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Once only in-person (and then, only virtual because of the COVID-19 pandemic), RootsTech has transformed into a hybrid event: both in-person AND virtual. The conference offers plenty of informative genealogy events for both those headed to Salt Lake City and those planning to enjoy the conference from the comfort of home.
While the hybrid format allows people everywhere to enjoy RootsTech, the sheer amount of content can make it hard to find what you want. Here we’ll explain how to participate in the virtual aspect of this year’s RootsTech conference—namely how to register and search for sessions.
What Does RootsTech Cost?
It is completely free to participate in the virtual part of this year’s RootsTech conference. You can look forward to more than 200 new online sessions, keynote sessions and more.
Attending RootsTech in-person costs $79 for a day pass and $129 for a three-day pass. You may be able to score a discount by purchasing your pass before the conference.
RootsTech Vocab
General Sessions occur at 11am MT on the main stage in the Salt Palace. There is one General Session each day of the conference, each featuring a celebrity keynote speaker. These General Sessions and other main stage content will be streamed online. You can see the lineup and watch here.
Keynotes are another term used to refer to the General Sessions in which a celebrity guest delivers a speech.
Class Sessions (or simply “Sessions”) are hour-long classes held throughout the day at the Salt Palace. Traditionally, some (but not all) of the class sessions taught in-person will be made available online.
On-Demand Sessions are class sessions that are available online in what’s called the RootsTech On-Demand Library (see below).
The On-Demand Library houses all of the content that RootsTech has made available for free online. It includes over 1,500 sessions from years past, going back to 2019. If you want to know what in-person sessions from this year’s conference will be added to the On-Demand Library, use the filters on the left to select 2025. Some Sessions will be live-streamed; recordings of all of them can be viewed at any time over the next three years.
The Expo Hall is the large room in the event center where all the exhibitors and sponsors will have their booths. RootsTech also offers a virtual exhibit hall where you can visit the booths online.
How to Find and Register for Sessions
Keep in mind that this process is different for online attendees and in-person attendees. If you’re planning on just attending virtually, here’s what you need to do:
- Go to RootsTech home page
- Click on Online > Register Now and fill in the information
- Click 2025 Sessions
- Use the filters and search box to find sessions
- Add sessions to your schedule
- Access your schedule/playlist by clicking the play icon in the top right menu bar
Keep in mind that many exhibitors will be giving mini-sessions and classes in their booths, so be sure to check out the virtual exhibit hall and visit the booths that are interesting to you.
There’s a lot to explore, it can be easily overwhelming! We’ve suggested some sessions below. According to the RootsTech FAQ, the classes and keynotes will be available for three years, so there’s time to take it all in!
Our 2025 Session Picks
How Does DNA Fit into Your Family Story? Identity. Connection. Answers – Diahan Southard (Online and In-Person)
DNA for Native American Genealogy – Roberta Estes (Online)
Preserving Documents and Ephemera – Melissa Barker (Online)
Researching First World War Ancestors – Jen Baldwin (Online and In-Person)
Finding and Using Obituaries More Effectively – Sunny J. Morton (In-Person)
Organize Your Genealogy in a Day: A Busy Person’s Guide – Andrew Koch (In-Person)
Mapping Your Family History: Online Tools to Visualize Your Family’s Migration – Katharine Korte Andrew (In-Person)
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