Monday Motivation - FGS Conference 2015- Armchair Planning

Editor's note: Today's post was written by  Sandra Gardner-Benward


Two Conferences One Location - Federation of Genealogical Societies & RootsTech2015 Conference armchair planning continues....................

Last Monday I talked about  choosing your classes. Obviously this is probably the most important  decisions you will make after all this is the purpose of the conference (or is it?).........  the rest of the planning is extra gravy.

I will be traveling with friends to Salt Lake City by car. It has been our habit the last couple of years to travel on Sunday's. We go the Sunday before conference begins and leave fairly early Sunday morning after conference ends...........  so much time in between OR IS THERE?

I plan to be at the LIBRARY on Monday, Tuesday, & Wednesday and possibly Friday evening. I know myself, and after a full day on conference classes and activities I am exhausted when the end of the day arrives - I head for my hotel room, eat diner (I have a refrigerator & microwave) get into comfortable clothes, turn on the TV, get my computer out and start looking at things that I was introduced too during that day.  And the last hour or so of the day, I knit........... I knit till I can hardly keep my eyes open and then into bed and sleep. So with so much LIBRARY time, I need to start getting my papers in order, start a wish list of items and search the LIBRARY catalog for items to look through.This to me is a major task because I go all over the board and I need to focus on one family and follow through. (OMG I am very excited right now and it is not even Thanksgiving yet)

You may or may not want to attend any of the luncheons offered but at least take a look at what is being offered. Be aware that there are different luncheons being offered through FGS and other luncheon being offered by RootsTech. I did not realize that and signed up for what was being offered, and then I realized there were others being offered through the other conference. I have let this go and will attend the ones I signed up for, it costs to make the changes and is too frustrating too. I don't think there is any rhythm nor reason for choosing these......... and if the cost is too high I do not sign up at all. However I have signed up for a luncheon each day. To me it is just too much to try to get out of the convention center, stand in lines trying to eat and get back to the next class after the lunch hour............ OR visit the exhibit hall after the luncheon ends.

Exhibit Hall is a must see, must do item but when............... oh my goodness there is very little time if you are serious about attending the classes. You could skip lunch and walk the exhibit hall (and I have done that before) but it is not a good thing for me to do. I need to eat. So I need to find time for the exhibit hall. I usually start by going through the exhibitors list now.......... reading about each one of them, and asking am I interested in knowing more about this one? Is it a new exhibitor? Is it someone I have wanted to talk too in the past and haven't been able to talk to them yet? With a map of the exhibit hall you can locate the ones that are on your definite list, highlight them ......... now you can focus on those when you do get into the exhibit hall. At least you will see what you want and then everything else you see will be good stuff. I don't have my schedule mapped out yet, so there maybe times during the days of conference where you don't have a class scheduled or your class and backup class are full. Now would be the time for the exhibit hall.

Gosh there are going to be several evening activities and I have signed up for them. I will make every effort to attend but I may just be too tired and need to get a little more sleep.


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