My Honest Thoughts About RootsTech

My Honest Thoughts About RootsTech

From Know Your Ancestors by Megan Hillyer

March 11, 2026 · 20 min · Episode 62

About this episode

Megan Hillyer shares her honest thoughts and experiences from attending RootsTech, the largest family history conference.

Ep 62: Every year thousands of genealogists gather in Salt Lake City for RootsTech, the largest family history conference in the world. This year I attended as part of the media team, and in this episode I’m sharing my honest thoughts about the experience. What are the classes actually like? What trends are emerging in genealogy right now? And what surprised me most about being there? I talk about the overwhelming number of classes, the growing role of AI in genealogy, and something I was really excited to see - more conversations about how learning about our ancestors can help us process difficult parts of family history and understand ourselves more deeply. But the most meaningful part of the conference wasn’t the classes.It was the people. From unexpected conversations with first-time attendees to reconnecting with other genealogists and creators, RootsTech reminded me how powerful this work can be when we share it together. If you’ve ever wondered what RootsTech is like or whether it’s worth attending, this episode gives you a behind-the-scenes look. You can explore the free classes at https://rootstech.org/ or mark your calendar for the next conference. RootsTech 2027 will…

People in this episode

Host: Megan Hillyer

Topics covered

  • genealogy
  • family history
  • RootsTech
  • AI in genealogy
  • community
  • personal growth

Keywords

  • RootsTech
  • genealogy
  • family history conference
  • AI
  • community
  • personal growth
  • Salt Lake City

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: RootsTech

Places: Salt Lake City

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