Monday, January 26, 2015

Attention Impulse Buyers: End of #FGS2015 and #RootsTech Discounts

The Ancestry Insider is an official RootsTech ambassador
The Ancestry Insider is an official FGS Conferrence Ambassador

If you’re an impulse buyer who has been waffling over attending either the FGS or RootsTech conferences, I’ve got news.

Today is the last day to obtain early registration discounts! Both conferences extended their deadlines from last Friday until today, 26 January 2015. Both conferences are being held at the same time (February 12th to 14th) in Salt Lake City, Utah.

For FGS conference registration, today’s discounted price of $159 will save you $30 over registering tomorrow and $80 over registering at the conference. (That’s an important point for you procrastinators. If you decide to attend at the last minute, you can show up and register at the conference.) FGS also offers a one day pass for $89.

For RootsTech registration, today’s discounted price of $159 for a 3-day pass is an $80 savings over registering later. I’m sad to report that the popular—and free—RootsTech Family Discover Day is sold out. (Family Discover Day is a program for members of FamilySearch’s sponsor, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.) RootsTech offers other registration options, such as a $19 one-day pass for a “Getting Started” track. See a table of offerings on the RootsTech website.

Which conference should you attend? Consult the class schedules to see what topics each conference offers. You can download preliminary (meaning a few things may have changed) class lists in PDF format for either the FGS conference or RootsTech. You can read current schedules online. The RootsTech schedule page is capable of showing both RootsTech and FGS classes, although I would consult the FGS conference schedule page as the final authority. And you can read the schedules on the FGS app (iOS or Android) or the RootsTech 2015 app (smartphone or laptop).

Special topics may inform your choice of conferences. If you are an officer of a genealogical society, consider attending the FGS conference’s society day. (FGS stands for Federation of Genealogical Societies.) If you are a librarian, consider attending the FGS conference’s librarians’ day. If you are a technologist or businessman, consider attending the RootsTech Innovators’ Summit. If you are a beginner wanting an inexpensive option, consider RootsTech’s Getting Started track. The Getting Started pass is also the way to go if you’re only interested in attending the keynote sessions and the RootsTech evening entertainment. (All FGS and RootsTech attendees can attend the keynote sessions and the RootsTech evening entertainment.)

If you can’t decide between the conferences, you can sign up for both by paying an extra $39.

The keynote speakers are Tan Le on Thursday, Laura W. Bush and daughter Jenna Hager on Friday, and Donny Osmond and A.J. Jacobs on Saturday. The evening entertainers are Alex Boye, One Voice Children’s Choir, the cast of BYUtv’s Studio C, and American Idol runner-up David Archuleta.

RootsTech/FGS speakers and entertainers include Laura Bush, Jenna Hager, Donny Osmond, David Archuleta, and the cast of Studio C.

Other News

I have other news for FGS conference attendees. FGS has fixed the problem that prevented some registrants from using the Plan Your Sessions option on the account page. Look for the button underneath the list of purchased items. And the FGS syllabus is already available for download. Look for the button above the list of purchased items.

Location of buttons for syllabus download and session planner

The WDYTYA Live conference in London has been the biggest family history conference in the world, with onsite attendance of up to 15,000 attendees. Last year, FamilySearch said there were 13,000 people in attendance onsite at RootsTech 2014, over 10,000 more online, and an anticipated 130,000 additional attendees at local, RootsTech-affiliated conferences. Add FGS conference attendees, and this year will be the largest family history event of all time!

No comments:

Post a Comment

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.