“Who Do You Think You Are?” Conference - With Pictures

I am sitting this evening in a hotel room in London, England. I am dog-tired. That's a sign that I had a busy and successful day. You see, I attended a genealogy and heritage show all day today. Given the size and activity of this show, it is no wonder I am exhausted.

I wrote about this show in recent weeks at http://blog.eogn.com/eastmans_online_genealogy/2007/01/society_of_gene.html and at http://blog.eogn.com/eastmans_online_genealogy/2007/04/who_do_you_thin.html. This week, I was fortunate enough to be able to attend in person. The show organizers had predicted that 15,000 people would attend. Given that it is a three-day event, I am assuming that means 5,000 attendees per day. Today was opening day, and it certainly felt like there were more than 5,000 people in attendance.

I arrived at the convention center about an hour after the show opened. Once inside the exhibitors’ hall, I had to walk sideways to navigate through the crowds. I didn't hear the final attendance figures of Day #1, but I wouldn't be surprised if it was 5,000 attendees or even more. It certainly felt like more.

It was a “mob scene” all morning and into the early afternoon although the crowd did thin out a bit later in the day. It was noisy, crowded, and slow-moving. In other words, it was perfect! Thousands of people were at the conference to learn more about genealogy, military history, history of their homes, and more. All of this fits quite well under the umbrella term of “heritage.” I have never seen so many people in one place who were interested in heritage.

The exhibitors' hall was crowded with traditional genealogy vendors, providers of maps, online web services, heritage tourism services, museums, several television crews, and many more. The exhibitors’ hall looked like a “who's who” of genealogy in the British Isles. Almost every company and many non-profit organizations from England, Wales, Scotland, and Ireland were there. I cannot begin to write about all of them, but you can find further details at http://www.whodoyouthinkyouarelive.co.uk.

In fact, there were a number of non-heritage vendors in attendance. I noticed Cadburys, the candy company. I also saw and sampled products from a booth selling Italian gelato ice cream (It was delicious.).

Returning to heritage, the Solent Sky Museum of Southampton brought a complete Spitfire fighter replica airplane from World War II as a part of the military heritage exhibits. The display of the Spitfire and several other military exhibits were sponsored by the History Channel. When was the last time that you saw a World War II fighter plane of any size inside a genealogy/history/heritage convention hall? One of my personal highlights of the day occurred late in the afternoon, when I had the opportunity to sit in the pilot's seat of this aircraft. As a private pilot, I enjoyed imagining myself seated in this aircraft in 1941 flying over the Channel, looking for German bombers. If you are an aviation buff, you will enjoy seeing pictures of the Spitfire and other the aircraft at the Solent Sky Museum web site at http://www.spitfireonline.co.uk.

The number of “live stages,” Impressed me, too. There were multiple presentations going on nearly all the time. Ancestry.co.uk had their own stage. The popular “Who Do You Think You Are? television program had a dedicated stage. The Society of Genealogists had no less than three classrooms that were filled most all day with a variety of presentations. In the center of the exhibitors’ hall, an elevated stage featured heritage presentations all day long. I saw many people in medieval and military dress, showing how our ancestors lived, fought, and, in some cases, died. There was sword fighting, medieval musicians, dancing, and much, much more.

Megan Smolenyak-Smolenyak is the Chief Family Historian for The Generations Network, the parent company of Ancestry.com and Ancestry.co.uk. She and I conducted a presentation this afternoon in the Ancestry.co.uk stage. We wore microphones connected to public address systems so that we could be heard. However, the noise level in the hall was so loud that we could not hear questions from the audience; in some cases, those asking questions were seated only ten feet away! That will give you some idea of the level of enthusiasm at this conference. I have never heard a genealogy conference in the States with an ambient noise level that high.

This was billed as a “heritage event.” Indeed, there were presentations, exhibits, and vendors representing genealogy, history, military heritage, house histories, and more. However, one thing struck me when I walked around the second floor balcony overlooking the main exhibits hall: the most crowded section of the hall all day long was the section devoted to genealogy. To be sure, there were crowds everywhere. However, the biggest crowds were always to be found in the genealogy vendors' area.

The many vendors did a great business today. One bit of “scuttlebutt” I heard described the experience of one vendor who prints glossy pedigree charts. This particular vendor sells several versions of wall-sized “fill in the blanks” charts. The company made a “best guess” as to how many of the charts they could sell in three days and printed that number in advance. They had so many charts packed into cardboard tubes that the inventory would have filled their lorry (truck) several times over. Instead, the vendor had to ship most of the inventory by freight. It seems that the vendor misjudged the sales potential: they sold out in six hours! Yes, they were out of inventory before the end of the first day. I heard loosely similar stories from other vendors as well. Such was the enthusiasm of this crowd.

Another of my personal highlights today was when I was able to walk around the exhibitors’ hall with a television crew from www.RootsTelevsion.com. We conducted interviews of several of the “movers and shakers” in U.K. genealogy and heritage. We plan to conduct even more interviews tomorrow and take television images of the many activities. Even if you were unable to attend this conference in London, we hope that you will still be able to obtain a “virtual view” of the show. Those interviews will become available over the next few weeks at http://www.RootsTelevision.com.

In the meantime, I took a lot of still pictures today, and those photos are available right now at http://blog.eogn.com/photos/who_do_you_think_you_are_/. Those photographs will give you some indication of the interest level at this show.

OK, I am off to bed to get some rest before diving back in tomorrow morning.

Comments

[theKiwi]

Just curious - the website of the Solent museum indicates they have a replica Spitfire available for hire at events - was the Spitfire at this show the replica or the "real thing"?

Interesting display though no matter whether it was real or replica.

Cheers

Roger <----- been very close to several Spitfires, but never sat in one.

[Hilary Franklin]

Dick, thanks for the trip to the conference (no cost to me). Living here in Australia we will never have the opportunity to see such a display. Loved your photos.

Well done,
Hilary

[Dick Eastman]

The Spitfire in question is a replica that was built to the original blueprints. It is 99% the same as one model of the originals with the following exceptions: (1.) slightly more modern instrumentation, (2.) no machine guns and (3.) a more modern and reliable engine.

- Dick Eastman

[Joan McIlmoyl Cleghorn]

Great photos! Hard to imagine that kind of attendance here in North America....then again, if we had that kind of TV coverage - both the program & the sponsoring of the event as well as the participation of other organisations such as military museums, national archives, etc., etc. it might be possible.

I loved the photo of the man with the 'Are We Related?' sign - smart idea.....

Thanks for including us all on your trip!

8-)
Joan

[Tina Pachter Levine]

Thanks for the tour. What's the date for next year's conference?

[Dorothy Norland]

Thank you so much for the pictures, I feel like I am there with you--almost!! Maybe this is a conference I should consider attending.

[Bart Hansen]

My understanding is that there are very few WWII era Spitfires left - less than a half-dozen I believe.

[Michele]

Oh, I wish I could have been part of your luggage!
You don't know how much I envy you seeing this amazing turn out. I've lived in Canada for over 27 years now, but originally grew up just down the road from the SoG and wouldn't you know, I wasn't even aware of genealogy at that time!

[Diana Maurer]

We could have crowds like this in the US if we had a show like "Who Do You Think You Are?" here. I've seen this show on our local PBS station, but it usually aired in the middle of the night. Plus, most of the English celebreties are not known here. A US version would peek the interest of our citizens. Actually, every country should have one! Understanding our past brings better understanding of our future.

[Darrell Knight]

Great photos! As a former USAF pilot, I was especially impressed with those of the Spitfire aircraft. I wish you had taken a shot of the instrument planel, however. I'm going to use the "sign on your back" idea at the next conference I attend

[Brad Schneller]

You gave us a great story visit to the show including the photo visit too.
Would you write sometime about the photo program you use?

[Trish Lewis]

Thank you, thank you, thank you for sharing all the highlights and especially the photos!

[Leontine Launer]

I is a great deal of fun to watch you do what you do best and having such a good time doing it. Not all of us have that opportunity, so it's a joy to know that it happens!

Cheers,; Leontine

[Bob]

I add my thanks to everybody else's, good report and good photographs. The crowds though confirm my decision not to go! I'm quite sure that I wouldn't have got everything out of the show in a single day. What with travel and overnight accomodation and entry I would have been spending getting on for 200 pounds - and think how many certificates I could buy for that!
I'm glad the show is a success even without me!
Bob

[Dick Eastman]

---> Would you write sometime about the photo program you use?

Certainly, although there is not much to write about. The news stories that yu read online, including these comments, are hosted on TypePad, a commercial online blog hosting service. The photos are arranged, re-sized and displayed by TypePad's hosting software. It is part of TypePad's modest hosting fees: there are no additional charges for hosting online photo albums.

For more information, look at http://www.typepad.com.

The photographs were all taken with a Canon EOS Digital Rebel SLR camera. I am comfortable with computers but am a total novice at photography. I simply aim and shoot. The impressive thing about the Canon EOS Digital Rebel camera is that it even makes *MY* shots look good!

- Dick Eastman

[Jill]

Next year's show is on from 3rd to 5th May - so Saturday to Monday of the bank holiday weekend.

[Cheryl]

Thank you for sharing the excitement and thrill of your trip. The pictures were a very nice added bonus! A great smile on my face for all you have been able to enjoy!

[Alan]

Some great photos, Dick, but they continue to give your US readers the impression that Ancestry is the only online supplier of genealogical records in the world. You might have a virtual monopoly in the US, but here in the UK we have a thriving market based on CHOICE. Where are the pics that inform your readers about www.findmypast.com? www.origins.net? www.eneclann.ie? www.familyrelatives.org? www.thegenealogist.com? www.familyhistoryonline.com? I could go on. The only reason a fair such as WDYTYA can exist is because there's a broad-based industry willing to pitch up and support it, and yet it would be easy for online visitors to get the impression that we are as Ancestry-dominated here as you are over there.

We get fed this one-party line from Roots TV and sort of expect it - no coincidence that their chief blogger is also Ancestry's chief cheerleader, but we always hope for and usually receive a more balanced picture from EOGN!

Enough of the griping, though - it's brilliant that you come all this way cover our parochial little events at all.

Cheers, Alan

[Sally J.]

I agree with Diana and Joan that an American version of "WDYTYA" on broadcast American TV would be a HUGE boost for history events like this one. Including heritage research beyond just genealogical also broadens the appeal, no doubt. For example, I know people who want to discover the history of their house, but have no interest in tracing their lineage back to the 1600s. Yet, anyway! Who knows what 3 days at an event like this one might inspire?

If I were to design a heritage event I would also have vintage (or reproduction) airplanes and automobiles. The living history characters were a great idea, too. I also think it would be fun to have an obsolete technologies area where you could hear a Victrola, view a flickering nickelodeon, or even fire up an 8 inch floppy disk. Maybe even sit for a daguerreotype.

And since I'm kinda obsessed with preservation, I'd be sure to offer live instruction on how to take care of your family treasures properly. So many historical papers, photos, and artifacts remain in family hands...and I've met *so many* caretakers who are hungry for this kind of information.

All said, I would *LOVE* to see something like this happen stateside. It would be a great day for history lovers of all kinds.

Heck, just seeing photos of this one makes my inner history geek smile, smile, smile...

[Dick Eastman]

---> Where are the pics that inform your readers about www.findmypast.com? www.origins.net? www.eneclann.ie? www.familyrelatives.org? www.thegenealogist.com? www.familyhistoryonline.com?

Uh, there ar many pictures and they show dozens of vendors. Also read my comments at the end of the article on "FindMyPast.com Acquires PedigreeSoft.com."

Also look at the interviews that I conducted for Roots Television. Oh, wait a minute... we haven't announced that yet! Never mind...

(smile)

- Dick Eastman
(using wireless Internet access at the gate at Heathrow Airport, waiting for the flight back to the States)

[Mary Holland]

Thanks once again Dick for taking us all along on the trip! I'd love to do this just once, but with mobility limitations I know I'd never manage it at all. Wonder if I could rent one of those power riding carts? Never get that through the crowds though.

[Chris]

Pity that the "Chief Family Historian" from ancestry.co.uk didn't known which country she was in and make sure her facts were correct! Her presentations started by assuming that the audience understood US genealogy and told them how British genealogy was different. She went on to explain that the 1911 census for England & Wales would (unlike the 1910 census in the US) not become available until 2012 - she ought to be more up-to-date than that!

Ignorance of latest news and insulting your audience are really good ways to attract business!

[Ann Macey]

It is clear to see where the "little boy" in Eastman managed to escape with the pictures - note the plural - of the Spitfire. Most family history and genealogy events in Great Britain are well attended - come back for the fair in York on June 30th and force yourself through the crowds there. The complaints in the comments are a typical English reaction, if it was a success we mustn't let it get big headed so we knock it. We do this with most things - and people.
I liked looking at your pictures and found your report interesting and informative - and funny sometimes.

[Luke Potter]

Dick,

I had not realised that you were coming over for the National History Show; sorry to have missed you.

Your readers may be interested to know that Ancestral Roots Travel has been talking with the show organisers about running a special group trip over to the show in 2008. It would be similar to our existing London research trips, which take in time at the major London archives, but will also take in two of the three days of the show. More details will be posted on our website (www.AncestralRootsTravel.com) in due course and I will also drop you a line with the details.

Luke