Estimated read time: 3-4 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
SALT LAKE CITY — Over a million people from 190 countries gathered online and in person Thursday to kick off RootsTech 2024 and "Remember" why family history is important to them.
Steve Rockwood, CEO of FamilySearch International, the company that puts on the annual event, shared the numbers as part of his opening remarks from the Salt Palace in Salt Lake City.
He also introduced the theme for this year — "Remember" — by talking about the phrase, "Remember who you are. Remember what you stand for." He said his parents would say that to him while he was growing up.
"My parents knew that if I would remember, I would actually act differently. When I remembered, I would act better," he said.
As an adult, Rockwood would carry a Lego brick in his pocket when he was away from home to remind him of who he is, and of his family.
"Such a small, simple thing. Such a powerful word," he said about the word remember.
Rockwood encouraged people to reach out to others who need to know their story is worth remembering.
"Your family history journey can now, once again, bless someone else's life's journey — and that's what this is all about," he told attendees.
With smartphones, he said, people can have their family story with them all the time. He invited people to imagine how generative artificial intelligence can help even more.
Here at RootsTech, we're going to show the world amazing examples of how to use generative AI responsibly. Once again, we will use the latest technology to create goodness, light and connection — because that is who you are.
–Steve Rockwood, CEO of FamilySearch
"Here at RootsTech, we're going to show the world amazing examples of how to use generative AI responsibly. Once again, we will use the latest technology to create goodness, light and connection — because that is who you are," he said.
Rockwood likened the Lego brick in his pocket to building family trees: Just like Legos, he said families, those young and old, can come together to work on the project.
"Our passion is to help you find your missing bricks, no matter what they are and no matter where they are," he said.
Kirby Heyborne, who is the emcee for this year's RootsTech as he was last year, said the conference has grown significantly since about 3,000 people gathered for the first RootsTech in February of 2011. Last year there were over 4 million attendees, including online and in person, Heyborne said, and called the conference not just an event, but a "worldwide movement."
He said the growth of this conference shows the power of connecting with others and the bonds that family history creates.
Heyborne said the theme is "about celebrating our past and how it shapes our today and molds our tomorrow."
The first keynote speaker, comedian Henry Cho, was featured on Thursday. He talked about his parents, children, accents, culture and growing up as a Korean living in Knoxville, Tenn. — a "south Korean." He joked that because he was born in the United States and was the only Asian at his school, he didn't know he was supposed to be smart until he got to college.
Before his address, he was shown a little bit about his family history and he said he learned he is Japanese.
"I've got to rewrite my whole act," he joked.
Over the next few days, people at the conference in Salt Lake City and participating online will be able to hear from Broadway star Kristin Chenoweth, former BYU basketball player Jimmer Fredette, Lynne M. Jackson, the great-great-granddaughter of Dred and Harriet Scott, and from the late President M. Russell Ballard of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles through a video filmed before he passed away in November.
