Richard I recall that such arrangements have been tried here and there over the years. They will not be organised by Rootsweb so it is up to individuals to take the initiative. Whether or not past arrangements have ever been successful I don't know, however one imagines they can't have been a greatly popular as they seem not to have been continued. Having said that, there is no reason why Listers can't make their own arrangements either individually or collectively. At every fair there tends to be a cafeteria or rest area and organisers will normally advise whether there are other suitable areas. For example at Woking on Saturday there is a gallery with tables and seating where one can sit and have a sandwich and chat (not part of the restaurant). At Olympia the "Who Do You Think You Are? Live" event offers ample space on the gallery for unofficial "meeting and chatting". Whilst you can't officially take over floor space without agreement of organisers, unofficial meetings in public areas should be fine. Anyone seriously wishing to organise an official meeting point would need to make arrangements with each event organiser well in advance, and this may or may not be possible depending of availability of floor space. It has to be said that many of us "work" at the Fairs and Open Days and so we are generally not free to meet and chat for a length of time. Nevertheless I personally have met a large number of Listers over the years when they come by our FHS stand, and then sometimes we meet up elsewhere too. For example if you will be at the WSFHS Open Day on this coming Saturday, please drop by the WSFHS stand and say "hello". I'm sure there will be others of us on other stands who will be similarly very pleased to meet everyone. Ann List Admin ----- Original Message ----- From: "Richard M Brown" <brownrichardm@yahoo.co.uk> Hi Listers, I am just throwing an idea into the pot. In general, all of us who subscribe to these lists are great at helping one another concerning various matters. We have, in effect, developed a virtual community. Personally, I value everyone's opinions greatly, and they are much appreciated Have any of the group members ever met in person at a gathering? I am thinking, such as at Family History Fairs in a stand or a lounge set up by the Roots hosts Ancestry or others? Certainly, I know some of the contributors through the Lincs FHS and E Surrey FHS, but not all of us are members of a Family History Society. It's just a thought. I am one of those who likes to put a face to a name. Also, gatherings, such as I suggest, are an excellent forum for exchanging ideas etc which we may not have necessarily been put forward , or put forward in the wrong way, on the forum. Hopefully our list administrators will take note of any feedback, and take the idea forward to the Roots Lists hosts. I think this could be a Win Win case with more interest being generated in FH Fairs (It is about 4 years since I last went to one) and FH Societies. Richard Brown Bromley, Kent U.K.