Now that RootsTech 2019 has concluded, it almost seems like it went by in a flash—but what a flash that was! By all accounts it was our most successful RootsTech ever, in terms of number of people reached and the feedback we got from them. And the new tower and monitor display at our booth were a hit with the conference attendees. Here’s a recap of some of the highlights of RootsTech 2019 for The Family History Guide Association.

Intro Presentations

I taught a session on Thursday afternoon, “Accelerating Your Research and Learning with The Family History Guide,” that was well-attended and went smoothly. The Saturday session was smaller (see below) but had a great vibe and was very enjoyable. Both sessions focused on the main features of the website, such as Get Started, Projects, and Countries research. There was also a demo of the new Online Tracker Reporting system which will be released soon.

Family History Activities Presentation

It was nice to sit back and enjoy this session with Scott & Angelle Anderson of The Family History Guide Association and Merrill White of FamilySearch. I considered it a home run, with great video segments, inspiring examples, and some very tender moments. The focus was on the value of family history activities, from the vantage points of both FamilySearch and The Family History Guide.

Quotes

Here are some samples of what we heard about The Family History Guide at RootsTech 2019:

• “You’ve made my RootsTech experience worth the time and money it cost me to be here.”
• “Why haven’t we been told about this incredible tool?”
• “You’re the answer to my prayers.”
• “I’m no longer scared of my calling.”
• “Wow, is this cool or what”!
• “I have plenty of encouragement as to why I should do family history. What I need is a tool to help me be successful in my consultant calling, and that’s what The Family History Guide has been for me.”
• “With The Family History Guide, I feel like I am at the opening of a gold mine with a cart next to me.”
• “I feel like I could do cartwheels out of the Salt Palace after hearing this presentation on The Family History Guide; I’m so excited about what I learned!”
• “l was listening to what the people around me were saying. They all said they were SO glad they attended this seminar – that it was so good and so clear, it should have been an entire conference itself.”

There were also a number of suggestions for the site and a few criticisms, to be expected. People definitely care about what we are trying to do!

Stats of Interest

• The Thursday presentation in Ballroom B had 1,100 attendees, with a room capacity of 1,200.
• The Saturday presentation was at the close of RootsTech when many attendees had already left, but there were about 250 there, over 2/3 of which were family history consultants.
• Mini-classes at the booth totaled 317 attendees.
• The total number of demos given at the booth was approximately 1,600.
• Total people directly reached with a demo, mini-class, or full presentation: over 3,200.