Get Ready For RootsTech 2022

There are a few days until RootsTech 2022, so you have time to get ready and plan the things you’d like to watch during the event March 3-5th.

The RootsTech 2022 website is live, so you can now go through the entire list of 1,500 sessions on 185 topics in over 30 languages and create your playlist so that you can go back to it when it’s “live” or whenever you’d like in the next year. Yes, the presentation will be available in the future.

So let’s go to the RootsTech site and see how easy it is to get organized.

Once you’ve login to your account, you’re being taken to the home screen, where you will see the countdown to RootsTech. At the top of the screen to the right, you’ll see “sessions.” Click here, and then you can search for a topic or presenter if you have a favorite, but you can also choose “view full catalog,” and that’s what I suggest. You can filter by year as well. So you can choose 2022, so you are only looking at the upcoming presentations. Remember I said they will be there to watch in the future? You’ll see now that you can look back at the presentations from 2021, so you’ll be able to do this with the 2022 ones as well. So don’t be overwhelmed. You’ll have plenty of time to watch everything you’d like.

If you choose the full catalog and the year, now you can filter by the subjects you’d like to learn more about.

Next, you want to want to choose the topics of interest. Below, you will see that you will see the entire list of topics if you go to “see all.” This brings up the list of topics shown on the right. I’ll choose DNA.

I’m always interested in DNA, so here’s an example of a presentation given by my friend, Mags Gaulden, on using DNA group projects in your family history research.

All I have to do is click on that “add to playlist” button, and I’m ready to watch when it’s available on March 3rd. You’ll also find any downloadable resources, if there are any, for the presentations.

But what if you want to learn how to research in a location? Then choose the country you are interested in and see all the presentations available. You can even choose more than one county if you want.

After you’ve added all your sessions to your playlist, you’ll be able to view them by going to that top ribbon and clicking on the triangle at the far right, where you’ll be able to access your Playlist.

The Main Stage

I know you’ll be focused on learning as much as you can but be sure to check out the Main Stage. You’ll find the Main Stage on that top ribbon where you found the sessions.

Here, you’ll see when the first session starts, who will present throughout the weekend, and when. Note that you can also access the full schedule from the Main Stage page and add these sessions to your playlist.

I always feel uplifted when I watch and learn more about each presenter.

Expo Hall

Because I have my store, Shop the Hound, I’m always interested in what other vendors do in the genealogy industry. In past years I’d spend a lot of time in the Expo Hall at the Salt Palace in Salt Lake City, so it’s no different in the virtual expo hall. Here you’ll find all the DNA companies and research sites such as Ancestry, MyHeritage, and FindmyPast. But that’s just the tip of the iceberg as there are companies that offer books, jewelry, clothing, and so much more, and don’t miss the RootsTech Store as well because you’ll find branded RootsTech teeshirts, tech tools, backpacks, and I’ve already chosen some cool things.

So it’s time to get busy and plan what you want to watch at RootsTech. Happy hunting.

Note: I’m a RootsTech Influencer, and I’ve been going to RootsTech since the beginning in 2011, first as a participant and then as an Influencer. This conference has grown from 3,000 people to over 1 million in 2021. Some of the links found in this article are affiliate links which means that I am paid a small amount that I use to support the blog. This does not change the price for you.