My Three Must Do Activities for NGS 2012

It’s hard to believe but in less than a week the National Genealogical Society Annual Conference  will converge upon Cincinnati, Ohio. You may be aware by now that I have been chosen to be one of the Official Bloggers for #NGS2012. (Thank you NGS for that honor). 

As I think about the conference I also started to think about what I hope to get out of the experience. Conferences can be an expensive proposition so it seems appropriate to set some goals about what I want to achieve by attending NGS. Now I have attended many NGS conferences and have always found them to be worthwhile. My three goals for this conference are below.

• I’ve already marked the conference schedule with everything I want to see. And like usual I have marked multiple presentations at the same hour. I am hoping to use some of my time attending presentations that stretch my thinking. Because there is no earthly way I will get to all the presentations I would like to see I do plan on buying audio files of presentations that were recorded that I did not have a chance to attend. I love audio files and listen to them again and again for ideas of how I can enhance my own research.

• One of my big plans is to network. I’m excited about the release of my new book From the Family Kitchen (F + W Media, 2012) and am looking forward to showing it to everyone. I will also be signing my book at the Family Tree Magazine booth on Friday at 1pm. But I am also excited at hearing about other projects that genealogists have been working on. The excitement that a conference can provide is a great shot in the arm for tackling new and existing projects when you get back home.

• Tour the Exhibit Hall again and again. I’m always curious to see what’s new in the world of genealogy. From what books I must have to the latest gadgets, I will be spending some time looking around the exhibit hall to see what is new and can enhance my research.

So that’s my list. What are your three must do activities for NGS 2012?