Roots Tech 2025 : “Discover”

If you love digging into your family history or just want to learn more about your roots, RootsTech 2025 is the place to be! Happening March 6–8 in Salt Lake City, Utah, and streaming online, this huge genealogy conference is all about discovering where you come from. Hosted by FamilySearch, this year’s theme, Discover, is all about helping people connect with their past in meaningful ways—whether that means tracing your family tree, hearing amazing stories, or learning cool new research tricks.

In-person registration is priced at $129 for the full three-day experience or $79 for a single day. Not making the trip? No worries—RootsTech 2025 has you covered with a free online experience. Virtual attendees get access to over 200 sessions in over 26 languages and can chat online with other attendees. There is also an interactive Expo Hall where you can connect with vendors, explore new genealogy tools, and learn from experts. It’s a great way to join in from anywhere in the world!

Click here to register or learn more.

Connecting

I love attending RootsTech because I get to connect with old friends and make new ones! As a professional, it’s also a great opportunity for networking and expanding my social circles. The family history app “Relatives Around Me,” is a fun way to connect with distant relatives! RootsTech 2024 attendees made more than 350 million new family connections.[1]

Keynote Speakers

One of the biggest draws of RootsTech is its incredible lineup of keynote speakers. This year, Ndaba Mandela, grandson of Nelson Mandela, will be sharing his family’s powerful story in a virtual keynote. In-person attendees can hear from artist Dana Tanamachi, whose work is inspired by heritage, as well as Olympian Tara Davis-Woodhall and Paralympian Hunter Woodhall, who will share their journeys. Their stories promise to add depth and perspective to the event, making it more than just a conference but a celebration of family and resilience.

2025 Emcee Lineup

Enjoy RootsTech in the language with which you are most familiar:

• Arabic: Suzan Mazzawi
• Cantonese: Matthew Kho
• German: Jan Hadzik
• English: Kirby Heyborne
• French: Arielle Pletain
• Italian: Denise Sottili
• Korean: Jin Young Park
• Mandarin: Chloe Zheng Thomas
• Portuguese: Nicole Luz
• Spanish: Irene Caso
• Japanese: TBA

Hundreds of Classes

For those heading to Salt Lake City, the conference will be packed with more than 250 sessions led by genealogy experts, covering everything from beginner basics to advanced research techniques. You’ll want to download the RootsTech 2025 app. There, you can view the schedule of speakers and events, see a map of the Salt Palace, learn about each speaker, see the list of exhibitors, and see attendees who have made their profile public. Save time by picking your classes before you come. You can add them to your own personal schedule, so you’re all ready to go when the conference starts.

Among the dozens of excellent speakers are Price Genealogy’s very own researchers! They’ll be speaking on the follow topics:

AMY CARPENTER

• Introduction to Asian Research Power Hour (with Ryan Rockwood and Kelly Renee Summers): March 6^th, 8am

DEBBIE GURTLER

• Discover, Gather and Connect with Your Family at the FamilySearch Library: March 6^th, 4:30 pm
• I Didn’t Know You Could Search Like That!: March 7^th, 4:30 pm
• Tracing Your U.S. Immigrant Back to their Hometown: March 8^th, 8:00 am

KAREN AUMAN

• Finding Your Migrant Ancestor’s Scandinavian Homeland: March 6^th, 8:00 am
• Exploiting Manuscripts and Special Collections to Solve Problems: March 9^th, 9:30 am

KATY BODENHORN

• Tools for Researching Philadelphia Ancestors: March 5^th, 4:00 pm (online)

KELLY SUMMERS

• Introduction to Asian Research Power Hour (with Amy Carpenter and Ryan Rockwood): March 6^th, 8am
• Chinese Jiapu, the Key Record for Chinese Ancestral Research: March 7^th, 4:30 pm

MINDY TAYLOR

• Strategies for Taking Your England Research to the Next Level (with Jana K. Greenhalgh): March 6^th, 9:30 am
• England Research: Everything You Need to Know to Get Started: March 6^th, 1:30 pm
• Analyzing Evidence: A Research Game Changer: March 7^th, 8:00 am
• Discovering Your Ancestors in England Probate Records: March 7^th, 3:00 pm

Expo Hall

The Expo Hall will also be buzzing with over 130 exhibitors showing off the latest tools and technology for family history buffs. Visit early so you don’t miss any conference-only deals and prizes. Price Genealogy/Lineages will also have a booth! Come see us. We’ll be at corner booth #735 in the back by the Exhibitor Lounge. We’d love to meet you and answer any questions you have. Come enter our drawing for a free preliminary research project!

Family Discovery Day

A fun highlight of the conference is Family Discovery Day on Saturday, March 8, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. This free event is all about bringing families together to explore their heritage in fun, hands-on ways. Elder Neil L. Andersen of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and his wife, Sister Kathy Andersen, will share messages about the power of family history, and The Piano Guys will take the stage for a special performance. There will also be games, art projects, and even activities just for kids, like balloon art and face painting—so it’s perfect for the whole family.

Will You Be Coming?

RootsTech 2025 is shaping up to be an amazing event for anyone interested in their family story. Whether you’re attending in person or tuning in online, you’ll get to learn, connect, and be inspired by stories from around the world. If you’ve ever wondered about your ancestors or just want to celebrate the power of family, this is the event for you!

We are looking forward to attending RootsTech, and hope you are, too! Remember, come see us at Booth #735!

Emily

Photos: property of the author.

[1] “RootsTech and Family Discovery Day 2025,” (https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/event/rootstech-2025: accessed 14 February 2025).