Two national genealogy gatherings — one newcomer and one relative old-timer — are called off because of budget problems.
Ironically, after last year when the Federation of Genealogical Societies' (FGS) annual conference went on the day after Sept. 11, the year 2002 may go down in genealogy history as the year of cancelled conferences.
First, a new genealogy conference planned for July 14-18 in Dearborn, Mich., was cancelled in mid-June because it didn't have enough registrants. Just six weeks later, the National Genealogy Society (NGS) announced it was officially taking the 10-year-old genealogy-technology group GENTECH under its wing — and axing the 2003 GENTECH conference in Phoenix because of budgetary concerns.
A newcomer to the national conference scene, the International Roots Conference had only 300 people signed up to attend — about 1,700 fewer than its organizers expected, according to their attorney, David Miller. The business that planned the conference, My Conference Planners, had more than $300,000 debt and closed its doors just weeks before the conference. Registrants and others who paid money to the conference did not receive refunds, Miller says. Registrants paid $60 per day or $199 for five days ($230 if registered after May 1), plus additional fees for special events and meals.