2020 TxSGS Conference Call for Presentations

Submission Deadline: February 15, 2020

The Texas State Genealogical Society announces a Call for Presentations for the 2020 Family History Conference. This year’s conference will be held November 13-15, 2020, Irving, Texas, at the Omni Mandalay at Las Colinas, 221 Las Colinas Blvd., Irving, Texas, 75039, (972) 556-0800.

We are looking for dynamic, enthusiastic presenters! If you feel passionate about your area of expertise and would like to teach and inspire other genealogists, this is the venue for you. The TxSGS annual conference draws over 300 attendees from beginner to expert. As well as topics geared toward beginners, intermediate and advanced level lectures and workshops that delve deep into record sources and include unique and experienced use of record sources are encouraged for consideration. Proposals for hands-on workshops are welcome. Seasoned speakers and speakers new to the genealogical lecturing arena are encouraged to submit.

Submission Ideas

The areas of interest may include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Records & Repositories (land, probate, tax, court, and other records)
• Research in Texas Southern states, North America, and beyond
• Record Analysis and Skill Building
• DNA Technology
• Methodology and problem-solving techniques
• Ethnic research topics
• Writing, Storytelling, and Publishing
• Genealogical Society Leadership
• Basic genealogical topics (how to or getting started)

Submission Requirements

Presentations should be one hour in length. Workshops should be up to two hours in length. This includes any question-and-answer period the presenter may want to allow.

Speakers who wish to submit lecture or workshop proposals may submit proposals electronically. Each submitted proposal requires the following information:

• Speaker’s full name, mailing address, telephone, and email address
• Presentation title, not to exceed fourteen words
• Lecture summary for program brochure, not to exceed twenty-five words
• Brief but comprehensive lecture outline, not to exceed one page
• Speaker’s biography, not to exceed twenty-five words
• Speaker’s recent lecture experience, including a listing of national or regional conferences where the speaker has presented in the last two  years
• Identification of the appropriate audience level: beginner, intermediate, advanced or all. If more than one level is supported, enter in other as “beginner-intermediate,” etc.

Do not submit a proposed lecture or workshop that has been presented nationally or regionally in the last two years, is scheduled to be presented before November 13, 2020 or is available for free online.

Presenters may submit proposals for as many as five activities, including lectures and workshops. To access the online Submission Form click here.

The submission deadline for proposals for the 2020 Family History Conference is February 15, 2020. If you have any questions, please email conference@txsgs.org. Watch this website for updated information on the conference and events. We hope you’ll join us at the Omni Mandalay at Las Colinas in the DFW Metroplex.

Additional Requirements for Selected Presenters

Selected presenters will also be required to provide the following information and materials for marketing purposes and for the syllabus:

• Photo
• Brief biography
• Camera-ready handout for each lecture.

Specific guidelines for the above media items will be sent out with your notification of acceptance.

Compensation Package

• Conference speakers will receive an honorarium of $125 for each one hour lecture. The honorarium for each workshop is $200.
• Additionally, a $25 bonus per lecture will be awarded for materials received by the syllabus submission deadline. All required dates will be outlined in the acceptance letter sent to the speakers.
• Each speaker will also receive a $150 stipend as reimbursement for expenses as well as a free registration to the conference. No other expenses will be provided or reimbursed.

Proposal & Syllabus Timeline

• February 15, 2020: Proposals due.
• March 15, 2020: Notifications of acceptance sent out to speakers.
• May 2020: All speaker notifications will be completed by May 31, 2020
• September 15, 2020: Syllabus materials due.

Questions?

If you have questions, please contact the TxSGS 2020 Conference Chair at conference@txsgs.org.