ROOTS & BRANCHES

When I first started going to nationwide genealogy events more than a quarter century ago, there was already chattering that the conference model—primarily one-hour, single-speaker lectures—needed to be overhauled.

I recall the venerable Dick Eastman lobbying for U.S. conferences to become like those he’d attended in the United Kingdom, which prioritized vendors and offered a nominal registration price.

Another idea that did catch on were genealogy cruises, although the prospect of being stuck at sea didn’t appeal to me.

People such as DNA diva Diahan Southard (Your DNA Guide) have hosted murder mysteries with a genealogy theme.

Established conferences such as those of the National Genealogical Society have added a variety of panels, workshops, half-hour lectures, etc., as a way of changing up the programming mix.

But the first truly novel idea that I’ve seen is the appropriately named “Genealogy Unconference,” which will be held in Cancun, Mexico, from Jan. 21–24, 2027, and hosted by a team of the following: Formidable Genealogist Jen Shaffer; genetic genealogist Kate Penney Howard; researcher and lecturer Katy Bodenhorn; and Alec Ferretti, a Reclaim the Records board member (Time for my conflict-of-interest disclaimer: Bodenhorn is my partner).

The most distinctive thing about this event is the format of the activities, “We won’t lecture AT you like a traditional conference,” Shaffer notes. “At an Unconference, you tell us what you want to learn and you have hands-on access to four professional genealogists.”

In addition, the Unconference is being kept intentionally small: The event is being capped at about 50 registrants in addition to the coordinators (other family members are definitely invited to come to Cancun and need not register for the Unconference).

Speaking of which, the fee for those registering for the three-day event is just $299 during the early bird period that expires Oct. 31 (if spots remain after Halloween, the price is $379).

Shaffer says the Unconference team has been working for almost half a year to put together an event with “genealogy learning, community, and collaboration.”

Venue for the Genealogy Unconference will be the Sunscape Cancun in the resort’s “hotel zone”—which is a peninsula jutting out from the old city of Cancun (the latter being where anyone looking for authentic Yucatan dishes including the mega-hot “salsa verde” will need to go).

For air and hotel reservations, the Genealogy Unconference coordinators are recommending their dedicated travel agent Kelly DeMorett, an independent advisor of Fora Travel. A variety of room types are available at Sunscape with rates commensurate with the sizes and number of people in the room. DeMorett’s contact points are by phone (612) 237-3630 and email to kelly.demorett@fora.travel

For those interested in cutting costs by finding a roommate, the Unconference has a Facebook group, https://www.facebook.com/groups/genealogyunconference

So, for those looking for a winter retreat, the Genealogy Unconference may be the ticket!