2026 Conference

RQG Conference 2026

Saturday, 25 April 2026
The Birmingham & Midland Institute, Birmingham (UK) B3 3BS

Tickets are available via
https://rqg-conference-2026.eventbrite.co.uk/

Our conference is open to everyone, including non-members

 

Please join us in Birmingham (UK) on Saturday 25 April 2026 for our family history conference ‘Exploring the Past, Embracing the Future’.

The conference is designed to support genealogists on an intermediate or advanced level. Sessions will explore research methodologies, professional standards and ethics, complex studies, and engagement with archives and institutions in a rapidly changing research environment. In line with RQG’s commitment to excellence, the programme emphasises evidence-based practice, critical analysis, and the clear communication of research findings.

Networking is a core element of the day, with informal opportunities to connect with peers. For those considering professional accreditation, the conference also provides valuable insight into the competencies and expectations that underpin RQG registration.

We are delighted to confirm our distinguished keynote speakers:

  • Professor Rebecca Probert (University of Exeter) – Researching bigamy through family history records
  • Dr Sophie Kay (Khronicle®) – Ethics and You: a people-centred guide to genetic genealogy

We are also delighted to announce the speakers from our wider programme. The following talks will run concurrently on the day:

  • Michael Tobias – DNA Case Study – The Unknown Fathers
  • Justine Gallagher – Poverty, Parenting and Prostitution: Children admitted to the Newcastle-upon-Tyne Industrial School (1880-1891)
  • Elizabeth Walne – Will bots tell your story? AIOs, GEO and getting your ancestors a click
  • John Cleary – Who drew that tree? A Regency family tree mystery
  • David Ryan – Exploring Irish Census Records
  • Nicholas Dixon – Conviviality and Decorum: A Journey Through Two Centuries of Masonic Ancestry
  • Jananne Rahman – William Maybank and the Hyde Park Riots of 1866
  • Nicola Johnson – Titanic Myths: What the Records Really Reveal
  • Patricia Coveney Sears – Making the Invisible Visible: non-elite women in pre-famine south-west Ireland
  • Julie K. Johnson – Workhouse Voices Recovered: Archival Research and Genealogical Practice in 18th–19th Century Suffolk

Carol Bannister, Toni Sutton and Helen Tovey will also run an interactive workshop: Crafting, pitching & publishing genealogy & family history articles. If you wish to attend this particular workshop, please email us to confirm as places are limited.

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us at conference@qualifiedgenealogists.org

We look forward to welcoming you to The Birmingham & Midland Institute on 25 April 2026!

Book your ticket now