Announcement: SLIG 2022 Change to Virtual

It is with sadness that we announce our decision to change SLIG 2022 to a virtual format. 

We know many of you were anxious to meet together in person and will be highly disappointed. Others will be expressing a loud sigh of relief. And each of you will experience some level of inconvenience as a result. For this we are very sorry!

Please know that the decision was not made lightly. The health and safety of everyone participating is of the utmost importance. With the new variant in the mix, we no longer feel confident in our ability to provide a safe environment for this important educational experience. While we have done due diligence in our preparations throughout the year—from tightening policies to modifying room sets and events—too many things remain out of our control.

Additionally, we have cancelled our 2023 contract. It is clear that the pandemic roller coaster is not coming to a stop any time soon. We will return to Salt Lake City in 2024 with bells on. Until then, we will stay safe and learn from home.

We are sorry if this difficult year of constant change has eroded some of your loyalty to SLIG, and if so, we hope we can regain that. We are grateful for each one of you. We are also grateful for our long-term relationship with the Hilton, which made negotiation of reduced penalties possible.

What to Expect at the Virtual SLIG 2022

SLIG 2022 will follow our previously-planned in-person schedule, beginning with orientation on Sunday, the plenary session on Monday, and ending with the completion and awards wrap-up on Friday. 

SLIG Night at the FHL will be sponsored by FamilySearch and the FHL on Wednesday evening. They are working creatively to design a facilitated experience for our virtual environment. 

Sponsored events with open Q&A will be held during the lunch hours on Tuesday and Thursday. 

The bookstore (Books and Things) will send out a discount code usable by all SLIG followers through 12/31. SLIG participants will additionally have the opportunity to shop via Zoom, where they will answer questions and check indexes before purchasing, since most of their inventory is not online. 

The print syllabus and participant gift will be shipped to you—hopefully on January 3rd—via USPS priority mail.

Tech Day, formerly cancelled, will be quickly redesigned to run on Saturday, January 29th. All registered for either SLIG or the Academy will be eligible to register first.

Courses and Registration

We regret that Jan Joyce’s Critical Thinking course does not translate well to a virtual environment. It will be postponed to 2024. 

All other courses will run as planned. Coordinators are busy refining contingency plans made for labs, practice tests, and other activities. 

• Registration Changes will be processed as follows:
• Critical Thinking students will be given the option to select an alternate course or a full refund of tuition.
• Students who cancelled before the November 30th deadline will be given the option to regain their seat; naturally the $75 administrative fee will be reapplied to tuition.
• Folks currently on the waitlist for a course will be invited to register.
• Students who purchased guest tickets for the reception or banquet will receive a refund for that portion of their order.

• Additional Seats will become available:

• All courses will be “closed” in the registration system to help us manage the items outlined above first, but: 

• Seats previously lost to social distancing will be re-added to the capacities.
• If you are now interested in taking a course that was previously full or you were unable to take for other reasons, please add yourself to the waitlist for that course. 
• We hope to get all invitations out by Saturday.

Travel and Lodging

The Hilton will cancel all reservations made in the group block at the end of the day, Monday, December 13th, unless otherwise notified. Deposits will be refunded. 

In the event you still wish to travel to SLC and stay at the Hilton during SLIG week, they will honor the group rate. Please email hospitality@slig.ugagenealogy.org no later than noon on Monday to request that your reservation not be cancelled. 

Please remember to cancel any reservations for lodging made outside the room block directly.

Most airlines are currently waiving change and cancellation penalties, and providing credit for travel up to a specific number of months following the date of original reservation. Please check with your airline for specific change/cancellation policies.

Most travel insurance companies will extend the insurance to cover the new reservation if properly notified.

Director’s Note: Change is Challenging at Best

I’ve always been one to embrace change. It brings opportunity for new experiences, adventures, and growth. And meeting planners must be poised for change, planning for the best while simultaneously preparing for the worst. But I'll be the first to admit that a few too many unexpected decision points and reactive changes have been required in these past two pandemic years to bring daily enjoyment. 

I will miss seeing you in person. I am highly disappointed that I have not been able to give you what you expected this year. But I do hope you will understand the need for this decision, that you know it was made out of great love and concern for each of you, and that the timing of it was out of my control. Who in their right mind would wait until the penalties were at their highest to cancel, right? Only someone who truly believed cancellation would not be necessary!

Please feel free to email me for further clarification.

Peg Ivanyo, director

Getting Help

Registration: Zachary Hamilton, registrar@slig.ugagenealogy.org

Lodging: Sue Petersen, hospitality@slig.ugagenealogy.org

All other questions or concerns: Peg Ivanyo, director@slig.ugagenealogy.org