RootsTech is the gift that keeps on giving – I had a great time, and I hope you did too! I especially enjoyed David Quimette’s talk on FamilySearch’s Full-Text Search. I even used it during the conference to find a few records that might help answer some migration questions for one of my family lines.

I was also very interested in the AI panels—especially Guidelines for the Responsible Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Genealogy in 2026, presented by members of the Coalition for Responsible AI in Genealogy. The use and development of AI technology is something that interests me both within and beyond genealogy, and it was fascinating to hear their thoughts on what’s happening now and where things may be headed in the future.

I confess, though, that I didn’t always follow my own advice—especially when it comes to picking a lane. Attending online, I watched sessions on a lot of technical topics for my Family Tree Technology work, and bookmarked several Italian and Irish sessions to watch later for my own research. But somewhere around 1:00 a.m. on Saturday night, I found myself watching a fascinating presentation on Chinese tombstones simply because it was so interesting.

Even though RootsTech 2026 has wrapped, there’s still a lot to uncover on the site.

One of the best things about RootsTech is that the online classes remain available long after the conference ends. Most sessions should stay online for at least a year. In fact, there are still quite a few sessions from as far back as 2022—and even earlier for some topics. That means you have plenty of time to go back and watch the presentations you missed during the busy conference weekend.

This is also a good time to download any syllabi or presentation slides that interest you. For 2026, even many of the in-person classes have their materials posted online. These files should remain available for at least a year, but it’s still wise not to wait too long. I usually download a few each day until I’ve collected all the ones I want to keep.

You may also want to take one more look at the Expo Hall. Some vendors offered special discounts, promotions, or free resources during the conference weekend. Occasionally those offers linger for a short time after the event ends, so it’s worth checking to see if anything is still available.

And if you opted in to Relatives at RootsTech, now is a great time to see who you matched with. Discovering new cousins is always fun, and sometimes those connections can lead to shared photos, family stories, or research breakthroughs.

RootsTech may be over, but the real value of a conference often comes afterward—when you revisit what you learned, explore the sessions you missed, and turn new ideas into progress in your own research.