Education

RootsTech 2019

RootsTech 2019 is just a couple of weeks from being launched.  Are you going to be part of that experience?  It isn’t too late to register.  “Connect, Belong,” the theme of this year’s conference, promises to be an exciting and informative event.  Just looking at the lineup of planned speakers suggests that you should be richly rewarded for attending.

There will be no badge scanning this year so everyone registered can attend the classes they desire, whether that class is a basic research class or more advanced session.  Lines should be shorter because of this and because efforts are also being made to better select classroom sizes to fit classes. 

This year the keynote sessions are being held at 11:00 am rather than the previous 9:00 time slot.  This will allow attendees the opportunity to arrive in plenty of time, perhaps attend a class before the keynote, and not miss an exciting moment of each day’s presentation.  Each keynote speaker is unique and brings a variety of experiences to the topic of family history.

Wednesday’s keynote session (February 27) will begin at 4:30 pm with Steve Rockwood, CEO of FamilySearch International, addressing the conference.   Breakout sessions begin earlier in the day at 9:30 am.  The expo hall will open following Rockwood’s address.

Thursday, 28 February, the keynote session will begin at 11:00 am, and Patricia Heaton will address the conference.  Heaton is a familiar face from television’s “Everybody Loves Raymond” and “The Middle,” where she plays mothers.  She has plenty of experience in the field of mothering since she a wife and mother of four. 

Saroo Brierley will address the conference on Friday, 1 March, at 11:00 am.  Brierley was lost from his family as a 5-year-old boy.  He was later adopted by an Australian family.  His story centers around the searching for his family in India and being reunited with his birth mother in 2012.

Saturday, 2 March, Jake Shimabukuro, a ukulele virtuoso, will address conference attendees.  Since he was small, Jake’s focus has been on the ukulele.  He has played for people from all walks of life, including Queen Elizabeth II.

Classes, Thursday-Saturday, begin at 8:00 am and the expo hall opens at 9:00 am.  The expo hall will close early on Saturday at 2:00 pm.  Keynote sessions and select classes can be accessed at home at rootstech.org.

Family Discovery Day is Saturday, 2 March.  Sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, this event of RootsTech is free but requires a registration.  This day features Elder and Sister Bednar as the keynote speakers at 9:30 am on the Main Stage.  Following their presentation, there will be hands on breakout sessions.  Activities are planned for the entire family.  You can also be part of Family Discovery Day from your own home by logging into lds.org.

Whether you attend RootsTech 2019 in person or watch from the comfort of your own home, you’re sure to find something to satisfy your family history hunger.  –Liz Kennington