The world’s largest annual genealogy conference, RootsTech, will go virtual for 2021. The event, which usually attracts thousands of genealogists to Salt Lake City each year, will run as a free virtual event online from Thursday 25 to Saturday 27 February, 2021.
To differentiate it from the physical conference, the virtual event has been named RootsTech Connect and will enable family historians from around the world to participate in dozens of classes in multiple languages. As with previous years, there will be inspiring keynote speakers as well as a virtual marketplace where visitors will be able to discover a variety of family history tools. Although all classes and webinars will be free to watch, participants will still need to reserve a place at the conference via RootsTech.org.
“The pandemic is giving us the opportunity to bring RootsTech to a broader audience worldwide,” said Steve Rockwood, FamilySearch International CEO (pictured above). “A virtual event also allows us to expand our planning to truly make this a global celebration of family and connection.”
Throughout the three-day online event, attendees will have the ability to interact with presenters, exhibitors, and other attendees through live chat and question and answer sessions. For those who cannot attend livestream talks because of time zone differences, sessions will be available to view on-demand afterwards.
Sarah Williams, editor of Who Do You Think You Are? Magazine, said: “This is a fantastic opportunity for family historians who have been unable to attend previous RootsTech events to get a taste of what makes this conference so special. Making it free will open up this amazing experience to everyone.”
Sarah Williams is the editor of Who Do You Think You Are? Magazine
