Wednesday, February 3, 2016

I'm Ready to Explore the RootsTech 2016 Expo Hall


At this year’s conference, the RootsTech Expo Hall will be bigger than ever before. Come visit hundreds of family history and technology exhibitors sharing the latest products, services, and hands-on experiences available. Below is a small sample of activities and booths you’ll be able to explore at the RootsTech 2016 Expo Hall.

Family Discovery Zone—Sponsored by FamilySearch
The family discovery zone will be a fun, engaging, and interactive experience and will feature new and exciting technologies to help you discover and connect your family and stories. Stop by and experience the fun side of family history with these activities:
*  Photo Scanning Area: Bring your family photos! Make digital copies for free that you can preserve, share, and even upload directly to your FamilySearch family tree.
*  Recording Booth: Record Your Story! Your private recording session includes 10 minutes of recording time in a sound booth, and get a free copy of it on a flash drive.
*  Record a Call with Someone Who Inspires You: Simply call a parent, grandparent, or someone who inspires you, and find out more about his or her life. Our app will record the conversation and give you a personal copy as well.

FamilySearch Scanning Booth
Get your family book scanned for free. We’ll make a digital copy, and you'll keep the original and a searchable PDF copy for you. You can also donate personal works, family journals, and books that are in the public domain.

Demo Theater—Sponsored by Backblaze
Curious about the newest in family history products and services? Take a seat, and listen to demonstrations by RootsTech sponsors and exhibitors. The 15-minute demos will be scheduled daily during Expo Hall hours.

Cyber Café—Sponsored by Dell
Refresh and recharge at the Cyber Café while at RootsTech. The café offers wireless Internet access, recharging stations for your electronic devices, and free sodas. The staff from the Family History Library will also be here to offer one-on-one help.

NEW! Innovation Alley
New to the RootsTech Expo Hall will be the Innovation Alley, where you’ll get a chance to view the latest technology and tools in the family history industry. Be sure to stop by.

Expo Hall Hours
Thursday, February 4, 2016: 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Friday, February 5, 2016: 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.

Saturday, February 6, 2016: 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

For a complete map of the RootsTech expo hall, expo hall hours, and list of exhibitors, visit RootsTech.org.
Note:  That map is really fuzzy.  I haven't found a better one yet!

What am I going to do in the Expo Hall?

The short answer is:  Camp Out!!  I expect to spend most of my time at the RootsTech 2016 Conference in the Expo Hall, in the Media Hub.  I am an official RootsTech Ambassador and appreciate the honor.

I will be visiting as many exhibits as possible, talking to the exhibitors (the best times are when classes are in session), trying out their products, taking photographs, and blogging about my experiences.  I look forward to renewing my acquaintances with employees of the companies large and small in attendance, and meeting new people who are trying to break into the genealogy marketplace. 

We geneabloggers have a lot of fun in the Media Center, and we get to see all of the important people (genealogy rock stars, keynote speakers, etc.) come in for video interviews in the glass cage, or sofa interviews.  Some of my colleagues conduct these video and sofa interviews, but I have not done that yet, and won't this year.  I also look forward to seeing DearMYRTLE and her AmbushCam around the Expo campus interviewing unsuspecting genealogists and exhibitors. 

I may even attend a class or two on my list of potential classes of interest.  I figure that the RootsTech streaming video will include a number of my classes of interest, and I can watch them when I return home. 

It's going to be a busy week!  I'm trying to get extra rest this week so I can brave the warm Expo Hall and the cold (?) Salt Lake City temperatures.  Linda and I are staying at the Radisson Hotel, and I'm planning to use their wheelchair to get Linda to where we want to go.  The hotel is only a half block from the north Salt Palace entrance.  Linda has several friends that she meets, shops with, dines with, and swims with, so she is looking forward to that.  On Saturday night, DearMYRTLE is hosting the Geneabloggers after party with 50 in attendance from around the world.


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Copyright (c) 2016, Randall J. Seaver

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1 comment:

Geolover said...

It could have been mentioned that access to the Expo Hall costs regular folks $19.99 *per day* (which includes access to the day's keynote speech, which also used to come with the regular conference fee).

Of course the Expo Hall's restrooms may be less crowded, and one can also utilize the Cyber Cafe for no-extra-charge beverages, courtesy of Dell.

It has also been widely noted that some of the vendors offer free scanning services in addition to the usual presentations on using their wares as well as on some research techniques. So maybe most conferencegoers will not find the new daily-pass fee very onerous. But it was not publicized before last week, so some may not have come prepared to use extra cash or credit cards for this.