As of today, it is just 40 days until RootsTech. Whether you’re going in person or virtually, there are things you need to do to prepare.
But before we get into that, let’s talk about what RootsTech is. It’s the largest genealogy conference in the world, and the very first RootsTech was in 2011. I’m proud to say that I went then and every year since. At that time, 3,000 people attended. The conference was held in a small portion of Salt Palace in Salt Lake City.
There was always an online portion of RootsTech, but in 2021, the event went virtually. (You can watch my interview with the RootsTech team about how they ramped up to go entirely virtual HERE.)
RootsTech now occupies the entire Salt Palace, which is 987,000 square feet. Over 4 million people participated virtually and in person. Of those, 16,000 people attended RootsTech 2024 in person.
The venue is large, so having good walking shoes is essential. Plan the sessions you will attend. This helps you manage large crowds and saves your feet. Therefore, I’m sharing a link with the Salt Palace Floor Plan HERE. This way, you can choose your schedule more effectively. You can ensure you avoid sending yourself from one end of the Salt Palace to another.
You need to know that each day starts at 8:00 a.m. whether you’re attending the live event like I am or online. Each day at 11:00 a.m., we all go to Hall E to hear the keynote speaker. Let’s talk about the keynote speakers for this three-day event. Not all the keynote speakers have been announced, but below, you’ll find the ones that I know of are:
Ndaba Mandela, a renowned speaker, author, and social activist, grew up in South Africa. He is the grandson of Nelson Mandela.
Dana Tanamachi is a world-renowned artist known for her mural at Starbucks inside New York City’s Empire State Building.
Tara Davis-Woodhall and Hunter Woodhall are Olympic and Paralympic gold medalists, respectively.
Now, let’s get to your schedule. We want to maximize what you need to see. When it comes to the schedule, there are lots of filters. This allows you to look at the things you are interested in. You can then fill in the gaps if you have some.
Here are a few tips that will help you create your schedule if you attend in person.
- Some sessions are in person and online. If you must choose between one of those and one that’s only live, select the live one. Then watch the recorded one when you get home. Unless, of course, it’s a speaker that you don’t want to miss out on.
- I always choose two sessions that interest me. If my first session has more people than can fit in the room, I have a backup plan. It doesn’t happen often, but you don’t want to figure it out on the fly.
- Make time in your schedule to go to the Expo Hall. It’s enormous, and it’s my favorite part of RootsTech. It lets me check out products I’m interested in. Some of those vendors offer special pricing or bonuses during RootsTech. Note that the Expo Hall is open late on Thursday. You can find the list of vendors HERE.
- Be sure to look at that floor plan above.
RootsTech 2025 offers 286 online and in-person sessions. There are plenty of things to choose from. If you can’t wait, you can always look at the recordings from previous years. Currently, you’re able to watch 2022, 2023, and 2024.
If you have more questions about RootsTech, you can find the list of frequently asked questions HERE.
As part of the RootsTech media team, I’m fortunate to be able to interview people from the genealogy industry. Sign up for my YouTube channel and ring that bell, and you’ll be able to see those interviews.
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