Presentation proposals for RootsTech 2014 will be accepted June 17-July 8, 2013, online at rootstech.org/proposals.
RootsTech is a family history and technology conference “where families connect.” The fourth annual conference, hosted by FamilySearch, will be held February 6-8, 2014, at the Salt Palace Convention Center in Salt Lake City, Utah. RootsTech brings together the best in family history tools and technology to help attendees discover and share their family’s connections and stories. RootsTech 2014 will reach thousands of attendees both on-site in Salt Lake City and at remote locations around the world.
Presentations should:
- Be between 50 to 60 minutes in length, which includes a question-and-answer period.
- Offer an interactive experience where attendees leave with a finished product, completed task, or next steps (what the attendee can do when they get home).
- Avoid text-based slides and lecture only.
- Incorporate step-by-step, live demonstrations or best practices; avoid pitching an infomercial-type class to promote a certain product.
- Provide new and innovative ideas or solutions that are technology focused. (Please do not resubmit proposals from previous years.)
We welcome presentation proposals that provide new insight, innovation, skills, and best practices in the following categories and that are geared towards attendees at a specific skill level. The bullet points below are given as possible examples. Other topics related to family history and technology will also be considered.
Types of Sessions:
- Presentations: A classroom setting that engages participants.
- Panels or Discussions: Formal panel of experts discussing specific topics, led by a facilitator.
- Hands-on Workshops: Computer labs where attendees have hands-on experiences in a specific task or objective.
- Online Webinars: A new approach being considered for 2014 where the speaker presents from a remote location, not in Salt Lake City, or the presenter streams the presentation from Salt Lake City to a wider audience through a webinar or online hangout site.
Submission Information:
To be considered, proposals must include the following:
- Speaker name, address, telephone, and email address
- Presentation title (not to exceed 15 words)
- Short presentation summary (not to exceed 40 words)
- Long presentation description or outline (not to exceed 100 words)
- Category and skill level (from chart above)
- Session type (see types in section above)
- Speaker bio (not to exceed 25 words)
- Speaker photo (high resolution, approximately 300 dpi, in one of the following formats: .jpg, .eps or .png file)
- Resume of recent presentation topics and event locations
- Whether you approve the content of the presentation to be recorded and shared online (see Release to Record form on www.rootstech.org/proposals)
Presentation proposals will be accepted online at rootstech.org/proposals from June 17-July 8, 2013. Due to the volume of presentation proposals we receive, please submit no more than five proposals per speaker. Limited, late-breaking technology submissions will be accepted, upon approval, until October 1, 2013.
Speakers selected to present at RootsTech 2014 will be notified by August 2, 2013. Syllabus materials (PDF file) for selected presentations will be due by November 1, 2013. Speakers who don’t submit syllabus materials on time may be removed from the schedule.
Presenters participating in RootsTech 2014 will receive a complimentary conference registration and access to all syllabus materials. Out-of-state speakers selected to present three or more presentations will also receive hotel accommodations. There is no monetary compensation for presenting at this conference.
Questions can be emailed to the attention of the RootsTech Speaker Selection Committee at info@rootstech.org.
