MyHeritage Wraps Up Amazing First-Ever User Conference in Oslo

We’re back from an amazing whirlwind weekend at MyHeritage LIVE, our first-ever user conference. Hundreds of MyHeritage users from 28 different countries around the world joined us in Oslo, Norway, for a unique and internationally diverse genealogy experience. Tens of thousands of others tuned in to sessions through live streaming on the conference website and via our Facebook live streams. It was a pleasure meeting MyHeritage users and guiding them through their DNA and genealogical journeys.

The conference proved that exciting times lie ahead for the genealogy world, and especially for MyHeritage. The crowds were left speechless when they learned about the new tools and innovations that we have in store for them. Can a genealogy company really make all these advancements? Yes, we can!

MyHeritage LIVE was held at the Radisson Blu Scandinavia Hotel in Oslo, Norway, located in the center of Oslo, near the Royal Palace and its magnificent gardens.

Attendees enjoyed a well-organized, educational event with three different tracks: DNA, genealogy, and hands-on workshops.

MyHeritage Founder and CEO, Gilad Japhet, kicked off the conference with an inspiring keynote address which is available to watch online.

Gilad began by describing his personal genealogical journey.

He then shared the roadmap of MyHeritage’s future plans, describing products and features that are on their way.

Gilad made some exciting announcements, heard first at the conference.

A new feature, Shared Ancestral Places, is now live. This is an interactive map of the location of significant life events (birth, death, etc.) of you and your DNA Matches, which can be very useful if you are trying to determine how you are connected to a DNA Match.

Gilad announced that MyHeritage will soon be able, through a partnership with a specialist company, to process the DNA from stamps and old envelopes and then link the DNA to the ancestor, providing you with DNA results for your deceased ancestors, right on MyHeritage. Gilad himself is trying to extract the DNA of Albert Einstein and Winston Churchill from original letters in his collection.

Gilad also announced plans to recreate our ancestors’ DNA through segment escalation. This means that if multiple descendants of a particular ancestor test their DNA, we will create a virtual kit for your ancestor and combine the segments from the multiple descendants of that ancestor.

Patti from the U.S. wrote to let us know how much she enjoyed Gilad’s keynote: “I’ve teared up about 5 times already. Heartbreaking, but a wonderful telling by Gilad, of his family. I hadn’t known him at all. Thank you! Looking forward to the rest of the video!”

Maya Lerner, VP of Product at MyHeritage, then delivered a session about MyHeritage’s roadmap, describing the Theory of Family Relativity, which will help our users easily how their DNA Matches are related to them, by using MyHeritage’s vast database of historical records and family trees. This announcement was very well-received by the audience.

Maya Lerner, VP of Product at MyHeritage

Other leaders in the field such as Thomas MacEntee, Lisa Louise Cooke, Dick Eastman, Diahan Southard, Roberta Estes, Mike Mansfield, Daniel Horowitz, and Geni’s Mike Stangel all captivated their audiences with their talks.

Thomas MacEntee, Founder of Abundant Genealogy

Vidar Øverlie, Norwegian Expert Genealogist

Lisa Louise Cooke, Founder of Genealogy Gems

Diahan Southard of Your DNA Guide

Mike Mansfield, Director of Content Operations at MyHeritage

Mike Stangel, General Manager of Geni.com

Audience members were encouraged to ask questions and learn from the experts.

For hands-on workshops, users were asked to bring their own laptops so that they could get walkthroughs for MyHeritage tools and features, and receive real-time advice.

MyHeritage staff provided comprehensive support, assisting users throughout the conference.

Our representative Daniel assisting a participant who flew in from Martinique

At the end of the first day of lectures, we hosted a Eurovision-themed party, complete with live entertainment, to celebrate MyHeritage’s sponsorship of the 2019 Eurovision Song Contest. Genealogists sure know how to party, and MyHeritage knows how to host a great party!

Norwegian folk dance champions, Bulder og brag, captivated the audience with traditional Norwegian folk dances, including the famous Halling dance where they kicked a hat off a high stick.

Bjorn Again, the world’s Number One ABBA Tribute Show wowed everyone with their singing and dance moves.

Well-attended lectures continued on day two.

Christina Sagersten, Founder of Christina Sagersten – Finding Family

Dr. Daphna Weissglas, Senior Bioinformatician Scientist at MyHeritage

Geoff Rasmussen, Founder and Host of Legacy Family Tree Webinars

Panel discussions, led by moderators who asked insightful and interesting questions, provided plenty of food for thought.

Panel on DNA, Genealogy, and Privacy with (left to right) Dr Yaniv Erlich, Roberta Estes, and Thomas MacEntee

Panel on What’s Next for Genetic Genealogy with Aaron Godfrey, Dr. Yaniv Erlich, Roberta Estes, and Dick Eastman

The conference concluded with a closing session which highlighted some of MyHeritage’s pro bono activities, and how the technologies we’ve created are used for good in the world.

Here is a taste of some of the feedback that we’ve received:

“I liked everything, from the coffee to the chromosomes! The party on Saturday was great, and we have got a lot of new friends.”

“I am attending MyHeritage Live in Oslo, Norway. This first day has been truly fantastic.”

“Words cannot say how well done and interesting this program is. Enjoying the live streaming here in Atlanta, GA. Wonderful first day!!! Looking forward to getting up early again tomorrow, now for a nap. Every session was great, could not rate them in order of importance. They are ALL important, well presented, and helpful. I have a much better understanding of MyHeritage products. If someone is just finding out about this live streaming, works wonderfully in Atlanta. Looking forward to tomorrow!”

“Good morning to Oslo. Great way to differentiate and give back to the community. Much appreciated, MyHeritage!”

“Thank you, MyHeritage, for providing great content for insomniacs in the U.S.!”

“I am really loving watching this amazing live event. I am in Essex, England.”

“I am truly enjoying all the presentations and speakers!”

“I’m loving MyHeritage more and more all the time!”

“Fabulous conference! Please tell the powers that be at MH thank you! Thank you for the live feed! It is SO appreciated.”

“Great conference. I learned so much, and am inspired to “do genealogy,” and all before breakfast. Thanks.”

“Fascinating panel discussion about where we will be with genetic genealogy in 25 years’ time.”

You can read summaries by bloggers Roberta Estes (Day 1, Day 2), Dick Eastman and Geoff Rasmussen (Day 1, Day 2).

After all the hard work and planning that went into MyHeritage LIVE, we’re thrilled that it was such a raving success. The conference was attended by hundreds in person and thousands more from all around the world who tuned in to watch lectures online. The conference is a testament to the dedication we have to our users. We are constantly listening to our greater community and innovating and developing new tools in response to their requests.

To watch recorded videos from our live streaming of the conference, please see our Facebook page. We’ll soon be releasing all of the informative lectures online. Stay tuned also for our highlights video still yet to come.

Thank you to everyone who joined us! Given its great success, we are thinking favorably about making MyHeritage LIVE into a recurring event and will update you soon with further information about this.