NGS Genealogy Conference 2015

The National Genealogical Society is holding their annual conference in May ten miles from my home.

I have never been to a Genealogy Conference. Back in 2007 when the topic for the Genealogy Carnival was Conferences and Seminars, I wrote the humorous: What to expect when your favorite genealogical conference merges with a local SF convention.

I updated this list in 2012

My conference/convention experience is still limited to Science Fiction conventions, but I am looking forward to that changing in May. Any advice from experienced NGS conference-goers would be welcomed. I am especially interested in knowing at what events I am most likely to have a chance to meet some of the others in the genealogy community I've only had a chance to communicate with electronically for the past eight years. I suspect the panel sessions won't provide much opportunity to socialize.

I did post this query on the Facebook group: Genealogy Bloggers at NGS 2015

In so doing, it seems, I may have been volunteering to set up such a gathering - there seems to be some interest in setting something up on Saturday evening as a "Deconpression."

Note: to all those attending the conference who will have transportation. If you are planning on staying in the St. Louis area on the Sunday following, the St. Louis Renaissance Festival may be of interest, though it will be a half hour drive.

If you're attending the conference and looking for a nice restaurant in the St. Charles area for a dinner one of the nights - I can heartily recommend Little Hills Winery and Restaurant, which is 1.5 miles from the convention center, or Llewellyn's Pub, which is a similar distance. (I haven't eaten at the St. Charles location for Llewellyn's, but I was a frequent diner when there was only one location of this local eatery, and now there are seven.)