The U.S. National Genealogical Society holds an annual convention
that is the biggest genealogy conference in North America. These annual events
are called the "Conference in the States." Each year’s conference
runs for four days and features one hundred and fifty or more presentations,
many of them presented by the leading genealogy lecturers of our time. The conference
is held in a different city every year and is co-hosted by a local society in
that area.
The 2002 edition of the NGS "Conference in the States"
will be held in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on May 15 through 18 and is co-hosted by
the Wisconsin State Genealogical Society. This year’s event is shaping up to
be a great one. I browsed through the online brochure and found that the list
of scheduled presenters is a veritable "Who’s Who of American Genealogy."
The vendors’ area at the NGS conferences usually is the largest
gathering of genealogy vendors found in any one place all year. This year’s
exhibitors have the opportunity to develop an online virtual booth well in advance
of the conference’s start date. As the conference date draws closer, attendees
will be able to visit these "virtual vendors’ booths" online to see
what they offer before traveling to Milwaukee. That should save some time while
at the conference since you will be able to focus on the vendors that you "pre-qualified"
earlier.
The venue for the 2002 Conference is the Midwest Express Center,
located in downtown Milwaukee. This three-year-old facility is reported to be
a state-of-the-art conference center. The Hilton and Hyatt Hotels are literally
just across the street, and six more hotels are within two blocks of the Midwest
Express Center. It should be easy to "commute" from hotels to the
conference center and back again. The area also has plenty of restaurants.
Milwaukee weather in mid-May is usually quite pleasant with mid-day
temperatures in the 60s to low 70s. However, nights can be cool and rain is
possible at any time.
The National Genealogical Society has an extensive online brochure
that gives a lot of information about the conference, the presentations and
the exhibits. For the first time, you can even register online via a safe and
secure system for ordering tickets.
I have already made my flight reservations to attend the 2002
NGS "Conference in the States" and learned a few things about geography
in the process. Milwaukee is one of America’s smaller cities, and its airport
does not have many long-distance flights. The major airline serving Milwaukee’s
Mitchell International Airport is Midwest Express. When making my reservations,
I couldn’t find a direct flight from my area to Milwaukee; I found that I would
have to change planes somewhere along the route. Every connection I looked at
seemed to involve hours of "wait time" hanging around airports. However,
a quick look at a map reveals that Milwaukee is not far from Chicago, a city
with myriad travel possibilities.
I found it easier and faster to fly to Chicago on a non-stop flight,
rent a car there, and then drive for one hour and forty-five minutes to Milwaukee.
The total time required for travel from my home to the conference hotel in Milwaukee
is significantly less on this "fly and then drive" route than it would
have been by booking a connecting flight someplace and flying into Milwaukee.
In my case, the total expense of one direct flight plus a rental car was significantly
lower than any flight combinations I could find that flew into Milwaukee. Your
experience may be different, however.
Another alternative is to fly into Chicago and then take Amtrak
to Milwaukee. The Milwaukee Amtrak Station is only two and a half blocks from
the convention center. I am sure that many people will prefer to take Amtrak
all the way from their home cities to Milwaukee, perhaps with a connection in
Chicago.
If you are planning on bringing a spouse who is not as interested
in genealogy as you are, Milwaukee offers many sightseeing events for other
interests. How about a tour of the Harley-Davidson Motorcycle plant? Or perhaps
your spouse would prefer a brewery tour!
All in all, this year’s conference should be a good one. If you
are thinking of attending an educational and enjoyable genealogy conference,
I’d suggest that you mark 15-18 May on your calendar.
I’ll be in Milwaukee in May and hope to see you there as well.
For more information about the 2002 edition of the "Conference in the States,"
look at: www.ngsgenealogy.org/2002cover.htm.
Dick Eastman Online
