From the day the announcement was made that RootsTech London would be happening, The Family History Guide team considered being part of it. However, we had pretty much given up hope that anyone on our management team would be able to make the trip, until one day when I said to my husband, Scott, “Let’s go!”  The more we discussed the option, the more it just seemed right so we proceeded full-steam ahead! The rest of the team was behind us 100% and grateful that The Family History Guide would be represented at this unparalleled event – the first RootsTech Family History Conference ever to be held anywhere outside of Salt Lake City. We made plans and worked on the necessary preparations for our booth in the Excell Exhibition Hall and for our presentation on the demo stage. Thanks to Bob Ives and Bob Taylor for taking care of the logistical aspects of our participation and for working seamlessly with Rootstech to ensure our success.

We arrived in London 7:30 am on Wednesday morning (we flew from Denver – a flight lasting nearly 9 hours) and found (with a little help from the locals) the correct “tube” which would take us to the ExCel center where the conference was being held. I gave a huge sigh of relief when we saw it in the distance once we exited – we had taken the right train! Taking a peek inside the building before taking our bags to the hotel (about a mile down the road) we saw that the exhibit hall was alive with anticipation as the Excel staff, FamilySearch employees, and busy volunteers worked together to be ready for the grand opening the next morning. When the time arrived for us to set up our booth, we returned and went to work.

Along with our friends who had contacts in London and our team, we had tried in vain to procure a TV monitor for our booth before we left. The deadline for renting from the ExCel center had long passed when we decided to participate. Once we got to London, there were no other rental options or stores in which to purchase one, and we could not have brought one from America, so we seemed to be at the end of our options. Finally, someone we asked about it at the center mentioned a person’s name who worked for the company in charge of such things and gave us a contact number. We were just about to call him when I looked to the left of our booth and there was a guy holding electrical cords and talking on his phone. I noticed his jacket with the company logo we were hoping to make contact with and hoped it was our person. It was! He was more than willing to help us and went to the basement storage room to see if one was miraculously available. A few hours later, we were so grateful to see him roll up with the perfect one and then proceed to set it all up. A tender mercy indeed with many more to come! We will be sharing our incredible experiences sharing The Family History Guide at RootsTech London in future posts.