While RootsTech 2019 is still a few months away (27 February-2 March), it isn’t too early to plan on attending. And as the event draws closer, speakers and activities will be announced. After the success of RootsTech 2018, the organizers have decided to keep the same theme for RootsTech 2019: “Connect. Belong.” Once again you will have the opportunity to find your family, connect with them, and relish the belonging.
“There’s so much that goes into connecting and belonging that we couldn’t let this theme go after just one year,” said Jen Allen, RootsTech event director. “Connecting and belonging is an important part of each of our personal journeys. And our goals at RootsTech are to help you move further along your own journey, and help you connect and belong, both past and present.”
To make this coming event run more smoothly, and in an effort to reduce lines at RootsTech, there will be no badge scanning this year. Attendees will be free to attend whichever sessions you have an interest in. In the past, the size of some classrooms has caused problems for participants not being able to attend. The RootsTech team is doing everything possible to adjust the daily schedule and increase the sizes of various classrooms.
Speakers of interest have already been announced. Saroo Brierley will speak on the main stage at 11:00 am, Friday, 1 March. Saroo lost contact with his family as a 5-year-old boy. He was later adopted by an Australian family. But he was unable and unwilling to forget the land of his childhood. Determined to rediscover his part, Saroo pored over Google Earth and eventually found his home town and tracked down his birth mother. Reunited in 2012, their story made headlines across the world, and his full story was recounted in his bestseller, A Long Way Home. His book was later made into the film Lion, released in 2016.
Another announced speaker is Jake Shimabukuro, ukulele master. From the time he was small, the ukulele has been a symbol of his connection to his family, his home, and to the Hawaiian culture he was raised in.
Jake’s records have repeatedly topped the Billboard World Music Charts. He has played for people from all walks of life, including Queen Elizabeth II.
Jake will be the featured keynote speaker at RootsTech on Saturday, 2 March at 11 am. You’ll have the opportunity to hear his story and also listen to him play the instrument like you’ve never heard it before.
If you are unable to attend RootsTech 2019 in person, you can still enjoy the spirit of the conference by viewing all keynote sessions with live streaming and a select number of others sessions on rootstech.org. Because the Family History department hosts Family Discovery Day, these sessions on Saturday, 2 March, can be viewed live on the LDS.org home page. –Liz Kennington