According to an article published today on the Church News, the RootsTech London family history and technology convention held in the London ExCel Convention Center on Oct. 24-26 exceeded expectations.
Almost 5,000 participants pre-registered for the three-day event, but attendance practically doubled the final day, Saturday, when meetings were conducted specifically for local Latter-day Saints.
The total of nearly 10,000 participants in London, representing 42 different countries, is many times over the 1,500 attendees of the inaugural RootsTech in Salt Lake City a decade ago. In addition, there were 1,300-plus live-stream views online.
“RootsTech London has exceeded our expectations in nearly every way,” said Elder Kevin S. Hamilton, a General Authority Seventy and executive director of the Church’s Family History Department. “For a first-time event, we were thrilled to see the response of the industry and the attendees. The most common question I received from those attending was ‘When will RootsTech London be held next year?’”
RootsTech London has been key to extend FamilySearch’s reach into the archivist community, as many heads of state-owned archives from across the continent attended, Elder Hamilton explained.
“This gave us a chance to further our relationships and to develop plans to digitize key collections we have not previously had access to.”
“While FamilySearch has developed an industry-leading reputation in North America with RootsTech Salt Lake City, RootsTech London helped to establish FamilySearch as a credible industry leader in Europe and beyond, the presence of FamilySearch as the sponsor of RootsTech London firmly establishes it as the umbrella organization under which the entire industry can come together to showcase its technology and services for the amateur and professional genealogist.”
For more details, read here the full article: Elder Bednar, a centuries-old church, Donny Osmond and Twister wrap up RootsTech London
Rootstech London: Days in Review Videos
A historic day! RootsTech London 2019 kicked off in exciting fashion as thousands of storytellers, family historians, and genealogists poured into the ExCeL to discover and celebrate family heritage. Dan Snow, popular historian, was the featured keynote speaker. Take a look at some of the day’s highlights.
On the second day of RootsTech London 2019, World champion Kadeena Cox and FamilySearch International CEO Steve Rockwood inspired the audience as they shared stories of courage, faith, compassion, and connection.
RootsTech London has come to a close! The last day of the conference was filled with exciting sessions, an inspiring performance from Donny Osmond, informative demos, sponsors, connections, discoveries, and more. Hopefully we’ve sent you home with a few good stories of your own to share with your family.
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