Posted by conference on May 23, 2010 under Blog: New Postings, Registration Updates, The Making of Conference 2010 | 
The Ontario Genealogical Society’s Conference 2010 will be a hard one to forget.
Nearly 800 guests attended a record number of sessions, starting with Friday’s awe-inspiring trilogy of advanced lectures by Thomas W. Jones; ending with John Philip Colletta’s hilarious closing address; and peaking in the middle with a standing ovation for banquet speaker, Karolyn Smardz Frost.
In between, we enjoyed scores of fine sessions with speakers from Atlantic to Pacific—and even the other side of the Atlantic—as well as a sold-out Marketplace, an active Research Centre with free databases, expert consultations, special presentations, interesting tours and innovative specialist programs.
We were thrilled to welcome researchers with Dutch, Italian, and Eastern European roots who might not otherwise have discovered OGS. We hope they’ve seen the benefits of being part of a large active genealogical community.
Conference 2010 registrants still have one more week to access the online Syllabus—you’ll need the password that was sent to you by e-mail on Saturday, May 1 (or later if you registered after that.) You’ll even find some additional material from speakers Rick Crume and Alison Hare.
But once the Syllabus comes down on May 31, that will be it, as our rights to display the content expire on that date.
And don’t forget to fill in the online evaluation. If you were a registered attendee or a speaker, you should by now have received e-mail instructions as to how to access the site securely. (The e-mail’s subject line was: “OGS Conference 2010 Evaluation Invitation”.) It will only take a few minutes, and your participation will help next year’s conference organizers.
Thank you to all those who made Conference 2010 such an invigorating experience:
- the speakers who shared their knowledge and insights with such gusto
- the exhibitors who gave us access to more resources
- the sponsors and strategic partners who made the program possible
- the hotel and other suppliers for a seamless event
- the staff at our provincial office who handled registration
- the libraries, archives, and historic sites that hosted tour and research excursion visitors
- our many volunteers for their creativity, enthusiasm, smiles—and hours of work both before and during Conference 2010
And most of all, thank you to all the attendees—old friends and new—who helped spread the word, created the wonderful buzz at Conference 2010, and motivated everyone else.
Posted by conference on March 3, 2010 under Blog: New Postings, The Making of Conference 2010 |
One of the reasons we chose the Doubletree as the location for the Ontario Genealogical Society Conference 2010 is the arrangement of our lecture rooms clustered around the Marketplace and foyer. There’s a minimum of walking and an elevator or escalator to take you to the second floor.
But if your knees or hips, etc., will object to a whole weekend of activity, we understand that, too.
MobilityUnlimited has agreed to offer a special rate on scooter rentals for attendees at Conference 2010. They have recommended the “Dancer” model. The rental fee for the full weekend (Friday, Saturday and Sunday) is $100. A delivery and pickup charge of $90 will be split between all renters.
Contact the company in advance to arrange for your scooter. Be sure to identify yourself as part of the “OGS Conference”. MobilityUnlimited will delivery your scooter to the Doubletree by Hilton—Toronto Airport after noon on Thursday, May 13. You can pick it up from the concierge whenever you arrive. After the Conference, leave your scooter with the concierge and MobilityUnlimited will pick it up after noon on Monday, May 17.
Renters should contact MobilityUnlimited directly by e-mail or by phone at 416-778-9586 or toll free at 1-877-778-9586. Be sure to book early.
The "Dancer", recommended by MobilityUnlimited
Posted by conference on September 19, 2009 under Blog: New Postings, Speakers and Program, The Making of Conference 2010 |
The subcommittee in charge of planning the program for OGS Conference 2010 has been hard at work this spring and summer putting together the best lineup of workshops and presentations possible.
With more than 300 proposals to choose from, the selection process has been a challenge. Subcommittee members reviewed all the proposals and assessed them first on general merit. Would the topic appeal to Conference attendees? Was the proposal well organized and thought out? Had it been done before? The calibre of the submissions we received was such that we found it quite difficult to rule out any of them at this stage.
The next step was to categorize the proposals so that we could make our tough choices in a more systematic and balanced way. It was time for spreadsheets and index cards! We grouped proposals by geographic area—which ones had an Ontario focus, an Irish focus, a U.S. focus, etc.? We identified the target audience for each proposal—was it aimed at experienced researchers, at those just starting their family history adventures, or was it suitable for everyone? We sorted by the type of topic—which proposals related to the methodology of genealogy, to record collections, to case studies?
And perhaps most importantly, we looked carefully at each proposal to make sure that it reflected at least one aspect of the Conference 2010 theme—essentials, innovations and delights.
Putting together the actual Conference 2010 schedule has been a bit like working on a giant jigsaw puzzle—hours and hours of hunting for just the right fit, with some trial and error along the way, but a great deal of satisfaction when it all comes together. We started with our “corner pieces”—the presentations by Conference 2010 keynote speaker Thomas W. Jones—and we are building our program around them.
We have calculated travel and accommodation costs, crunched numbers and made the most of our program budget.
We are packing each Conference day with practical and inspiring content. And we are constantly asking ourselves… will every Conference attendee see at least one session in each time slot that he or she won’t want to miss?
We think we’re close to completing our puzzle and we can’t wait to show it off…
Posted by conference on August 15, 2009 under Blog: New Postings, The Making of Conference 2010 |
Ontario Genealogical Society conferences are organized by volunteers—from one of our Society’s 30 branches, or sometimes from a group of branches. The conference is held in a different part of Ontario each year, rotating on an informal basis.
With the wrap-up of the 2009 event in Oakville, the reins of OGS Conference 2010 are firmly in the hands of Toronto Branch.
It is not the first time for Toronto Branch. The 1969 conference was presented by a one-year-old Toronto Branch and included volunteer hostesses “nattily attired in Centennial dress”. In 1975 we took on the task with the theme “York and the Home District”, and again in 1985 with “Toronto: Meeting Place” which featured a banquet in the blockhouse of Historic Fort York. In 1993 we celebrated the founding of the Town of York with “Toronto: The First Hundred”—and the largest attendance to date. In 2004 we emphasized methodology with the “3RRRs of Family History”, expanded the program to include a full day of concurrent sessions and workshops on Friday, and co-hosted the first pre-conference activities on Thursday.
For OGS Conference 2010, we are incredibly lucky to have an enthusiastic organizing committee of 36 people, that has been coming out to meetings since the fall of 2008. (A steering committee of eight implements the decisions of the organizing committee, coordinates the sub-committees, and makes sure no detail falls between the cracks.)
Each volunteer filled out an information form that asked about his or her skills and experience—but more importantly about how they’d like to be involved. Sometimes volunteering is about a new challenge.
One of the most active committees to date has been program. In several marathon sessions, the six-member program committee has read and considered more than 300 wide-ranging proposals, and is well on the way to an excellent final program with a good balance of familiar and new faces, and topics that will appeal to novice and seasoned researchers.
Other committees are working out the details of all other aspects of Conference 2010—from contacting potential exhibitors for Marketplace, to handling the crowds at the registration desk, and providing opportunities to sample genealogical software and subscription databases. We’re figuring out how to use changing media (like this blog) to attract registrants, and how to keep them informed once they’ve made the decision to attend. And so much more…
So why would we take on the big task of organizing OGS Conference 2010?
We have each experienced the benefits of learning and sharing with other family historians at Toronto Branch meetings, courses, workshops, and annual OGS conferences. We’re excited to invite you to join us for a conference that will be as stimulating, content-rich—and smooth running—as we can possibly make it!
Posted by conference on July 18, 2009 under Blog: New Postings, Green Conference, Marketplace, The Making of Conference 2010 |
On July 13, the Conference 2010 organizing committee convened at the Doubletree by Hilton, Toronto Airport. It was a chance for some committee members to tour the facility and clarify what till then they’d only seen on paper. For members who had been involved with the conference Toronto Branch had hosted in 2004 at the Doubletree, it was an opportunity to reacquaint themselves with the venue.
We started our tour in the north-east end of the hotel, near the room where the Ontario Library Association will hold a pre-conference event on Thursday, May 13. Conference registrants arriving by public transit will enter the Doubletree here. We could also see the group of off-site restaurants, like Tim Hortons, Swiss Chalet, and Milestones, right across Dixon Road.
As we strolled south-west through the hotel, we passed the Orchid restaurant where many conference attendees will have breakfast and other casual meals, and the front desk. In the same area, we saw two other restaurants—Alfredo’s (northern Italian and Continental cuisine), Ginko (classical Japanese cuisine)—and Harry’s Bar.
Turning south at the front desk, we passed the west entrance from the parking lot, a small retail area, and the pool and fitness centre, on the way to the Plaza conference centre where OGS Conference 2010 will be held.
The Plaza conference centre is on the second floor. Our registration area will be at the bottom of the stairs (there’s an escalator and an elevator, too.) It was easy for the committee to see how that will channel registrants on the right route.
At the top of the stairs, escalator and elevator, the spacious Plaza foyer will be home to a number of activities (more later) and will serve as a gathering place. The 10,000 square-foot Marketplace and the meeting rooms are all clustered around this foyer. (With the exception of one overflow room which is a short stroll away on the ground floor.)
All these areas have complimentary wi-fi access.
The Plaza rooms were undergoing an upgrading of the ventilation system when we visited, but despite the tarpaulins, it was clear how quick and easy it will be to get from session to session, and to the Marketplace.
We finished the tour with a quick peek at a couple of the well-appointed hotel rooms, noting that all rooms have complimentary wi-fi access.
We were impressed with the facilities, the attention to detail, and the staff at the Doubletree—and confident that it will be a great venue for OGS Conference 2010.
Posted by conference on June 27, 2009 under Blog: New Postings, The Making of Conference 2010 |
On February 9, 2009, after much discussion and “wordsmithing”, the Conference 2010 organizing committee wholeheartedly approved the Conference theme: Essentials, Innovations and Delights.
So why do we need a theme anyway? And why this particular theme?
The first question is easier. We had to set a direction that would guide the call for papers and, later, our program choices. It had to suggest benefits that would attract registrants and serve them well. And it had to provide a vision for the Conference that would engage and motivate our 26 committee members over the next 18 months.
The theme needed to appeal to both beginners and seasoned researchers, as well as everyone in between, all of whom are busy and have many other demands on their time and discretionary spending. We decided therefore that we have to deliver a content-rich Conference in which every lecture is relentlessly practical or inspiring in order to earn the support of prospective registrants.
So how to be relentlessly practical? Two ways: You offer necessary information about unfamiliar topics, “Essentials”; or you provide new information about familiar ones, “Innovations”.
Bear in mind that we’re all beginners when we embark on research in an unfamiliar record class or a new jurisdiction. So we all need “Essentials” at some point.
Likewise keeping up with “Innovations” in sources and techniques is essential to genealogists at all levels at all times.
“Delights” is the best word we could think of to describe the magic that happens when the dry documents yield to the tenacity and imagination of the researcher to bring an ancestor or a family “to life”. It is the reason we all do what we do.
