by Lisa Cooke | Jan 20, 2020 | 01 What's New, Conferences
The Federation of Genealogists annual conference will be held in Kansas City, Missouri on September 2 – 5, 2020. I’ll be there and I hope you will be too. Watch our #FGS2020 page here to learn more about my activities at #FGS2020.
If you’re planning to attend, now is the time to book your hotel reservation. Rooms can fill up very quickly.
Here are all the details from the press release from the folks at the Federation of Genealogical Societies.
HOTEL RESERVATIONS NOW OPEN FOR THE FGS 2020 CONFERENCE IN KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI
*1/11/2020** – Austin, TX*.
FGS is pleased to announce that hotel reservations are now open for the 2020 Conference to be held in Kansas City, Missouri.
The Kansas City Marriott Downtown is now taking reservations for the 2020 FGS Family History Conference, “Blazing Trails in the Heart of America” The conference will be held September 2-5, 2020. This hotel is set in the heart of the downtown district and connects via walkway to the Kansas City Convention Center where the conference will be held.
FGS 2020 Conference room rates are available Saturday August 29, 2020 until Tuesday September 8, 2020 (subject to availability). Reservations must be made by August 3, 2020 to secure the conference rate.
Kansas City Marriott Downtown
200 West 12th Street, Kansas City, Missouri 64105
Full details and links for FGS discounted reservations can be found on the FGS website here.
Screen shot of FGS conference website.
Conference hotels fill up quickly, so it is not too early to make reservations. We look forward to seeing you in Kansas City!
About the Federation of Genealogical Societies (FGS)
The Federation of Genealogical Societies (FGS) was founded in 1976 and empowers the genealogical and family history community, especially its societies and organizations, by advocating for the preservation and access of records and providing resources that enable genealogical organizations to succeed in pursuing their missions.
FGS helps genealogical societies and family history enthusiasts alike to strengthen and grow through online resources, *FGS FORUM *magazine, and through its annual national conference which provides four days of excellent learning opportunities for both societies and family history enthusiasts.
FGS launched the Preserve the Pensions project in 2010 to raise more than $3 million to digitize and make freely available the pension files from the War of 1812. Fundraising was completed for that project in 2016 and the digitization continues. FGS was also the driving force behind the Civil War Soldiers and Sailors project alongside the National Parks Service.
by Lacey Cooke | Jul 28, 2018 | 01 What's New, Conferences
What: Federation of Genealogical Societies 2018 Conference
Where: Fort Wayne, Indiana
Booth: #101 Lisa Louise Cooke’s Genealogy Gems
When: August 22-25, 2018
We can’t wait to see you at the Federation of Genealogical Society 2018 Conference! Genealogy Gems will be rolling out the red carpet for with our free power sessions and prizes. On Saturday, you’ll have the rare opportunity to go behind the scenes and join us for a live recording of the Genealogy Gems Podcast and the Family Tree Magazine Podcast. And be sure to stop by with your smartphone or tablet and we’ll set up the free Genealogy Gems Podcast for you!
Join us for our incredibly popular red carpet mini sessions while you’re at FGS. We’ll have expert instruction and free prizes at every session, including DNA kits, online courses, subscriptions, and more!
Lisa Louise Cooke will be showing you how to apply your sleuthing skills to find missing trees, as well as create free map collections and stunning family history videos. Shannon Combs-Bennett joins us to provide practical tools and strategies to work with your DNA results and apply them your genealogical research. Special guests also include Mike Mansfield to bust brick walls with MyHeritage, and RootsMagic founder Bruce Buzzbee will give you tips and tricks for using the famous family tree software. Attendees of the conference will find our flyer with the complete schedule in their conference bags. Here’s the full schedule:
We’ll set up the free podcast on your mobile device!
If you’ve never listened to the free Genealogy Gems Podcast, we want to personally invite you stop by the booth on Saturday from 10:00 – 11:00 AM and we will set up the podcast on your mobile device for you! It’s completely free, and totally easy to listen. We’ll make sure you leave comfortable and confident to listen.
Attend free live podcast recordings on Saturday
And whether you’re a podcast listener or not (yet!), you have the rare opportunity to go behind the scenes and watch our live recordings:
Saturday 8/25/18 12:30 – 1:00 PM Family Tree Magazine Podcast
Saturday 8/25/18 1:15 – 1:45 PM Genealogy Gems Podcast
We will have special guest interviews, BIG prizes, and lots of fun!
Mark your calendars for Lisa’s FGS sessions:
Thursday 10:00 – 12:00 Reconstruct Your Ancestor’s World with Google (workshop)
Thursday 3:30 – 4:30 7 Awesome Apps to Captivate Non-Genealogists
Friday 11:00 – 12:00 10 Exciting Ways to Enhance Your Genealogy with Video
Friday 3:30 – 4:30 A Proven Methodology for using Google Search for Genealogy
Register for FGS 2018 Now
If you haven’t registered for FGS, it’s not too late! Head to the FGS website to register, available until August 13, 2018. Fort Wayne, Indiana is home to the Allen County Public Library, which is an incredible resource for any genealogist and makes FGS 2018 is well worth the trip.
Visit our FGS landing page for all the details about everything that’s happening at the Genealogy Gems booth, and see you at FGS 2018!
Lacey has been working with Genealogy Gems since the company’s inception in 2007. You can find her at the Genealogy Gems booth at many conferences and seminars, hosting webinars, and contributing behind the scenes with product development and content creation. No stranger to working with dead people, Lacey holds a degree in Forensic Anthropology, and is passionate about criminal justice and investigative techniques. She loves taking genealogy on the road with Lisa (who just happens to be her mom) and exploring new places.
by Lisa Cooke | Jul 15, 2017 | 01 What's New, Societies
The FGS Webinar Series on Society Management has just been announced and it’s starting soon. This new free webinar series is focused on the leadership and management of non-profit societies. If you belong to a genealogical society you’ll want to let your leadership know about this opportunity from the The Federation of Genealogical Societies. Read on for more from FGS.
FGS Webinar Series Details
Press Release: July 12, 2017 – Austin, TX.
The Federation of Genealogical Societies (FGS) announces the launch of their Society Management webinar series, scheduled to begin July 20, 2017. This series of free events will bring a much-needed aspect to the array of learning opportunities currently provided in the genealogical community, focusing solely on the leadership and management of non-profit societies.
The series will begin July 20, 2017 at 7:00pm central with a presentation by Fred Moss discussing The Open Death Records Initiative. The August session will feature David Rencher, CG, presenting on the best practices – and challenges – surrounding The Nominating Committee.
Each month thereafter will feature a new and interesting topic, ranging from recruitment and volunteer management to technology, publications, and working with your local tourism board. Registration will be necessary, and regular updates will be shared via the FGS Voice blog, FGS Voice Newsletter, and social media. Webinars will occur every 3rd Thursday of the month.
Registration for the July program can be found here.
Speakers interested in presenting topics should contact Jen Baldwin, Education Chair, at education@fgs.org.
More Support for Genealogical Societies
Finding affordable quality programming is probably one of the biggest challenges genealogy societies face.
Genealogy Gems for Societies is an annual premium subscription service just for genealogical societies and groups* (such as libraries). This is a cost-effective way for your group to provide quality family history video presentations by internationally-renowned speaker Lisa Louise Cooke at your regular meetings.
With a society subscription, your group may show video recordings of Lisa’s most popular classes! This applies to group presentations for a single location, one video per event–but with more than a dozen 50-60 minute videos, several more 25-30 minute videos and a growing number of quick video tips (4-15 minutes), you’ll have plenty of video classes to show all year long! Click here to see a full list of videos available to societies. (Videos are not for individual use by society members.)
In addition, society subscribers receive:
- Permission to republish articles from our extensive article archive in your society newsletter (your editor will LOVE this feature!)
- 10% discount for your society on live seminars by Lisa Louise Cooke
- 10% discount code for your society members to use in the Genealogy Gems Store (details will be sent to your society membership email address after purchase)
- BONUS: exclusive digital PDF ebook of a collection of Lisa’s most popular articles from Family Tree Magazine! Share this in the members-only section of your group’s website (or if you don’t have a members-only section, your Programming Director may keep it and enjoy).
All of this costs only $199.00 a year—about the cost of one typical webinar! Click here for more details and ordering information.
Please support your local genealogical society or group by sharing this post with them by email or social media. Thank you! You’re a Gem.
by Lisa Cooke | Sep 11, 2016 | 01 What's New, Conferences
The Federation of Genealogical Societies Conference 2017 is already on our radar. The FGS has just announced two hotels open for reservations for the annual conference being held August 30th – September 2nd, 2017. Plan ahead – hotel accommodations fill up fast!
Federation of Genealogical Societies Conference 2017
FGS has announced that hotel reservations are now open for the 2017 “Building Bridges to the Past” conference to be held in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on August 30 – September 2, 2017. This fantastic genealogical conference will be held at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center.
The Westin Convention Ceneter and the Omni William Penn Hotel are offering reduced rates to the Federation of Genealogical Societies Conference 2017 attendees from Wednesday, August 23 to Friday, September 8 (subject to availability.) Both hotels are conveniently located near the David L. Lawrence Convention Center.
Make your reservations today, as rooms fill up quickly. Hotel information is as follows:
Westin Convention Center (Main Conference Hotel,) 1000 Penn Ave., Pittsburg.
Omni William Penn Hotel, 530 William Penn Place, Pittsburg.
FGS 2016
Here’s what FGS looked like for us at Genealogy Gems. We’d love to see you there next year.
by Lisa Cooke | Aug 23, 2016 | 01 What's New, Conferences
The Federation of Genealogical Societies (FGS) Conference for 2016 is “Time Travel: Centuries of Memories” and will be held in Springfield, Illinois. See what your future holds by learning about the past. Genealogy Gems will be there, and you’re going to love our line-up of free 30-minute classes in the exhibit hall (booth #200). Plus, enter to win our Grand Prize drawing! Here are all the details.
Make Your Future Whatever You Want, But Make it a Good One
JMortonPhoto.com & OtoGodfrey.com [CC BY-SA 4.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
This Federation of Genealogical Societies Conference will benefit the novice, the professional, and anyone in between. With over 160 sessions and 72 expert speakers from all over the world, you will be inspired to reach greater heights in all things genealogy.
Each day, a new set of classes will guide you through:
- the U.S. Midwest (regional track)
- the United Kingdom (British Isles and Commonwealth track)
- the continental European research (ethnic track), to give you the latest and greatest in genealogy research.
If you missed early registration, that’s okay. Walk-in registration is available by clicking here. Enjoy all four days of inspiring classes, only attend a day or two, or just meander around the exhibit hall.
Free Stuff in the Exhibit Hall
The exhibit hall is always a favorite place to network and socialize with your genealogy buddies. Wander from booth to booth to see what the future holds for genealogists and gather up all the fun and free swag, too.
Most importantly, Lisa wants to see you for our free sessions that are back by popular demand! With such a positive response last year, Genealogy Gems will once again be hosting a series of free presentations at this year’s FGS conference. Join us in our Genealogy Gems Theater in booth #200 in the exhibit hall. Our 30-minute information-packed sessions will help you think outside the box for greater genealogy success.
Attend any of our sessions and sign-up to receive our free e-book of handouts for all the sessions. Want to plan ahead so you don’t miss a thing? Glance over the schedule below (click the button to download the schedule) and mark your can’t-miss sessions. (Not able to attend? Stay tuned because we will be announcing which sessions will be broadcast live over Periscope for free.)
BONUS: Join Lisa in the FGS theater area of the exhibit hall
Saturday at 12:10 for
Top Google Search Strategies for Genealogists
Grand Prize Drawing: Total Retail Value over $210
Presenters at the Genealogy Gems Theater have pitched in for this year’s Grand Prize drawing. The winner will receive:
…from Lisa Louise Cooke’s Genealogy Gems
…from Your DNA Guide Diahan Southard
…from Family Tree Magazine: an e-book bundle valued at about $100
Click here for the Grand Prize entry form, which also gets you the free e-book with all the session handouts. Drop the entry off at booth #200. The winner will be notified by email.
Lisa will of course be presenting lectures during the daily sessions. Jump on over to our website page for even more information about the FGS Conference.
We’re looking forward to seeing you there, friends!
