Vendors at Genealogical Conferences

It is interesting which of the genealogical vendors attend genealogy conferences and those who don't. I can't figure out if those who don't just figure that they can sell to genealogists and don't have to actually meet them or talk to them or what? For example, at the BYU Family History and Genealogy Conference, admittedly a smaller conference, there were quite a few vendors there, but compared to the large number of venders who were not there, the turn out was vanishingly small. This is particularly true of genealogical database programs. The same three or four program vendors were at the BYU Conference as were at the RootsTech Conference. The three software companies who come every time and participate are

• RootsMagic
• Ancestral Quest
• Legacy Family Tree

Ancestry.com with Family Tree Maker is conspicuously absent. I have yet to see a Mac genealogy software company show up at an genealogy conference. I wonder how they expect to sell programs? Ancestry.com of course, can rely on its vast television and media advertising. The smaller companies must rely solely on word of mouth, because I have yet to see even an add in a genealogy publication. Take Family Tree Magazine for an example. The same vendors that show up at the conferences advertise in the magazine. How in the world do program developers of programs like the Apple Macintosh programs, Reunion and MacFamilyTree expect to sell any programs? Maybe they don't.

When was the last time you saw, say, a Reunion ad? Or an ad for a program like MyBlood? Every once and a while someone will tell me about a program I have never heard of previously and I will try and find it. Some of the programs barely have a Web presence, much less every show up at a genealogy conference. Are they afraid someone might ask them a question? Or worse, afraid they might sell a few programs?

If I were a genealogy software developer, the first thing I would do is go around to all the conferences and demo my program to all the genealogists. Who else is in the market for a genealogy program? Next, I would visit as may genealogy societies and associations as I could find and talk to them about my program. Guess what, the three software companies I list do just that. They also have webinars and give away prizes at the conferences. All of which leads me to believe that the other vendors don't really care about genealogy or selling programs.

Just some thoughts. But one thing is certain, the genealogists love to have Bruce Buzbee, and staff Gaylon Findlay and staff and Geoff Rasmussen and staff at the conferences. Yeah for them. Thanks for coming. And thanks to all the other vendors that take time to come to the conferences also. It is fun to see the products and fun to talk to the people about their products.