The 2026 bi-annual virtual conference  brings researchers a wide variety of topics, intended for all audiences, regardless of  skill level.  Get ready to dive into “Italian Life, Culture, and Traditions” with speakers from Argentina, England, Ireland, Israel, Italy, and all across the U.S.

We have something for every level of expertise! Italian documents include anime (census), parish (church) and civil records, cadastral/ land records, military records, notarial records, passports, and how to use Antenati. 

Life & culture topics include DNA, death, the 1908 earthquake, a traveling opera, magic & folklore, migration paths,  discrimination, the immigration experience, miners and other professions, and life in villages vs. cities. With a wide variety of subjects, you are sure to find something of interest in both general and specific areas of Italian culture, social history, and record sets.

Click here for the full list of LIVESTREAM speakers:

Meet the Keynote Speakers:

Victoria Calabrese, Ph.D. opens the conference with her lecture on “Death and its Aftermath: The Traditions and Beliefs of Our Ancestors.”

Sunday’s keynote speaker, Kate Penney Howard, M.Div., brings our conference to a close with her insightful lecture, “The Stories They Told: Memory and Italian Families.”

Meet our speakers here:

IGG 2026 Conference Speakers

Starting October 3, 2026, all who register can  access pre-recorded lectures (two weeks before the conference). We will post a total of 20 (10 per week). Then, on Saturday, Oct 17 and Sunday, Oct 18 attendees who watched can join two 30-minute breakout rooms each day to ask questions about their top lectures.

Each day, speakers will be available in two sessions: from 12:30-1:00 pm ET and 1:00 to 1:30 pm ET. (10 speakers per day). We will also have  additional experts on hand for general questions, and  networking breakout rooms!

Attendees are eligible for great prizes! Make sure to stop in during lunch break when we spin the wheel of names!

Not a member? Consider joining and benefit from all the IGG has to offer and gain access to early bird registration which opens on September 9, 2026 at 3:00 pm ET and ends with one final extension to Oct 10, 2026 at 11:59 pm ET.

We thank our sponsors: MyHeritage, LegacyFamilyTree, Ilaria Ricci, Association of Professional Genealogists, and more. It’s not to late to be a sponsor. Contact programming@italiangen.org before Wednesday, Oct 14.

Note: Please email programming@italiangen.org as soon as possible if you have just joined the IGG as a new member, so we can manually add you to Whova for the early-bird discount.

Early bird prices! Great savings:

Discounted price: FINAL EXTENSION

to October 10 at 11:59 pm ET

$69 members ($75 with fees)

$89 non-members ($96 with fees).

General registration runs October 10 to October 18 (9am), 2026: $79 members ($85 with fees) or $99 for non members ($106 with fees).

No matter when you register, this is a great deal for a two-day conference: 40 lectures, and three months of video access on the Whova app.

Attend and view at your convenience!  Join us on Saturday and Sunday and watch all the lectures via livestream. Watch the lectures as many times as you wish during the three-month extended access period, until January 18, 2027. 

Members-only special:

Do you have a brick wall? For $39 you can sign up for a 30-minute consultation (to be scheduled with IGG experts via Zoom). Purchase a ticket on Whova as an “add-on.”

Registrants: Starting October 3, you can sign into the Whova App,  for the interactive conference experience! Pre-recorded lectures will be posted daily. Please be patient as our speakers are working hard to get their videos to you.

Click below for the lists of speakers with pre-recorded lectures.

R01-R15

R16-R30

The IGG is here to help you learn more about your Italian family history.