Dsplats

I’m pleased to accept the invitation to be a RootsTech 2017 Ambassador.

Registration is now open for RootsTech 2017. According to the message from RootsTech:

Registration is now open for RootsTech, the world’s largest genealogy and technology conference in the world. Happening February 8–11, 2017, at the Salt Palace Convention Center in Salt Lake City, Utah, RootsTech 2017 will empower you to celebrate your family across generations using the newest technologies available.

For a limited time, the full RootsTech conference pass is available at a discounted price of $159. Regularly priced at $269, that’s over $100 in savings!

The RootsTech session schedule is available to help you make your decision regarding attendance. There are over 200 choices. Unfortunately, RootsTech hasn’t yet released the lineup of keynote speakers. They tend to space those announcements out. I’m not certain if it is because they are still arranging speakers or if they do it just to get more press coverage. My experience is that people tune you out when you do that. I’ll try to wait and combine two or three announcements together so you don’t start tuning them out. In that spirit:

Registration is also open for the Innovator Summit and Family Discover Day. All combined, the three conferences, last year had 28,000 attendees.

Family Discover Day is for members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It takes place on Saturday, 11 February  2017. It is free but registration is required. It includes talks from Church leaders; classes for families, youth, and young single adults; and evening entertainment. Event details, including speakers and classes, will be made available soon.

Innovator Summit is a one day conference designed for entrepreneurs and software developers. Associated with the summit is the Innovator Showdown, a contest to see who can come up with the best app or device that solves a real world family history industry need, or uses family history data or services to solve a need in another industry. The showdown awards $100,000 in cash and prizes. The submission deadline is 1 December 2016. The winners will present onstage and be selected by judges and live audience voting at RootsTech 2017 on Friday, 10 February 2017. Go to RootsTech.devpost.com for more information.

With RootsTech 2016 just two weeks away, it’s time to start planning.

• If you’re planning on deciding to come to RootsTech or not, now’s the time to decide. Looking through the class list is a great way to decide.
• If you’re already registered, now’s the time to look through the class schedule and make some tentative decisions.

To see what sessions are available, visit https://rootstech2016.smarteventscloud.com/connect/search.ww. Using this list, you can decide to come to RootsTech or not.

To see what time each session is offered is considerably more difficult. It can be done in one of two ways. (Thanks, Clytee for this information.)

• Download the RootsTech 2016 app and tap Schedule. Be forewarned. Judging from Wednesday, it is apparent not every class is listed in the app.
• Before looking at the schedule on the web, login (using the link in the upper-right corner) and select Browse and Search. Then filter by day. The class times magically appear in the right column.

While you can not reserve classes, you can use RootsTech website or the app to create a calendar for yourself, showing the classes you’d like to attend during each session time. I recommend you use the web to begin with. Scroll through all the classes for the day and select the star for every class that interests you. Once you’ve marked all classes of interest, go back through and look at the classes for each session time. Decide the class of greatest interest. Select the blue plus sign above the star to add the class to your schedule.. (Leave the stars selected in case circumstances change.)

Once you’ve completed this, you can look at your schedule on either the website or the app. On the web you can print your schedule or export it to your regular calendaring system.

The calendar on the app is synchronized to your calendar on the web. Changes you make on one will appear on the other. However, I wasn’t able to find a way to view a list of the collections I had starred. You’ll have to find another way of equiping your phone with a list of alternate classes to attend if your first choice is full when you arrive. Remember, putting a class on your schedule does not reserve a seat for you in the class. Classes are still fist come, first seated.

Now, plan to go to RootsTech 2016 and plan what to do when you get there.

Keynote Speakers and Performers Announced

In other news, RootsTech has finished announcing the keynote speakers and the special event entertainers for RootsTech 2016.

Hope to see you there!