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Sunday, May 10, 2015

Tell Us What you Think of the 2015 Conference

The National Genealogical Society Board of Directors and staff are interested in receiving your feedback about the 2015 Family History Conference.

Your satisfaction is essential to us and feedback is an important aspect in maintaining the highest
level of excellence. We invite you to tell us about your experiences at the conference by taking a brief survey. It should take no longer than two to five minutes of your time and your responses will help us prepare for the NGS 2016 Family History Conference.

There are two ways to provide your feedback, we hope you will do both.

Conference Survey
Located at http://goo.gl/XsyUpq, this survey includes questions about your overall conference experience. You can also reach the survey through the Conference Survey button on the conference app dashboard. The survey will be open during the conference and will stay open through 25 May.

Individual Session Survey
Please use the app or go to http://m.core-apps.com/ngs2015 to rate individual sessions after you have attended them. Once a session has concluded, you may rate the session by going to the sessions icon in the app, locating the session in the listing, and tapping the clipboard icon on the side bar. You may rate the sessions through 25 May.

We thank you for taking a few minutes out of your busy schedule to give us your feedback.


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St. Charles Here We Come!

Ready or not St. Charles, here come the genealogists!

We will be arriving by car, train, and airplane from all over the United States and even a few from international destinations. And we are ready to tour, learn, network, and socialize.

Clothing
Dress in layers. Most likely, some areas of lecture rooms and the exhibit hall will be cold, other areas will be warm. Wear comfortable shoes and clothing. You will do lots of walking as well as sitting. Those going to the banquet, will find there is a wide range of attire; formal dress is not necessary.

Weather
Here is a snap shot of the weather in St. Charles this week. Check http://www.weather.com/ for updates.

ST. CHARLES  WEATHER


Safe travels, see you all in a few days!
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Saturday, May 9, 2015

Program Changes

Please note the following program changes:

Wednesday, 4:00 p.m., W158–"Published Documentary Histories: An Unusual Resource for Genealogists," Claire Bettag, CG, FUGA (formerly F358)

Thursday, 12:15 p.m. Luncheon, T233–"Who Are the Palatines," Warren Bittner, CG (formerly "Germans in the American Civil War," Joseph Lieby)

Friday, 2:30 p.m., F348–"Petitions, Memorials, & Remonstrances in Early America," Claire Bettag, CG, FUGA (formerly S421)

Friday, 4:00 p.m., F358–"Finding Your Ancestors in Congressional Documents," Patricia Walls Stamm, CG, CGL (formerly W158)

Saturday, 11:00 a.m., S421–"Organizing Your Genealogy Without Losing Your Mind," Julie Miller, CG (formerly F348)

Due to speaker family emergencies, these changes were made to assist the speakers during this difficult time.
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Lots of food choices at the conference



We're going to need lots of nourishment for all the sessions and other activities that are planned for the conference. NGS has arranged to make it easy to refuel.

In addition to the luncheons each day, there will be:
  • a concession area in the Exhibit Hall
  • ala carte items available on the lower level of the conference center in the Exhibit Hall pre-function area
  • a variety of food trucks outside on the lower level
  • a luncheon buffet at the Embassy Suites

 The hotels offer free breakfast, but if you don't have time to eat 
  • The Conference Center breakfast area opens at 6:30
  • The  Caffeina’s Marketplace, located in the Embassy Suites, has  Starbucks® coffee, sandwiches, and pastries. Hours: 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. daily.
Also, check the NGS conference app for area restaurant information.
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Friday, May 8, 2015

Attendee Check-in, Onsite Registration, Free Convention Center Tours, and App help

 

The start of the conference is almost here! Attendee check-in begins at 12 noon on Tuesday, 12 May 2015. Follow the signs to the Conference Center from the Embassy Suites Lobby. The NGS Conference registration desk is located on the upper level of the St. Charles Convention Center in the pre-function area.

If you pre-registered for the conference, simply go the check-in desk marked with the first letter of your last name during the hours listed below and collect your conference materials (bag, program, name tag, syllabus on flash drive, and print syllabus if you ordered one).

When you come to the registration desk to pick up your conference materials, join a tour to learn your way around the building and get answers to questions. St. Louis Genealogical Society volunteers will provide guided tours of the St. Charles Convention Center on Tuesday afternoon, 12 May, from noon to 7 p.m. The tour will end at the Society Showcase which will be open from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.

There will also be volunteers available to help with downloading the NGS app and answer app questions.

If you haven't registered for the conference, no worries. Registration will be available onsite at the St. Charles Convention Center beginning 12 noon on Tuesday, 12 May 2015.

Attendee Check-in and Onsite Registration Hours 
Tuesday, 12 May 2015
12:00 p.m.–7:00 p.m.

Wednesday, 13 May 2015
7:00 a.m.–3:30 p.m.

Thursday, 14 May 2015
7:00 a.m.–3:30 p.m.

Friday, 15 May 2015
7:00 a.m.–3:30 p.m.

Saturday, 16 May 2015
7:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m.

If you have any questions, the friendly registration and Ask Me volunteers will be available to assist you.


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Thursday, May 7, 2015

NGS Social Media Policy

 NGS thanks you for your cooperation in following their Social Media Policy


Official hashtag – #NGS2015GEN

Except by specific prior written permission, NGS does not permit the recording of presentations at the NGS Family History Conference under any circumstances or in any form or media, including but not limited to audio recordings, still photography, video recordings, or literal transcripts. (JAMB,Inc. contracts with NGS to audio record the lectures of speakers who provide their written consent to be recorded. CDs may be purchased at the conference or ordered after the conference for $12 per CD.)

NGS permits and encourages the use of social media, such as Facebook, Twitter, Google+, and blogging at the conference as a way to summarize, highlight, excerpt, review, critique, and/or promote the presented materials, syllabus materials, or the conference in general, provided that
1. copyright law is observed
2. verbatim information is limited to a few quotes, and
3. the author or speaker is referenced and cited appropriately.
Please keep in mind that our presenters have invested many hours in the development of this material and copyright laws apply.

Out of respect for the other participants, we ask that noise-making electronic devices be silenced, though they need not be turned off, so that they may be used to follow along in the syllabus, tweet, or take notes in accordance with the above stated social media policy.

We encourage participants in the conference to:
  • Follow us on Twitter (@ngsgenealogy).
  • Send us a tweet @ngsgenealogy for general information or use the hashtag #ngs2015gen for Annual Conference-related tweets.
  • Blog, post, and tweet about what you are hearing and seeing at the conference (highlighting or commenting on, but not sharing in detail, any of the material presented).
  • Suggest sessions to attend and luncheons to enjoy; chat about products and services in the Exhibit Hall.
  • Feel free to take and share photographs at any time in the Exhibit Hall.
  • Request the permission of speakers if you would like to take their photograph directly before or after a session.(Unless you are an official NGS photographer, please obtain the permission of the speaker before taking pictures, and please take photographs only before a session starts, or after it concludes.)
  • Provide feedback to NGS staff and the Program Committee. (For example, you could discuss topics of interest and/or speakers for next year’s conference, make suggestions for sessions, or comment on the conference format.)
  • Keep criticism constructive.
We request that participants in the conference refrain from:
  • Using audio and/or video recording devices. These are strictly prohibited in sessions and in the Exhibit Hall, except in the interview area or by prior written agreement.
  • Using photographic devices during sessions.
  • Using photographic devices in the session rooms without permission of the speaker.
  • Capturing, transmitting, or redistributing syllabus materials or the bulk of the material presented in a session. Doing so infringes on the intellectual property rights of the speakers.
  • Engaging in rudeness or personal attacks.


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Wednesday, May 6, 2015

Exhibit Hall Floor Plan

Did you know that there will be over 70 exhibitors in the exhibit hall at St. Charles Convention Center during the conference?  A list of exhibitors and a map of the exhibit hall may be found in three places:

Interactive map at
http://fp37.a2zinc.net/clients/NGS/NGS2015/public/eventmap.aspx
Click on the booth number on the map or the name in the alphabetical list and the company information will come up.

NGS Conference App
On the dashboard, click on "Exhibitors" for the list that includes booth number and contact information. For the map, click on "Maps" in the dashboard, then "Exhibit Floor Plan." The map also includes the name and booth number.

Conference Program
Map and list of exhibitors with their booth number is listed on page 65.


St. Charles Exhibit Hall Map



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