Conference Recap: Fun Times at SCGS Genealogy Jamboree 2016

This weekend the Geni team headed over to the Los Angeles Marriott Burbank Airport for the 47th annual Southern California Genealogy Jamboree. Over 1,400 people attended this year’s conference.

The Geni booth before the exhibit hall opened

We had a wonderful time catching up with old friends, chatting with Geni users and introducing the power of collaboration on Geni’s World Family Tree to newcomers.

The conference flew by as the exhibit hall was filled with attendees throughout the day.

Free Geni water bottles for all!

Everyone had the opportunity to pick a free Geni water bottle, which was perfect for carrying around water during the hot weekend in southern California.

Geni curator Randy Schoenberg hard at work at the booth

Joining us again this year was Geni curator Randy Schoenberg, who generously contributed his time to help us out at the booth everyday of the conference. As always, Randy was able to work his genealogy magic and help several people breakthrough some brick walls and connect to the World Family Tree. And once they were connected, Randy was instantly able to show them how they were related to each other!

Kitty Cooper chatting with Randy and Mike

Genealogy blogger Kitty Cooper also stopped by to hangout with us for a while. We love seeing Kitty every chance we get! She gave two talks on DNA in genealogy for DNA Day that Thursday.

Mike addressing the crowd before the raffle

Our friends at MyHeritage drew huge crowds as people eagerly waited to see if they would win a brand new Kindle at the booth’s daily raffle. On the last day, as a thank you to the wonderful organizers of Jamboree, we donated a 1-year Geni Pro subscription to the Southern California Genealogy Society to use as a door prize at their next meeting.

Overall, we had a fantastic time at Jamboree and we can’t wait to see everyone again next year!