NGS Conference in Chicago: Last Minute Preparations

  • NGS Conference 2006 in Chicago

As you are reading this, family historians from across the U.S. are scampering about making last minute preparations to converge on Chicago for the National Genealogical Society’s Annual Conference in the States. I’m one of those family historians and I hope to be able to see many of you there too!

Who Will Be There?
National conferences like this one typically attract a couple thousand visitors, as well as vendors from all over the country. (The vendor list  is available online.)

Ancestry.com will have a booth near the front doors of the exhibit hall with books for sale, site subscriptions (with a special deal for new World Deluxe subscribers) and some freebies as well. Also, Ancestry authors will be signing books in the booth:

  • Wednesday, June 7th, 3:30-4:30 p.m.
    Loretto (“Lou”) Szucs and Sandra Luebking will be signing the newly-released third edition of “The Source: A Guidebook to American Genealogy”
  • Thursday, June 8th, 12:00-12:30 p.m. John Phillip Colletta (“They Came in Ships”)
  • Thursday, June 8th, 2:00-3:00 p.m. Elizabeth Shown Mills (“Isle of Canes”)
  • Friday, June 9th, 1:30-2:30 p.m. Laura Szucs Pfeiffer (“Hidden Sources”) and Juliana Szucs Smith (“The Ancestry Family Historian’s Address Book” and “Quick Tips for Genealogists”)

Yes, that last signing is my sister Laura, and yours truly. A bold move by the conference planning group, but we promised Mom we’d behave.

The programs offered at this year’s conference promise to be entertaining and helpful. The complete program is online at the NGS Conference site. This page is very intuitive and helpful in planning your days at the conference. You can see what your favorite presenters will be talking about and when by selecting their name from the drop-down list of speakers.

You’ll see some familiar names from the newsletter among the speakers. Michael Neill, Paula Stuart Warren, and Maureen Taylor will all be presenting various topics at the conference and George Morgan will be emceeing the ISFHWE dinner on Thursday night, where my mom, Lou Szucs, will be the speaker, as she discusses “Tales of the Windy City: A Breezy Look at its Colorful Past and Shady Characters.”

What to Bring?
After reading Paula Warren’s articles on “What’s in Your Suitcase?” (Part 1 and Part 2), I’m kicking myself for not packing a few weeks ago. I’ll be easy to spot at the check-in counter amidst a sea of suitcases, but if you forgot to bring something along, I think I’ll have it covered!

Beyond the normal “packing for a trip” items, there are a few other things you should be sure to bring along.

  • Overview of the lines you are working on. You don’t need to bring your entire family history collection, but if you have a list of the people you are searching for, where they lived and when, you will be more likely to come home with products and publications (and maybe even a new-found cousin!) to aid in your search. I can’t tell you how many times, I’ve come home with what I thought was the perfect product, only to find that my ancestors were not covered because they had moved on a few years prior to the period covered in the book or CD.
  • A list of products you are interested in and a list questions for the vendors. Conferences are a great time to shop; if you come prepared, you can discuss your needs with the vendors and make sure that the product is right for you. If you have questions about a product you own or currently use, be sure to jot down specifics so that the vendors can recreate the scenario and understand your question fully.
  • Your computer specifications. If you are planning on purchasing computer software or data collections, having your computer specs on hand will help you to make sure that products are compatible with your equipment. There’s nothing worse than coming home with a new toy, only to find it won’t run on your computer!
  • Research materials for local forays. Many attendees may be considering side trips to some of the Chicago area’s research facilities like the National Archives’ Great Lakes Region, the Newberry Library, and Harold Washington Public Library in Chicago. Be sure to bring the research materials you need for these side trips and do some pre-planning using online resources. (See the list at the conference site for links and more information.) (http://www.eshow2000.com/ngs/area_research.cfm)
  • Layered clothing. As Mary Penner pointed out in her recent article on the 24/7 Family History Circle Blog (http://www.eshow2000.com/ngs/area_research.cfm ), figuring out what kind of clothes to pack can be a tricky business. And as a life-long resident of the Chicago area, I can attest that this is doubly true around here, particularly at this time of year. You can find local forecasts online through sites like Intellicast (http://www.intellicast.com) or through local television stations like WGN (http://wgntv.trb.com/news/weather/?track=nav), but be prepared! The weather can change very quickly at this time of year, so it’s a good idea to be ready for just about anything! You’ll also want to make sure to have a sweater, jacket, or parka on hand for those chilly conference hall rooms.
  • Extra bag for goodies. You might want to bring a fold-up suitcase that you can pack and then fill with all the fun stuff you pick up at the conference. Or if you’re flying, look into shipping options to send larger items home.

Is It Too Late to Sign Up?
While it’s too late to pre-register, you can register at the conference. On-site registration begins at 7:30 a.m. on 7 June 2006 at the Hyatt Regency O’Hare. The registration cost for the entire conference is $210 for members (you can join on-site too) and $245 for non-members. If you’re unable to attend for the entire conference, single-day registrations are also available for $90.

I’m looking forward to this conference and will be coming home energized and ready to attack even my most difficult research lines. I’ll be spending some time at the Ancestry.com booth and I hope to see many of you there. For those of you who can’t make it, I’m hoping to do nightly updates on what’s new from my hotel room.

Juliana Smith has been the editor of Ancestry.com newsletters for eight years and is author of The Ancestry Family Historian’s Address Book. She has written for Ancestry Magazine and Genealogical Computing. Juliana can be reached by e-mail at: [email protected], but she regrets that her schedule does not allow her to assist with personal research..

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One thought on “NGS Conference in Chicago: Last Minute Preparations

  1. Will tapes be available after the conference for those of us not lucky enough to attend?

    Thanks!

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