RootsTech, the world’s largest family history event, begins today and runs until Saturday, March 7. If you’re unable to attend in person, don’t worry. You can attend virtually for free by registering at https://www.familysearch.org/en/rootstech.
Online presentations
The 2026 schedule of online presentations offers more than 200 talks. A recording of each presentation is usually posted within 24 hours of the live presentation.
There is a wide range of topics, including artificial intelligence, methodology, DNA, North America, and immigration.
If you have trouble remembering when a presentation is being delivered, you can easily add it to your RootsTech schedule beforehand.
In almost every case, if not all, a syllabus is available to download.
Two Canadians whose presentations will be delivered virtually are Kathryn Lake Hogan and Mark Thompson.
Kathryn’s talk will be about Cracking Canadian Census Clues, and it will take place online on Saturday, March 7.
Mark will join a team of well-known speakers to discuss The Future of AI in Genealogy. This discussion will take place in person and online on Saturday, March 7.
While looking at the topics, I saw that David Allen Lambert of the New England Historic Genealogical Society will talk today about New Englanders to Nova Scotia, Canada: Soldiers, Settlers and Refugees.
Fellow American Judy Nimer Muhn will also deliver Canadian topics, focusing on two of her specialities, French Canadian and Acadian research. Beginning Your Acadian and French Canadian Research & Taking It Further! will take place on Friday. She will talk Saturday about Founding a Nation: Acadian & French Canadian Pioneers and Their History.
RootsTech Expo Hall
The virtual expo hall enables online participants to enjoy many of the in-person benefits. It will feature exhibitors’ top deals, downloadable resources, product demos, and interactive chat. The virtual expo hall will remain available through late summer of 2026.
For those of us attending virtually, Marcia Crawford Philbrick shares in her blog post, Not at RootsTech, how we can take part.
