Whew! RootsTech was a whirlwind! I was attending RootsTech not only as an attendee but for the first time I had the great pleasure of being a RootsTech Ambassador.
There was a great group of Canadians attending RootsTech this year. I know there were some I didn’t get to meet in person but I was following them on social media.
I arrived on Sunday evening which provided a fairly slow start to a very busy week. Monday and Tuesday was spent visiting the Family History Library. I had a research plan so knew exactly what I was looking for which helped me focus. Each item was completed in my plan but I didn’t find everything I was hoping to which can happen when doing research.
Monday night was the British Commonwealth dinner. We met at the Blue Lemon and it was a very large group of people from around the world. Australia, New Zealand, England, Canada and other countries were represented. It was a great time.
Tuesday at lunch we met at the Blue Lemon again but this time it was for Geneabloggers and DearMYRTLE was our hostess. This was another large group and we had a great time catching up with old friends and meeting new ones.
Tuesday afternoon was a tour of the Discovery Center at the Family History Library. This is a wonderful interactive family history center. You are given a tablet to take with you and attach each discovery station. You signed in with your FamilySearch account or with your name and email. I used my name and email. There were places where you took pictures in the fashion of your ancestors but you didn’t have to dress up, you stood in front of a screen chose your style of dress and hit the button to take a picture. It was a little difficult to use your hands to touch the screen button but you soon got the idea. There was a section where you went into a sound proof booth to record an interview. It was just you and they had larger rooms for couples and families. They provided questions or you could do it free style.
Other options were taking a picture in the homeland of your ancestors, putting in an ancestors name and year of birth and being shown a timeline for their life. Since I had provided my email I presumed that I would receive the interview and pictures from the Discovery Center but that didn’t happen. Those that signed in with their FamilySearch account did receive the creations of their visit. I had a great time at the Discovery Center and would recommend a visit. Just remember to sign in with your FamilySearch account.
Tuesday night was the RootsTech Media Dinner for the Ambassadors. This is where I got to catch up with old friends and meet new ones. I decided I was going to make sure I sat at a table where I didn’t know anyone. I met Nicole Dyer and Diana Elder. My other dinner companion was Marie Cappart who is a genealogist from Belgium. There was a large group of FamilySearch people who were instrumental in organizing RootsTech. Thank you for all your hard work.
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