We intentionally try to make Jamboree an educational event with a fun twist. We do silly things like Hawaiian Shirt Day because it’s an easy way to involve our attendees and, well heck, it’s fun!

We hold beginning genealogy classes on Friday morning because we feel that finances should never prevent someone from learning good genealogical techniques. It’s part of the SCGS Mission Statement.

One of the free activities is “Genealogy World” which involves informal round-table discussions on ethnic or geography-specific records, research techniques, and computer skills. We hold it Friday morning because (A) it’s free, (B) we want to provide an activity for genealogists who are beyond the beginner stage, and (C) it’s a great way for attendees to meet new people and establish relationships.

Other JamboFREE activities include the Librarians’ Genealogy Boot Camp, Kids’ Family History Camp, and for the first time, thanks to FGS and the California State Genealogical Alliance, we’ll offer a Society Management Conference. In other words, there’s a free event for everyone.

That said, SCGS is a good example of an organization that had to change peoples’ attitudes about charging for genealogy. The “old” Jamboree (mostly exhibitors, a few classes that are repeated) used to cost $3 for entry. Volunteers were let in for free.

Imagine how difficult it is to get people, including volunteers, to understand that the three-day conference is worth the $120 that we charge nonmembers. We are still one of the best conference bargains around.

We have several types of partners. Our exhibitors, speakers, volunteers, and our attendees have similar but sometimes conflicting expectations. It’s our job, as conference planners, to maintain balance, always keeping the overall needs of the conference at the forefront.

Oh, and by the way, Jamboree is the major fundraiser for SCGS. So in addition to keeping everyone happy and impressed and coming back year after year, the Board expects that we will do it at the least possible cost.

When you attend any conference, thank every volunteer every time you see one. The conference would not be held without volunteers. If you would like to volunteer, even for one hour to monitor a room so you can be certain of seeing a particular presentation, let us know at SCGSJamboree@gmail.com. We can use the help.

As a planner, I talk about being an Ed Sullivan plate spinner. Nothing is closer to the truth. Youngsters, see http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zhoos1oY404

By the time conference doors open, conference leaders will have put in 60 to 80-hour weeks. Some time I’ll tell you what it’s like to live in my brain in May and June. But that will have to wait until July.

See you at Jamboree!

Planning: you can never do enough and there is never enough help. Everyone that attends a conference should volunteer for a planning committee otherwise the scope of what it takes can never fully be understood! If something isn’t to your liking, stop a minute and think of all the hard work someone ELSE put into trying to make the conference a success. It’s to easy to be critical of people who are trying their best.

Venue: Folks…what is smack dab in the middle of the good ole US of A??? Kansas City, Missouri!! Cheap flights into the easiest airport you will ever visit. Reasonable hotel and dining costs and we are full of history and undeniable Midwestern hospitality!! Now personally, I want to get the heck outta Dodge so a conference someplace else is really a-ok with me. I do prefer near an airport IF there are amenities near by. One thing I haven’t seen at genealogy conferences is a shuttle bus sponsorship from the airport to the conference hotel at no cost to the attendees. Talk about having a captive audience, tell the shuttle driver to take the long route and sell, sell, sell your product to the riders!

Timing: let’s face it, no time is better than any others once you get away from the major holidays. Every one’s lives are so busy, there is no way to pick a good month. People will either make it work or they won’t. I would like to see the genealogy conferences, local, state, regional and national list their events here: http://www.thetradeshowcalendar.com/index.php?BNR=tsea, which is outside the “genealogy” world and may help to expand the horizons of the typical genealogy exhibit hall vendors.

Staff: give them all an atta-boy and give them training. Trade shows truly are a discipline unto themselves. There are several resources available to provide training at little cost. Skyline http://www.skyline.com/Trade-Show-Tips/ offers a good variety of educational tools for exhibit staffing that can be applied to conference staff as well.

Resources: conference management is charged for EVERYTHING! Everything!! Anything that is used at the venue has a cost associated, there are no freebies! Draping, green plants (oh I can tell you stories about the costs of green plants) signage, pens in the conference rooms, note pads, ice, water, mints…every little thing has a cost associated. The fact that genealogy conferences still charge what they charge simply amazes me. I don’t know how they cover their costs.

Technology: I like it, I love it, I want some more of it. (thank you Tim McGraw!!) I believe every conference should offer some technology courses, even if it’s just one. I attended a State conference last year and not one single session touched on technology. Huge misstep and huge disservice to their attendees. Even if your core base won’t use the technology, exposing them to the possibility is a good thing.

Accommodations: use it or lose it, but you are still going to pay for it. Yes, the conference will pay for empty rooms that don’t get sold in their room block. I always stay at the conference hotel. Who wants to bother with a rental car? Who wants to miss all the hub-bub at the conference hotel??? Not me, I want to be in the middle of all the action!

New Models: Thomas has great suggestions in this area, I like them all. My suggestion: peer-to-peer round tables. Hold these after the last session of the day, each table seats 10 and has a specific topic with a facilitator to keep the table on-topic. Example: one table’s topic could be Twitter and Facebook for genealogy, another could be Dropbox and Evernote and another could be citing sources or the genealogical proof standard. Attendees sign up for their peer-to-peer topic and get to have an hour long in depth discussion on the topic with others who have a similar interest. Limit official “banquets” to one night only. There are so many people to meet and greet that two nights of banqueting just gets in the way.

Conclusion: I love everything about face-to-face marketing, conferences and trade shows of any type. The educational and networking value can not be matched in any other forum, if done right.

Two places to find speakers are
1) the Genealogical Speakers Guild:
http://www.genealogicalspeakersguild.org/
2) the Speaker Wiki
http://speakerwiki.org/search?q=genealogy