Attending a Conference: Reflections, Tips, and Advice for First-Time Attendees and Early-Career Professionals
I recently had the opportunity to attend RootsTech 2023 in Salt Lake City, Utah. Reflecting on my experience, I wrote this article to guide future first-time conference attendees and early-career professional genealogists.
While I had participated in smaller conferences such as Midwestern Roots 2022 and FGS 2018, the sheer size of RootsTech left me feeling unprepared for the experience, even though I had prepared extensively. Significant events like RootsTech can be overwhelming even for those who have attended before, let alone for a first-time attendee like myself. Nevertheless, I expected to network, learn, and research in Salt Lake City and was able to do so. I needed to prepare for the scale of networking, learning, and research opportunities that came my way.
Here are my tips for anyone planning to head to Salt Lake City for RootsTech 2024, which will be held 29 February to 2 March 2024, or for NGS in Richmond in June. I’m already planning my trip to Virginia and my return to RootsTech next year.
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About Author
Katharine Korte Andrew
Katharine Korte Andrew is a professional genealogist, author, and educator. She holds a BA in Germanic Studies and Political Science, and a Master of Library and Information Science. She is a frequent lecturer on diverse topics such as German-speaking records, Midwestern USA research, Quaker records, women's history, and institutional genealogy. Katharine is the owner of KKA Genealogy LLC, managing editor of the National Genealogical Society's NGS Monthly, and Director of the Hinsdale Historical Society.
Thank you, this will be helpful if I can go in the future.
Thoughtful tips! These are great reminders as I prepare for the NGS conference. Thank you, Katharine.
Going to be a first-time attendee at Ohio Genealogical Society Conference this month. Good tips, thanks.