 2010.

Over 200 classes will be presented by industry leaders and experts from the local and national genealogical community as well as staff from FamilySearch. Products and services from genealogy companies will be showcased in an exhibit hall. There you can also meet with specialists for free personal consultations on research questions or problems.

NGS Conference details and the class schedule are available online at: http://www.ngsgenealogy.org/cs/conference_info.

The following free events and resources will be available for consultants in connection with this week of conferences:

Tuesday, April 27

· Consultant Training Seminar at the Conference Center Little Theater. There are two times to choose from: 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. or 1:00 to 4:00 p.m.

· Behind-the-scenes tour of the Family History Library (all day)

· Behind-the-scenes tour of the new Church History Library (4:00 to 6:00 p.m.)

· Consultant Fireside at the Salt Lake Tabernacle at 7:00 p.m. The speaker will be Elder Allan F. Packer of the First Quorum of the Seventy, who is one of the Executive Directors of the Family History Department.

Wednesday, April 28

· FamilySearch Open House at the FamilySearch Center in the Joseph Smith Memorial Building from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Meet and greet product managers and designers for FamilySearch’s new programs and offerings.



Wednesday, April 28–Saturday, May 1



· GenTech Hall, an exhibit displaying the latest technological innovations for family history in the same venue as NGS, is open and free to the public.

· The NGS Conference Exhibit Hall is open to the public daily 8:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.

Thursday, April 29

· “A Celebration of Family History” event in the Conference Center at 7:00 p.m. This evening will feature the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square, along with wonderful guest speakers. Special reserved tickets for this event will be available for consultants. Instructions on how to request tickets will be e-mailed to you in the next few weeks.

Saturday, May 1

· Genealogy Kids Camp, 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. in the Salt Palace conference venue.

Additionally:

· Hours at the Family History Library have been extended until 11 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday during the conference. (Closed during the Thursday celebration.)

· The BYU 2010 Conference on Computerized Family History and Genealogy will be held in Salt Lake City at the same venue as the NGS Conference on Monday, April 26, and Tuesday, April 27. For more information, visit: http://ce.byu.edu/cw/cwcompu/.

· The BYU 10th Annual Family History Technology Workshop will be on Wednesday, April 28, also in the same venue.

· The FamilySearch Developers Conference will be on Tuesday, April 27, in the same venue.

This promises to be a full week of family history learning and activities that will help you better assist the members in your ward. We hope that you will come and enjoy the conference with us. For additional information, please visit: http://familysearch.org/ngs2010.