The FGS 2011 Conference was a whirlwind of activities, and as exhausted as I am (even after being home for a few days), it was well worth it.

RibbonsRibbons

Since this was my first national genealogy conference, I had to of course see how many ribbons I could amass.  By the time I left on Sunday, I had 28 ribbons, which reached my ankles.  If I didn’t have the longest tail, I’m sure I was a close second.  Sadly, it reminds me how much I spend on genealogy (albeit, for me, well worth it) since all of the membership ribbons are legit (I didn’t take anything that I didn’t belong to).

Exhibit Hall

I don’t typically spend much time in the exhibit hall at conferences.  I usually take in as many sessions as I can, but this conference was a different experience for me.  I found the exhibit hall to be my networking hub and spent more time there then I would’ve bet on one week earlier.

I visited about 75% of the vendors over three days.  I learned about a variety of new products and services that I was previously unaware of, and learned about new offerings from familiar vendors.  Look for blog posts later this week about some of my favorite vendors and interesting news items.

Since I normally don’t find myself in the exhibit hall, I don’t usually come home with much more than I left with, but I found some great goodies and memberships that I just had to have:

Books

  • Carmack’s Guide to Copyright & Contracts, Sharon DeBartolo Carmack
  • Michigan Genealogy, Carol McGinnis
  • Michigan Place Names, Walter Romig
  • Genealogical Writing in the 21st Century, Michael Leclerc and Henry Hoff (I was in the right place at the right time and got a free copy and had it signed by Michael!)

Memberships

  • JustAJoy
  • Godfrey Memorial Library
  • Utah Genealogical Association

Other

  • Subscription to Family Chronicle
  • Several back issues of Family Chronicle and Internet Genealogy
  • NGS membership pin

Fellow Genealogists

I had a blast talking with everyone I came in contact with.  One of the benefits of being on Facebook and having a blog is that I already knew so many people before having ever met them in person.  Most everyone was as I imagined.  And of course I met some new friends and I look forward to growing those relationships.

Wrapping It Up

Overall, FGS 2011 met or exceeded my expectations.  I really do encourage you to attend a national genealogy conference if you have never been to one.  There is so much to learn and so many wonderful people to connect with, you are at a disadvantage if you don’t.

If you weren’t able to attend FGS 2011, you can purchase conference recordings of the sessions.  (Note:  Not all sessions were recorded.)  Recordings can be purchased at Fleetwood Onsite Conference Recording.

To read more about my conference experience, refer to the following posts: