Tips for First Time Conference Attendees

Program highlights

• The conference has a number of tracks or lecture themes. When you register, we ask you to indicate the lectures you plan to attend so we can anticipate the audience size for each lecture, but you can change your selection and attend any lecture in any track.
• If you are new to genealogy, we recommend the Family History Skills Track, which covers the basic records you need to research your family. Experienced speakers will tell you how to analyze each type of record while providing many examples from their research.
• If you have been researching for a while, you might enjoy the methodology lectures in which you will learn how to hone your research skills to help break through your brick walls.
• If you have been researching for some time and want to improve your genealogical skills, then the Board for Certification of Genealogists (BCG) Skillbuilding Track may be your preference.
• You are free to move from track to track throughout the day and conference.  However, as a courtesy to the speaker, please do not leave a lecture once it has begun.
• Some lectures will be well attended. The largest lecture rooms will hold 500 people. Some of the specialty lectures will be in smaller rooms with limited space. If there is a lecture you really want to hear, we recommend you find your seat twenty minutes before the lecture begins.
• Many of the lectures will be recorded and available for purchase for $12 each at the conference and after the conference through a link on the NGS website.  If there are two or more lectures you want to hear at the same time, check the program. Lectures not being recorded will have a pen in the lecture square indicating you need to take notes.
• Each lecture has a number assigned: Wednesday lectures begin with a W, Thursday with a T, Friday with a F, and Saturday with an S. The lectures on Wednesday begin with 101, on Thursday with 201, on Friday with 301, and on Saturday with 401. Understanding the numbering system will help you find lectures in the Syllabus and order recorded lectures on CD ROM.

Exhibit hall

• As you enter the exhibit hall you will see the National Genealogical Society booth. Stop by and see our publications, including the Research in the States series, and talk to our staff about education courses. Many conference attendees collect conference pins. The Charleston pin includes a picture by local artist Madeline Carol.
• There will be over one hundred vendors in the exhibit hall. Ancestry.com and FamilySearch will have large booths with computers available to search for your ancestors. There will also be several booksellers and a number of vendors selling family history software. If you have not yet purchased family history software, the exhibit hall offers a great opportunity to compare the features and benefits of each alternative.
• The largest genealogy societies and professional organizations will also have booths.  You will have an opportunity to visit with the officers and staff, view their publications, and ask questions.
• If you make too many purchases to fit everything in your suitcase, UPS will be available in the exhibit hall on Saturday to handle any shipments home.
• Bring return address labels to use when signing up for drawings in the Exhibit Hall. Social events.
• There will be three luncheons each day sponsored by a major genealogical society or organization. Each luncheon includes a speaker. The speaker, title of the talk, and menu are listed in the registration brochure, which is available as a PDF online at http://tinyurl.com/yjhnx89.
• Luncheons provide networking opportunities for you to meet other genealogists. If you prefer to browse the exhibit hall instead, a food concession will be open each day through the lunch hour. The Embassy Suites will also have a daily luncheon buffet for $13.25 plus tax.
• The South Carolina Genealogical Society is our local host. On Wednesday night they will host a wine and cheese reception at the Charleston Visitor’s Center followed by a tour of the Charleston Museum. Details can be found in the registration brochure at http://tinyurl.com/yjhnx89. Register soon because only a few tickets are still available.
• Also on Wednesday night the South Carolina Genealogical Society will host a dinner cruise aboard the Spirit of Carolina. This is your chance to see the beautiful Charleston skyline from the water and enjoy the scenic views along the Ashley River. The cost is $70, which includes bus transportation.
• On Thursday night the South Carolina Genealogical Society will host a southern barbeque at the Charleston Rifle Club. Entertainment will include Irish Dancers. The cost is $35, which includes bus transportation.
• Check the registration brochure for more details and departure times and locations. You may register for these events through 26 April 2011 or until they are sold out.

Conference syllabus

We ask each speaker to submit a four-page summary of the highlights of their lecture. We print these summaries in a syllabus. The syllabus is available to all paid conference registrants on CD. About two weeks before the conference, we will make the syllabus available for your review on the conference website. You will be sent an e-mail letting you know when it is available. This early release provides you with an opportunity to print the summaries for the lectures you plan to attend. We will also have syllabus print stations at the conference, but you will be limited to printing 20 pages at a time. When you check in you will receive the CD, and the printed syllabus if you ordered one for $20 before the early bird cut-off, 11 March 2011. 

Networking at the Conference

• Be sure to take business cards or a small pad of paper so you can exchange contact information with people you meet at the conference.
• You may also want to bring your family history database on a flash drive so you can share your gedcom file with any cousins you meet. It is also always good to have a recent back up.

When you arrive at the conference

• If you pre-registered for the conference, you will pick up the conference materials at a booth in the lobby of the convention center labeled “Attendee Check-In.” The booth will be open from  noon until 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday, 10 May 2011, and will open at 7:00 a.m. on Wednesday morning. You will need to show personal identification. Before you leave the booth area, check to make sure you have all the tickets for events you purchased when you registered.
• Your name tag provides you with access to all the lectures and the two general sessions. Be sure to wear your name tag at all times. You will need a ticket to the paid social events. The last day to purchase tickets for the social events is 26 April 2011. However, we recommend you purchase tickets as soon as possible, as space is limited and the events are filling up quickly.
• You will receive a tote bag with your program and other conference materials. Put your name on your program in case you lose it. We only print enough copies for each attendee to receive one. The tote bag will help you carry your program materials as well as purchases you make in the exhibit hall.

What to pack

• Business casual clothes are proper attire for most of the conference. If you have registered for the NGS Banquet, business attire or a cocktail dress is appropriate. You will notice the speakers all wear business attire.
• Convention centers can be cold, so be sure to bring a sweater or jacket to wear during the day.
• Comfortable shoes are a must.
• South Carolina is warm and beautiful in May. However, you may need a sweater or jacket if you go out for the evening, especially if you are taking the dinner cruise on Wednesday night. 
• A shower is possible any day during the week, so you may want to pack a small umbrella.

Where to research

• Review the “Places to Research in Charleston” on the conference blog. Check this area from time to time as more information is being added. 

Sightseeing and dining

• Historic downtown Charleston is twelve miles away. If you are staying at the Embassy Suites you can take a shuttle downtown for $10 each way, or find a friend and share a cab.
• Charleston has wonderful restaurants. Most require reservations, especially on the weekend.
• Charleston barbeque may be prepared with a local yellow sauce or the  traditional red sauce, so when you see it on a menu you should ask how the barbeque was prepared. 
• “The Hospitality Booth” across from “Attendee Check-In” will have a comprehensive visitors guide available.

Airport and parking

• The Charleston Airport is less than five miles from the convention center and hotels.
• All of the conference hotels have a shuttle that will pick you up at the airport. Have their phone number handy and call them as soon as you have your luggage.
• If you leave your hotel in North Charleston ninety minutes before your flight departs Charleston, you should have plenty of time to make your flight.
• If you are driving to the conference, parking at the convention center  is only $5 per day.  Parking is free at all of the seven conference hotels. A trolley will run Wednesday through Friday from the six conference hotels  to the convention center. The Embassy Suites is connected to the convention center by a covered walkway. The trolley schedule is posted on the NGS conference blog.

Tips for First Time Conference Attendees