Earlier this month, at the National Genealogical Society’s Family History Conference, we announced that the 2024 conference would be fully online. Although this news disappointed many of our members, we believe it is a wise decision. Here’s why.
We know that in-person learning and networking are vital to family history education. We remain committed to offering an exceptional education program to everyone interested in family history research. We are equally committed to providing strong support for genealogy organizations with our SLAM! Idea Showcase, FOCUS educational event, and Delegate Council meeting.
However, the meetings and events industry has not recovered from the pandemic. Challenges remain for event planners from labor shortages at facilities to attendance declines across the events industry. We must address these issues by reimagining our conference to merge the highest educational standards, exceptional in-person experiences, and technologically advanced learning opportunities while being financially sound.
It takes two years to prepare a program and organize the logistics for a typical NGS conference. We plan to use the next two years to bring genealogy organizations together and create a new event experience as a community. Later this year, we will convene a group of leading genealogy instructors, organization and company leaders, members, and other genealogists to start a conversation about the future of genealogy events. While we forge ahead on designing an innovative conference for 2025, we are also determined to provide an outstanding conference next year. Hosting the 2024 conference online will allow us to do both.
We welcome you to share your thoughts about the future of genealogy events. We have established a discussion thread on FORUM, the NGS online member community, where you can post your ideas, ask questions, and help us envision the future of genealogy events. As an individual member, you can go to the Family History Conference community, then look for the “Member Thoughts on the Future of Genealogy Events” discussion thread. If you need assistance with FORUM, please visit our Help/FAQs page.
Best Wishes for a wonderful summer
Matt Menashes, CAE Executive Director regarding NGS 2024 conference.
What is the NGS Family History Conference?
The National Genealogical Society Family History Conference is a premier annual event for family historians, professional genealogists, hobbyists, and history buffs. There are also special events planned for organizations: societies, libraries, archives, and museums.
The NGS 2024 Family History Conference, Expanding Possibilities, will be online. Attendees can choose from dozens of new lectures for family history researchers at all levels by the nation’s premier genealogical speakers.
For more information, keep an eye for updates to the conference website (not yet updated for 2024 as of 7/11/2023): https://conference.ngsgenealogy.org