What do you think about in person meetings?

 Here's a thread from the NGS delegates forum.  Do you agree that we need to to focus on getting people back together, or are there other ways to accomplish our goals?  You can reply on this blog by clicking read more......

Over the past three years many genealogy societies have survived by holding virtual meetings.  Virtual meetings have provided a way to continue the educational presentations and the society business, but we have lost much of the social interaction that we had with in-person meetings.

In 2022, some societies have held hybrid meetings with in-person and virtual attendees.  But the in-person attendance has been disappointing in many societies. People are choosing to stay home and attend virtually instead of coming to the in-person meetings. 

How do we encourage in-person meeting attendance?

Are any societies having success with in-person attendance?

For societies holding hybrid meetings what percentage of attendees are in-person?

What techniques have helped get more people to attend in-person

R. Glenn York, Delegate
Colorado Council of Genealogical Societies

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We started virtual only meetings shortly after the pandemic was declared. It has been only until the past three months that we've gone hybrid. We normally had 35-40 members attend in person prior to that. When we went all virtual, the numbers were about the same. With the past three months being hybrid, we've seen a drop in the number of in-person attendees, but an overall total about the same as before. Being in Nebraska with winter weather and all, we've decided to do virtual for Jan/Feb/Mar, then try hybrid again in the Spring. As for getting folks to come in-person to meetings, it will always be a challenge because some just do not want to leave home and go anywhere. If only in-person meetings were offered, some may get out and come. I guess we could encourage in-person attendance by offering door prizes of some sort, or coffee/tea/cookies/etc. Don't know how many might 'bite' on that but could be worth a try. Having an in-person speaker might also encourage folks to come.

-Dean Hayes

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My reply:

This may be the wrong time to focus on trying to get people to attend in-person events, given the resurgence of COVID, plus the other seasonal virus hitting us.  
I would reframe the question to be "How do we maintain our connections while we are meeting remotely?"

Let's think about ways that people could meet socially outdoors, or in small groups.  Or even by phone to share interest or discoveries.  Our Zoom meeting have provided an excellent way for members to interact:  they can chat, work in breakout rooms, screen share, turn up the volume if they have trouble hearing, and in many ways participate more fully than if they were sitting in an auditorium.
If you miss the coffee and cookies, how about separating that out and arrange for small in-person events?  Some groups even hold small breakfast or lunch meetings with a few people.  
We can't turn back the clock, but there are ways to go forward and still accomplish our goals.

Margaret Melaney
San Mateo County Genealogical Society
[California]

Honestly - It's going to take more than a door prize to get me into a large event!

Maggie