Tuesday, November 21, 2006

PUBLICIZING THE CONFERENCE

With ads for the Conference placed in major genealogical magazines, we are beginning the next major publicity effort -- the mailing (and e-mailing) of flyers and conference information to professional genealogists, genealogical societies, libraries, archives and other repositories in New England, New York, New Jersey and Eastern Canada.

YOU CAN HELP! We need to be sure that all the societies and repositories mentioned above, plus all LDS Family History Centers in our area will have ample supplies of Conference posters, “post card” notices, and Registration Brochures. Can you help make sure this happens at the places and societies in your area? We can supply you with all the materials you can use. If you can help, just email KSB832@cs.com and include “NERGC Publicity” in the subject line.

AND: Can you help us gain a wider circulation for this Conference E-zine by emailing it to all members of your Society and to any others who you think will be interested in the Conference?

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED

Are you going to be in Hartford April 26-29, 2007 for the Ninth New England Regional Genealogical Conference? I'll be there, as will Pam Roberts, co-chair of Volunteers for NERGC 2007. Want to help make this the best NERGC conference to date? Volunteer to help. Conferences such as this can not be successful without the valuable help of volunteers.

We are providing this information as a preliminary overview of some of the volunteer opportunities that are available. In order to volunteer you do not need to be registered for the conference. Without being registered you can not attend any sessions, but you can meet some wonderful people and know that you have helped people make New England
CONNECTions.

If you are a member of a participating society, please contact your president or NERGC delegate to see who is coordinating volunteers for your society. Once your "society volunteer coordinator" contacts us, we will be developing the list of assignments (mostly first come, first served). Well before the conference, we will send confirmation and information to help you accomplish your assignment. Remember, each society has guaranteed to provide a minimum number of volunteer hours; however, we hope you will consider volunteering when ever you can. If your society has chosen not to participate in this conference, we still welcome your assistance as a volunteer.

Watch future E-Zines for more details regarding the following volunteer opportunities:
Registration assistance
Hospitality assistance
Volunteer table assistance
Session facilitators
Banquet ticket monitors
AV/Signage assistance
Society Fair helpers
Special Events helpers
Other

We will be in touch with you before the conference to supply information about the facility and to confirm your volunteer times and tasks. If you have specific suggestions about how volunteers can be utilized to make this an even better conference, just let us know.

Please contact your "society volunteer coordinator" or one of us to volunteer:

Pam Roberts
Tel. (860) 429-8751 596
Gurleyville Rd., Storrs, CT 06268-1408
Tel. (207) 634-2156
1161 East Pond Road, Smithfield, ME 04978

You're really a part of a conference when you volunteer. Come join us.
See you in Hartford!

EXHIBIT HALL APPROACHING A SELLOUT

Jim Holmes and Maureen Murphy report: “We’re down to just four booths!” Only four full booths (10 x 10 feet) are still available. Vendors, don’t let the opportunity to show your wares to hundreds of interested researchers and genealogists pass you by. Imagine, hundreds of people looking for new and exciting products to enhance their research experience. Don’t miss the opportunity to sell to these enthusiastic conference attendees. You will be happy that you joined us. To see a floor plan of the Exhibit Hall, go to: http://www.nergc.org/2007/exhibits.htm. For more information or to reserve remaining booth space, contact Jim Holmes, jimholms@cs.com or Maureen Murphy, MMAUREEN39@aol.com.

Remember, the Exhibit Hall will open to conference registrants and other shoppers (the general public) at 6:00 Thursday evening and there will be "unopposed exhibitor times" throughout the conference between lectures and meals for everyone to browse.

JOIN THE SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS

The enthusiasm continues to grow for these informal mini-gatherings which will be held on the first night of the Conference -- Thursday at 7:30 pm -- on a wide range of topics. These get-togethers provide a great opportunity to meet conference participants and speakers with similar interests.

If you want to learn more about DNA research and how it can help you in your family research then “DNA Research and Developments” hosted by Melinde Lutz Sanborn is the research group for you. Did you ever wonder how to maximize the wealth of resources at the National Archives? Join Federal Records at NARA hosted by Walter Hickey. If Scottish heritage is one of your special interests, join the group on Scottish Research hosted by Diane Rapaport, “Scottish Genealogy” columnist for The Highlander magazine. Find out more about these – and the other Special Interest Groups already scheduled at http://www.nergc.org/2007/specialinterestgroups.htm

And if you can help with any of the Special Interest Groups that have formed thus far, or if you would like to organize an additional group, please contact Allison Ryall at allison@allisonryall.com

MAKE YOUR HOTEL RESERVATIONS TODAY!

The Hartford Marriott Downtown is still accepting room reservations relating to the Conference. But don’t delay! At our last Conference in Portland, Maine, many were disappointed when the Conference hotel sold out early and they had to find rooms in off-site hotels. Half the fun of the conference is being at the center of the activities. To avoid disappointment, make your reservations either on-line or by telephone today!
Hartford Marriott Downtown 200 Columbus Blvd. Hartford, CT 06103-2807 Phone: 1-860-249-8000 Fax: 1-860-249-8181 Toll-free reservations: 1-866-373-9806 Hotel Web site: http://www.hartfordmarriott.com/

The conference room rate is $125.00 single/double per night. Check-in time: 4:00 P.M. Check-out time: 11:00 A.M. Group code: NGCNGCA
Please remember that when making reservations on-line to be sure to enter the Group Code above to get the special NERGC rate. When making reservations via phone, call Marriott Reservations at 1-866-373-9806 and ask to make reservations for the New England Regional Genealogical Conference.

WHY ATTEND NEW ENGLAND CONNECTions 2007?

In previous ezines, we’ve mentioned the opportunity to “CONNECT” to ancestors who immigrated to and migrated out of New England, the wealth of information available in New England archives, libraries and historical societies, specific types of source records, and advances in genealogical technology.

We’ve stressed the Conference’s very affordable price – just $99.00 for Conference Registration until the 15 January 2007 Early Bird cutoff.

Now, here are some additional reasons to attend. NERGC 2007 will be a multi-track Conference. In each time slot for the two and a half days of the Conference you will have the opportunity to choose from five different lectures or workshops. The tracks are organized around these themes:

Ethnic Genealogy
Federal Records at the National Archives
Genealogical Techniques
New England Research
Records and Sources
Skills and Methodology (How to manage your research and findings)
Technology (The Internet and lots more!)
Writing and Documents

The full program is available online at the Conference website (http://www.nergc.org/). In addition to the lectures, the Exhibit Hall, Special Interest Group meetings and Society Fair offer great opportunities for learning and “connecting” with other genealogists with similar interests.

In future issues we will tell you more about the features of the Conference and the benefits of attending. But you don’t need to wait! To see the entire program and get your registration form, go to http://www.nergc.org/2007/program2007.htm
Start planning your conference experience today. Read the