Federation of Genealogical Societies

This is a special genealogy conference you won’t want to miss!

It’s getting closer! The 2013 FGS conference takes place in Fort Wayne, Indiana on August 21-24 with pre-conference activities on August 20th and a Farewell Brunch on August 25th. Fort Wayne is the home of the renowned Genealogy Center which is giving us generous extended research hours during the conference.

• Of course, you may still register online or by regular mail for the FGS 2013 Conference in Fort Wayne!

• Register soon so that in early August you gain access to the online conference syllabus with an expanded subject index.

• We tweaked room arrangements and have ample room for more people to sign up for the luncheons that take place each day.

• Rooms are available at the two added hotels. They will run periodic shuttles to the Grand Wayne Convention Center. Fort Wayne has thousands of hotel rooms so there is space for all of us.

• Ample parking is available near the convention center.

• Don’t forget about the wonderful quilt that will be awarded during the Friday evening festivities at the Allen County Public Library. That’s an evening to benefit the War of 1812 Preserve the Pensions Project with lots of fun activities. A dessert buffet will be sponsored by FamilySearch. If you have registered for that evening, you get access to the Genealogy Center from 6:00 p.m. till Midnight!

Want more details on these points and to keep up with breaking news? Follow us on:

• The conference website
• FGS Conference News Blog
• Facebook
• Twitter: @FGSconference, #FGS2013

We hope you join us for this great educational and fun week.

As an FGS Ambassador we are provided with blogging prompts each month. Here are the responses to the questions we have been asked for June/July.

Deciding on the conference schedule depends very much on my selection of lectures which changes several times over the months prior to the conference. When the program first comes out I go through it and mark all the lectures that appeal to me. A few months later I will go through it again in a little more detail and narrow some streams down. Then a week or so before I leave I go through it for a final time and try to narrow it down to one lecture per stream.

Once I have narrowed the lectures down to hopefully one per stream, if not I hope that at least one of them is being recorded, then I decide on what exhibitors I want to visit during the conference. This can depend on what is of interest to me at the moment, new programs that have come out that I want to learn more about, new databases being released by the larger companies and sometimes it has to do with where the conference is being held and if I have any family connections to the area.

How I keep track of when and where I need to be usually starts with the small brochure that is included in our registration bag. I circle things and review the next day’s happenings the night before. In 2012 the FGS had an app that was very useful. I had it on my IPod Touch and could check at an instant where I needed to be. It made things very easy. I haven’t heard anything about this year’s app yet.

My schedule can change during the day at the conference because sometimes you are presented with an opportunity you can’t say no to or you meet up with some new friends and decide to try something different. Don’t schedule the whole conference before you go, be open to anything that may come up during conference. You never know what you might learn or who you may meet.

©2013 – Blair Archival Research All Rights Reserved 

2013 FGS CONFERENCE EARLY-BIRD REGISTRATION ENDS JULY 1
“Journey through Generations” – A Conference for the Nation’s Genealogists

June 10, 2013 – Austin, TX. Discounted early-bird registration for the 2013 Federation of Genealogical Societies Conference will continue only until July 1. Early registrants receive a $50 discount for the full four days, or a $20 discount for any single day. Details at FGS Conference.

The conference will be held 21-24 August 2013 in Fort Wayne, Indiana at the Grand Wayne Convention Center. This year’s conference theme is “Journey through Generations,” and the local hosts are the Allen County Public Library (ACPL) and the Allen County Genealogical Society of Indiana (ACGSI). Platinum sponsors are FamilySearch, FindMyPast.com and Ancestry.com.

The conference offers opportunities for all who are interested in researching their family history, with over 160 educational sessions on records, strategies, and tools for genealogists at all levels. The exhibit hall features over 70 vendors offering a wide range of genealogical products and is open and free to the public.

Luncheons, workshops and special events provide additional opportunities for networking and learning. Make sure the get your tickets to these conference “extras” early to guarantee your spot.

See you in Fort Wayne in August!

Learn More and Stay Connected

• Visit or subscribe to the FGS Conference Blog
• Like the conference on Facebook
• Follow the conference on Twitter and hashtag #FGS2013.
• Visit Fort Wayne

About the Federation of Genealogical Societies (FGS)

The Federation of Genealogical Societies (FGS) was founded in 1976 and represents the members of hundreds of genealogical societies. FGS links the genealogical community by helping genealogical societies strengthen and grow through resources available online, FGS Forum magazine (filled with articles pertaining to society management and genealogical news), and Society Strategy Series papers, covering topics about effectively operating a genealogical society. FGS also links the genealogical community through its annual conference — four days of excellent lectures, including one full day devoted to society management topics. To learn more visit FGS.