We arrived in Salt Lake City this afternoon. It’s my birthplace, so I feel at home here (although I grew up in Southern California and Arizona).
Here are some tips I’ve learned the past few years that will make your RootsTech experience even better!
The best restrooms with no lines (usually) are on the south end of the Salt Palace, near Hall E (“main stage”). Go into the Hyatt lobby and there are public restrooms right there.
Wear comfortable shoes. Honestly. I have the worst, wide feet and most comfort shoes don’t pass an all day test for me. You will be walking 1,000s of steps every day, so worry less about the coolness factor of your shoes and more about being able to walk by Saturday night. I packed low heeled boots, sneakers, Mephisto brand Helen sandals (like Birkenstocks), and wool Taos slip-ons.
If you are here in person, prioritize In-Person only classes, as all the rest are pre-recorded or live streamed and recorded and you can watch them anytime during the year. I make an exception for Keynotes at 11 am each day, and I will make an exception to see CeCe Moore Friday at 4:30 pm for her session sharing stories from Finding Your Roots. She is worth hearing in real-time, as she is an exceptionally good presenter.
Remember to try my free app of the DNA sessions to filter to Online Only sessions and In-person only sessions: RootsTech.DNAbreakthroughs.com
If you are watching online (Hello, #notatrootstech genie-friends!), prioritize Live Streamed sessions. On the RootsTech app and website, they are marked both In Person and Online, that’s how you know they’re live streamed. This will help you feel the excitement to watch in real time, rather than pre-recorded sessions, that are just marked Online. Again, you can watch those next week or later on.
Can’t choose between two or more sessions? Read the syllabus for each one, or at least take a quick look. This will usually give you a sense of which class is what you need the most.
Food: Choices in the Salt Palace are usually slim if you’re looking for healthy food. But I have found fruit cups, fruit and acai bowls in past years. Restaurants nearby in City Creek mall tend to fill up quickly with RootsTech attendees. I’m going to tell you my secret spot: Nordstrom Cafe on the second floor. It usually doesn’t have a long line and the line moves quickly. Service can be pretty fast, especially if you tell them nicely you’re in a hurry. You can always bring your own food to sessions in the Salt Palace. I pack a small container of walnuts in my bag for a protein boost. Harmon’s Grocery is a healthy walk away.
Here’s a tip I learned tonight from a random fellow RootsTech attendee: Amazon grab and go delivers from restaurants, so if you have Amazon Prime, try that to get delivery to your hotel front desk or even to the Salt Palace if you tell them where to meet you by a curbside. Also, you can order grocery delivery on Amazon Prime to where ever you’re staying.
Thursday night out at the Expo Hall! 5 pm to 6:30 pm. Every 30 minutes there will be green lights on three different booths and those booths will have specials. I’m a sucker for specials and for swag, so show me what you’ve got!
Here are some of my picks for Thursday In-Person only sessions I want to attend:
8 am MST Using DNA to reveal biological relationships for adopted persons or those with unexpected paternity by Dr. Penny Walters and Aimee Rose-Haynes in 155 A
9:30 am MST What’s New in RootsMagic 10 by Bruce Buzbee in 155 BC
11 am MST General Session with Steve Rockwood, Rachel Platten (virtual from her home studio) and Mat and Savannah Shaw, musical duo. Hall E (main stage).
1:30 pm MST DNA Academy: Vendors, Tools and Techniques to Find Your Ancestors by Roberta Estes (2 hour session) in 155 BC. (Her syllabus is fabulous, like a mini-book)
4:30 pm MST I know I have it here somewhere? Organizing your memories and research on Ancestry by Julie Merrill in Ballroom G
What’s on your schedule? Any RootsTech tips? Please comment and share my post! See you in the Palace.
With love,
Mckell
What a great synopsis!
What a great synopsis!