RootsTech and FGS - Together in 2015 in Salt Lake!

It's never too early to plan ahead! The following are recent announcements about the 2015 FGS Conference (Federation of Genealogical Societies) and RootsTech being held in conjunction with one another in Salt Lake City in 2015!

Federation of Genealogical Societies Announces 2015 Conference
FGS and RootsTech Events To Be Held In Tandem
February 12-14, 2015 in Salt Lake City

22 August 2013 – Austin, TX. The Federation of Genealogical Societies (FGS) announced today that its 2015 National Conference will be held February 12-14, 2015, in Salt Lake City, Utah in conjunction with RootsTech, hosted by FamilySearch. RootsTech is held each February in Salt Lake City and helps thousands of attendees from around the world discover and share family connections, stories, and history.

With the Salt Palace Convention Center as the common venue, both FamilySearch and FGS are committed to producing a one-of-a-kind genealogy event addressing the educational needs of the family history, technology and genealogical society communities. As the logistics of this sizeable event are still being worked out, both FGS and FamilySearch will work together to share resources and provide cost benefits for all parties, including attendees and exhibitors. Attendees can expect to see familiar elements of previous FGS and RootsTech events including keynote presentations, a Society Showcase and Expo Hall.

Registration for both events will begin in August 2014, six months prior to the February 2015 dates. FGS will also hold a smaller national event for its members in late 2015, with details to be announced at a later date.

FGS President D. Joshua Taylor states, “FamilySearch has been a valued partner and sponsor for FGS during its past conferences. It only makes sense for both organizations to work together and produce what will be the most talked about genealogy events of 2015.” Taylor added that such an event brings the best of RootsTech and FGS conferences together under one roof and will offer genealogists and family historians a wide array of activities and educational opportunities.





FGS and RootsTech Team Up to Co-Host RootsTech 2015

RootsTech announced today that The Federation of Genealogical Societies (FGS) will hold its 2015 National Conference in conjunction with the popular RootsTech conference in Salt Lake City, Utah, February 12-14, 2015. RootsTech, hosted by FamilySearch, has quickly become the largest family history conference in North America. The unique culture of the RootsTech conference attracts growing throngs of attendees from around the world both in-person and online seeking to discover and share family connections, stories, and history.

FGS represents the over 500,000 members of hundreds of genealogical societies and presents an annual national conference program that helps strengthen and link the genealogical community. Conducting both conferences at the same time in the same facility gives interested attendees the option to conveniently benefit from both conference programs for a nominal additional cost.

The Salt Palace Convention Center will be the common venue, and both FamilySearch and FGS will produce a unique event addressing the educational needs of the family history, technology and genealogical society communities. Attendees will see familiar elements of both events including dynamic keynote presentations, hands-on workshops, a Society Showcase and free Expo Hall.

“The FGS conference attracts genealogy society leaders that serve the needs of genealogy patrons worldwide, and RootsTech caters to a very different audience of all ages seeking to discover, preserve, and share their family stories and history,” said Dan Martinez, RootsTech Director of Marketing. “Holding the two annual conferences in the same venue will create a rich learning environment and increase benefits to all attendees.” ...

Utah Valley Technology and Genealogy Group Meeting (UVTAGG)

The next regular, second-Saturday-of-the-month meeting of the Utah Valley Technology and Genealogy Group - UVTAGG will be on Saturday, 10 Aug 2013, from 9 am to noon in the LDS "Red Chapel", 4050 North Timpview Drive (650 East), Provo.  Information about the Group, main presentations, classes, and class notes are available on their website http://uvtagg.org.

The main presentation this month will be by Janet Hovorka on ZAP THE GRANDMA GAP:  THE TEN BEST IDEAS TO LEAP THE GENERATION GAP IN A SINGLE BOUND.  These are the 10 most important ideas to connect to your posterity by connecting them to their past.  If they are bored, you are doing it wrong.  Go from snoring and boring to exciting and inviting.  Janet Hovorka received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Ancient History and a Master's degree in Library and Information Science from BYU.  She accepted teaching and library positions at BYU and Salt Lake Community College before having her three wonderful children. She and her husband, Kim Hovorka, own Family ChartMasters -- https://familychartmasters.com/php/index.php -- an online genealogy chart printing service that was the first company to be FamilySearch Certified by the LDS Church. She writes The Chart Chick blog -- http://thechartchick.blogspot.com/ -- winner of the 2009 Geneablog award and is currently serving as Past President of the Utah Genealogical Association.  One of Janet's greatest genealogy accomplishments was the completion and publication of her mother-in-law's oral history just one year prior to her untimely death.  She has presented 100s of lectures all over the country to help countless people find out more about their family’s history.

After the main presentation the following classes are scheduled.  Check the meetings page at http://uvtagg.org/ for last minute changes or additions.  
(1)  Zap the Grandma Gap: Leave a Heritage Hands-on Workshop, by Janet Hovorka;
(2)  A genealogy Tour of the BYU Map Collection, Physical and Digital, by Rick Grapes;
(3)  Advanced AniMap. by Marilyn Thomsen;
(4)  Video from last month's main presentation: Treasures in Your Own Backyard: Genealogy Resources in the BYU Library, by Terry Dahlin;
(5)  Ask An Expert (Personal Help), by Finn Hansen, Beth Ann Wiseman, and Bud Wood;
(6)  RootsMagic, by  Sue Maxwell;
(7)  Ancestral Quest, by Gaylon Findlay; and
(8)  Legacy, by Dean Bennett.
Note: There will not be a MAC class this day.

All meetings of UVTAGG are open to the public whether members of the Group or not. The Group has the goal of helping individuals use technology to further their family history and there are usually about 100+ attending the monthly meetings on second Saturdays.