Our community is built on stories. Stories of families who crossed oceans, rebuilt lives, and carried their histories forward against tremendous odds. It's that spirit of resilience, of doing what it takes to keep going, that guides everything we do at IAJGS. And it's that spirit that shapes the news I want to share with you today.
After careful analysis, honest conversations, and a lot of hard work by our board and our volunteer conference leadership, the IAJGS Board has made the decision to reschedule our upcoming conferences:
- The 2026 Virtual Conference has been moved to April 4–6, 2027
- The 2027 In-Person Conference has been moved to 2028
I know that's not what many of you were hoping to hear. Frankly, we weren't either. But I want to walk you through exactly why we made this decision because you deserve the full picture, not just the headline.
The Financial Reality of In-Person Conferences
When I stepped into the role of IAJGS President last August, I brought a finance background with me and immediately turned that lens on our conference model. What I found was sobering but also clarifying.
Since COVID-19, conference costs have increased by 25 to 38%, driven by inflation, labor shortages, and supply chain disruptions. The three biggest cost drivers (venue rental, catering, and AV) have surged 18 to 25% since 2022 alone. AV alone typically runs us between $65,000 and $85,000. And that's before we talk about speaker honorariums, which we began paying in 2021 and which now run approximately $40,000 for a domestic in-person conference.
Location matters enormously too. “Tier one” cities, those major metropolitan areas where we've traditionally held our conferences, carry a 40 to 60% cost premium over “tier two” cities. We simply can no longer afford to hold conferences in those markets.
To put real numbers to it: I took our last pre-COVID conference in Cleveland, which cost approximately $440,000 to produce, and modeled what that same conference would cost today. The answer: up to $167,000 more. To cover that increase with registration fees alone, we would need to charge each attendee up to $238 more, raising our early bird price from $325 to $563. Alternatively, we would need to nearly double our fundraising, from $177,000 to $344,000.
When I looked at 12 years of conference data, another pattern emerged: in 7 of those 12 years, we were reliant on local fundraising donations just to break even. And that fundraising starts from scratch every single year, in a new city, with a new local team, with limited ability to transfer knowledge from one conference to the next. It's an uneven model, and it's become an unsustainable one.
What Our Conference Leadership Told Us
At our all-day board meeting in Salt Lake City in February, Todd Knowles and Suzanne Hoffman (volunteer co-chairs of the virtual conference) presented their honest assessment of what it would take to make the 2026 virtual conference a success.
Their conclusion was clear: pushing through with a virtual conference in October 2026, followed by an in-person conference in 2027, would risk the quality of both events. The timeline was too compressed. Many of the volunteers needed for the virtual conference were also being tapped to plan the in-person conference. And holding a virtual event in October 2026 and an in-person event in mid-2027 puts the two so close together that one would inevitably cannibalize the other.
As Suzanne put it: we could do a conference in October. It just wouldn't be the conference you want.
We want the conference you want. And so do they.
What We're Doing Differently
This isn't just a scheduling change. This is the beginning of a fundamental reimagining of how we plan, fund, and deliver our conferences. Here's what that looks like:
Moving to tier two cities. Our conference experience in Fort Wayne in 2025 proved something important: a smaller, walkable city with a strong local Jewish community and a right-sized venue can produce an exceptional conference experience. We heard overwhelmingly positive feedback about the ability to walk out of the convention center and explore the city on foot. We're building on that lesson.
Fundraising as a foundation, not an afterthought. We have a new fundraising committee forming right now, and we're developing a meaningful, multi-year development plan at the IAJGS level, not just relying on local groups to carry that weight alone. Irv Adler, who did an outstanding job leading fundraising in Fort Wayne, has agreed to serve on the committee, and we're grateful for his expertise.
Planning further ahead. Properly producing an in-person conference requires a 2 to 3 year runway. We contracted with Fort Wayne 25 months in advance. This new timeline gives us the runway we need to do this right — from site selection and vetting, to contract negotiation, to building local partnerships and fundraising relationships.
Reimagining the conference format. We're looking at shorter, more focused conferences (approximately 3.5 days) with fewer simultaneous sessions, a stronger emphasis on new and distinctive content, and a closer look at every cost element to make sure we're spending where it matters most.
Building new partnerships. We're actively exploring partnerships with like-minded organizations such as historical societies, museums, synagogues, and other genealogical groups that share our mission and our audience. There is no reason Jewish family history and broader historical preservation shouldn't be working hand in hand.
What's Happening in 2026
We want to be clear: we are not going dark in 2026.
We have two AI-focused virtual summits planned for IAJGS member societies. The next one is scheduled for April 26th and is free to attend. These summits are designed to keep our community engaged, learning, and connected while we lay the groundwork for what comes next. More details are coming shortly. Stay tuned and please share with your local society members.
We will also be holding our annual meeting later in 2026, and we'll announce that date soon.
Save the Date
IAJGS Virtual Conference: April 4–6, 2027
More details, including registration information and the call for speakers, will be announced in the coming months. We are building something worth waiting for.
How You Can Help
This community has always been powered by the people in it. Here's where we need you most right now:
Do you have fundraising experience? We are actively building our fundraising committee and would love to hear from you. Please reach out to us at feedback@iajgs.org.
Do you have ideas for conference locations? We're looking for tier two cities with a local Jewish community, good flight access, walkability, kosher food options, and a mid-sized venue. If somewhere comes to mind, please let us know.
Do you have thoughts, questions, or feedback? We mean it when we say we want to hear from you. Write to us at feedback@iajgs.org and we will respond.
Transparency is one of the commitments I made when I stepped into this role. This post is us trying to live that out. We are not retreating from our mission. We are building the foundation to advance it more sustainably and more powerfully than ever before.
Thank you for being part of this community. The stories we preserve matter. The families we reconnect matter. And the conferences where we come together to do that work, they matter too. That's exactly why we're taking the time to get this right.
Warmly,
Susan Weinberg
IAJGS President
