A belated look back at NERGC 2015. This is a regional genealogical conference held every 2 years in New England. I have been going for several years and these are some of the reasons I go every year.
1) Networking. I made some new friends and will learn from them on Facebook and elsewhere. I also met in person some people that have been my Facebook friends for years. I was also able to catch up with friends that I usually only see in genealogy venues.
2) Learning. There were always several sessions on a variety of topics from which to choose–all day for 4 days. There was only one block where I didn’t find anything of interest and had some needed downtime. The big takeaway this year–I need to start using DNA in my research. The kit is on its way
3) New Business. As a follow-up to networking, I ran into 2 people who previously invited me to speak to their genealogy group. They both mentioned they would be interested in having me come back after I mentioned I had some new talks developed
4) Books–I walked away with A LOT of books. I love the exhibition hall that has so many different vendors.
5) New ideas for research/talks. I attended a session by Randy Whited about using weather in genealogy research. I have some ideas for both my own research and how I can use this in talks on social history.
6) Giving back. I always spend some time volunteering as a way to give back to the community. I was at the hospitality desk and hosted a discussion table at a luncheon.
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