Preparations continue for the International Association of Jewish Genealogical Societies conference to be held this year at the Grand Wayne Convention Center. Registration is now open.

About 1,000 people are expected to attend the organization’s 45th annual conference on Aug. 10-14, which in recent years was held in Philadelphia and London, according to a Visit Fort Wayne news release.

The educational conference provides an opportunity for participants to learn, research and share tips and information. This year’s keynote speaker is CeCe Moore, an American genetic genealogist who has appeared on the PBS show “Finding Your Roots” and was featured in the ABC show “The Genetic Detective.”

Visit Fort Wayne said the reputation of the Genealogy Center at the Allen County Public Library and its director of special collections, Curt Witcher, were instrumental in drawing the conference to Fort Wayne. Witcher is the former president of the Federation of Genealogical Societies and the National Genealogical Society and the founding president of the Indiana Genealogical Society.

“IAJGS is no stranger to the Genealogy Center at ACPL with its global status and reputation, so presenting the complete package with the award-winning hosting capabilities at the Grand Wayne Convention Center made a strong case for bringing their 2025 event to Fort Wayne,” Josie O’Donnell, senior sales manager at Visit Fort Wayne, said in the release.

The local chapter of the Northeast Indiana Jewish Genealogist Society and its representative Irv Adler also helped land the conference, Visit Fort Wayne said.

Learn more about the genealogy conference and sign up at IAJGS2025.org.