Report From NGS 2023 Conference

Maureen E. sent this report from the recent national conference. Thanks, Maureen!

I attended the National Genealogy Society conference in Richmond June 1-3. The conference is recuperating from the pandemic. Fewer in-person attendees and vendors were present in contrast to pre-pandemic meetings. Covid vaccinations or negative tests were required to attend and a few speakers required masks. Hopefully that will all be a thing of the past. There were over 100 talks and ten were recorded for the folks attending virtually.  Of particular focus were Virginia and neighboring states. Since my husband’s families are from Virginia and North Carolina, I had multiple opportunities for learning.  Many presentations addressed particular issues for African Americans including slavery. NGS leadership made a formal apology for its earlier history of racism including the exclusion of minorities from membership. In addition, tracks included DNA and tools for skill building. Each day luncheons (for an extra charge) were sponsored by the supporting organizations.  On the day before the formal meeting started, there were multiple tours and meetings for librarians, genealogy society organizers, etc. The app that provided Conference information allowed us to find people with similar interests. Meeting fellow genealogists is a great secondary benefit.

NGS has not announced the venue and topic for the 2024 conference, although I understood that would happen at the Richmond conference.

Things to consider for future NGS events:

1.  Although there are always multiple topics of interest, the focus always is on the location of the conference. Review the brochure for your own areas of interest.

2. Register early and make your hotel reservation as soon as allowed or you will be shuttling or paying much higher rates.

3. Believe them if they tell you the conference center will have variable temperatures—too cold or too hot.

4. Don’t follow the rules (if there are any), regarding bringing your own drinks and snack—just act dumb. Limited and expensive eating options in Richmond and other convention centers.

5. Overall enjoy, as NGS is a wonderful source for genealogists!