Though declining attendance at national conferences has been a much-discussed topic in genealogy circles, the Federation of Genealogical Societies (FGS) <www.fgs.org> has managed to buck the trend: Spokesperson Paula Stuart-Warren says attendance at its annual event has increased by 25 percent over the past four years to hit pre-Sept. 11, 2001, levels.

Organizers of this year's FGS conference, Aug. 30-Sept. 2 in Boston, are intent on continuing the upswing. “The key is in looking at what's new and different, so that those who have traditionally attended conferences, but may be getting bored, are presented with new avenues of research,” Stuart-Warren says.

That meant capitalizing on Boston's history and location to supersize the show with 350 classes, workshops and seminars. The first day of the conference traditionally focuses on genealogical society management, but this year it also will feature broader-based classes. Offerings include sessions on researching in international records, led by archivists who work in foreign repositories.