As I prepare for my 3.5-hour drive from Cincinnati to Sandusky for the Ohio Genealogical Society’s annual conference, I’m feeling that familiar mix of excitement and anticipation that comes before every genealogy event. Whether you’re a conference veteran or considering attending your first in-person genealogy gathering, proper preparation can make all the difference between a stressful experience and a rewarding one.
Planning Your Schedule
One lesson I’ve learned from attending conferences like RootsTech is the importance of advance planning. The night before heading out, I always:
- Download handouts – As I mentioned in my RootsTech post back in March, downloading and organizing handouts is crucial. I create a digital folder structure by day and session time, making materials easy to find when I need them.
- Identify “must-attend” vs. “would be nice” sessions – Inevitably, there will be schedule conflicts. I mark my absolute must-attend sessions and have backups ready for everything else. This prevents that deer-in-headlights moment when you’re standing in the hallway wondering where to go next!
Packing Essentials
My conference packing has evolved over the years. Here’s what’s in my genealogy conference survival kit:
Technology
- Laptop and charger
- Phone and charger
- Portable battery pack (this is non-negotiable!)
- Earbuds for any virtual components or recorded sessions or when the hallways are crawling with pre-teen cheerleaders in the hotel for their competition (believe me… it gets noisy!)
Comfort Items
- Comfortable shoes (I cannot stress this enough – you’ll be walking and standing more than you expect)
- Layered clothing (conference rooms are notoriously unpredictable – freezing one minute, stuffy the next)
- Travel mug for coffee/water (staying hydrated is key to maintaining energy)
- Snacks that won’t crinkle loudly during sessions (granola bars, dried fruit)
- Pain relievers (just in case)
Organizational Tools
- Notebook and pens
- Business cards or contact cards
- Return address labels (perfect for raffle tickets that require contact info – why waste time writing your details repeatedly when charities send you stickers all year?)
- Small bag/backpack that distributes weight evenly
Money-Saving Strategies
Conferences can get expensive quickly! Here are some of my tried-and-true methods for keeping costs reasonable:
Food Hacks
- Pack breakfast items – I’m bringing microwaveable breakfast burritos since my room will have a microwave and a mini-fridge/freezer. Quick, easy, and much cheaper than restaurant breakfasts!
- Bring healthy snacks – Since there’s a mini-fridge, I’ve packed easy grab-and-go snacks to carry during the day. Vending machines get expensive, and there’s never anything remotely healthy in them.
- Water bottle strategy – I always bring a refillable water bottle and some Crystal Light on-the-go packets for flavor variety throughout the day.
- Meal prepping wins – I’ve prepared and frozen a couple of homemade meals that I can heat up in my room’s microwave for lunches or dinners. This gives me both cost savings and valuable alone time to decompress after intense conference days.
- Strategic splurging – I’ll likely visit one of the on-site restaurants one night, and for the final evening, I’ll treat myself to the luxury of room service – a perfect way to celebrate a successful conference experience!
Accommodation Tips
- Roommate matching – While I personally prefer my alone time and opt for a private room, many conferences have Facebook groups where people look for roommates to share costs. If you’re comfortable with sharing, this can cut your accommodation expenses in half.
- Location strategy – For this conference, I’ll be staying at the resort where the event is being held, and I’ve already done the pre-check-in to request a room as close to the convention center as possible. This will save time and energy with all the walking ahead.
Mental Preparation
Beyond the physical preparation, I’ve learned to prepare mentally for the conference experience:
- Accept you can’t do everything – The FOMO (fear of missing out) is real at genealogy conferences. I’ve made peace with the fact that I’ll miss some sessions, and that’s okay.
- Schedule downtime – It’s tempting to book yourself solid, but I now deliberately leave gaps in my schedule for processing what I’ve learned, networking, or just resting.
- Set specific goals – This year, my focus is on DNA techniques to help with my ongoing “Mysterious Mr. Max” research and the Sven Svensson parentage question I’ve been working on, AI applications to enhance my research and blog writing, and research planning strategies to keep myself on track. Having clear goals helps me prioritize sessions when faced with tough choices.
- Embrace the community – If you’re a first-time attendee, don’t be shy! Many conferences take a group photo of first-timers – get in that picture! It’s a great way to see you’re not alone, and you might make connections with other newcomers who are feeling just as overwhelmed as you are.
Final Pre-Conference Checklist
Last night, I went through my final checklist:
- Join event-specific social media groups
- Alert credit card company about travel (avoid those fraud alerts!)
- Check weather forecast one last time
- Complete resort pre-check-in online (this saved me a step since I won’t arrive until after 4 PM)
- Set up Waze or another GPS app for travel (essential for avoiding construction delays or accident-related traffic)
- Plan for weather conditions (today’s forecast calls for severe thunderstorms on my route, so I’m prepared to take it slow or stop if roads become hazardous)
- Set reasonable expectations
As I hit the road from Cincinnati to Sandusky today, I’m looking forward to sharing my daily experiences with you all. What are your essential conference preparation tips? Are you attending OGS this week? If so, let me know in the comments – I’d love to meet up!
Follow my Ohio Genealogical Society Conference journey all week as I share daily insights and discoveries!
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