Registration Ends at 11:59PM ET June 8
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Making connections is a vital benefit of IGGP's 2023 conference. Just ask Eric "Rick" Bender of New Mexico, who made contact with tour guide Wolfgang Grams at the 2019 IGGP conference. Eric's story of working with Wolfgang to achieve his lifetime dream of visiting his ancestral German villages is featured by James Beidler in his "Family Research" column in the new edition of German Life magazine. (Read it here.) You can make your own connections, in person or virtually, at this year's IGGP conference. Where will they take you? Check out the presenters and the schedule and then register today.
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We're happy to report that a team of IGGP volunteers will be providing translation/transcription services during the international conference, June 9-11. Our “Helping Hands” sessions will be virtual only. Attendees can drop in and get help with short items such as entries in a church book or a brief document. Nothing more than a few sentences, please, so we can assist as many as possible.
You'll have to be able to display your document on screen, either as a scan or from a website.
The sessions, Helping Hands: Transcription and Translation Assistance for German Records, will be offered once each day of the conference and will be first come-first served. Once scheduled, they will appear on the schedule. If you need more help than our volunteers have time to provide, take a look at the conference exhibitors and visit them in Fort Wayne or virtually. IGGP also maintains a listing of professional researchers, many of whom offer translation services.
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10 Reasons To Attend The IGGP 2023 Conference! (In No Particular Order)
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More than 100 presentations, and no two the same! The topics cover the range of the German experience on multiple continents and during multiple time periods. Most will be presented during the conference weekend. But another set will be recorded for viewing at your convenience. And ALL will be accessible for 3 months after the end of the conference. You also can buy the USB and watch the programs for years to come.
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The conference app, Whova, that makes it easy to connect with other attendees, whether in Fort Wayne or online. You’ll set up your Whova account weeks before the conference, giving you plenty of time to post on the message board, plan your schedule and a lot more.
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A DNA panel that’s not about chromosomes. We want to explore attitudes in different cultures toward DNA testing for genealogical reasons. And — maybe — foster some change.
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Sponsors and exhibitors with a story to tell. You can visit those present in Fort Wayne and explore their products and services. Then join your fellow attendees in cyberspace to wander the virtual exhibition hall. Even more to explore there!
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The Genealogy Center at the Allen County Public Library. The second-largest family research center in the United States is a hop and a skip from the conference center where IGGP will be meeting. Virtual attendees can set up appointments for research assistance and catch up with some of the many recorded webinars about genealogy. Anyone attending in person is welcome to head over and check out the collections or do research. Or make a research appointment with the genealogy librarians.
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Speaking of librarians — the family researcher’s best friend — IGGP is offering its first Librarians’ Day on June 8, the day before the conference opens. We hope librarians at facilities small or large, archivists managing collections small or large, or those curating collections at local historical societies will participate, either in person or virtually. The speakers will share tips for locating German genealogy resources, and allow you to show off your new knowledge when a patron comes to you for help. PS: And maybe you’ll want to hang out with us at the conference, too.
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Make new friends. Connection sessions bring together people with an interest in the same topic, encouraging you to share your experiences and get help from others. And no one will know if you exchange email addresses and stay in touch after the conference ends. Because it’s all about connecting. Take a look at the list of sessions; just about every corner of the historic German empire is covered, with a few extras to boot!
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Party time! One of Fort Wayne’s top events, Germanfest, is in town the same weekend as the IGGP conference. Gather with your new friends and take the short walk to the park where you can enjoy the beer, the food and the entertainment provided by local German organizations. Then join us at the IGGP gala Saturday night to celebrate our wonderful partnership and honor those who have done so much for German genealogy.
All the extras and new elements we’re giving a try. There will be document translation and transcription assistance. We’re running our first hands-on workshops. Programs timed so that virtual attendees can be online when they are wide awake. Syllabus and individual handouts in Whova. Museum displays you can visit and learn from. Presentations in German AND English. Extending the excitement with speaker Q&As in the weeks after the conference. Etc. etc. etc.
If we’re being honest, this is THE most important reason to attend the IGGP 2023 conference, in-person or virtually. It’s German genealogy and only German genealogy all day long for three wonderful days! Whether you ride an elevator or rush to the bathroom during a break or grab a box lunch to quickly eat, everyone will be there for German genealogy. It’s a big family reunion!
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This is a conference not to be missed by anyone doing German genealogy research anywhere in the world. Register Today
