Coffee Chats

Coffee Chats are informal meetings of like-minded researchers where participants can discuss problems, brick walls, and successes. They are held on various days and times throughout the month. You can find the dates and times of the various Coffee Chats on the BCGS Calendar of Events page.

BCGS members and members of affiliate societies are welcome to attend.
Not a member? No problem.
We are happy to welcome you to one or two of our chats so you can decide whether you’d like to join us.

Many Coffee Chats run via Zoom on Thursday nights from 7:00pm - 9:00pm. A few others are at different times and/or on days other than Thursday so be sure to confirm the meeting times for the chats you choose.

A few chats, including Kindertech and the BCGS Writers Group, are now held IN PERSON at the BCGS Genealogical Library and Research Centre. The DNA Groups and Chinese Genealogy have their own registration contacts. In-person chats generally do not require registration. Check the specific chat page for details.

To register for a chat, click on the entry in the Calendar for your chat then click on the Register Here link. A box will open asking for your name, email address and BCGS membership number, or for Affiliate Society members, the name of your Society and the secret word for 2026. Complete that information and click on Register. You will then see a notification that your registration is pending approval.

Once your registration has been approved, you will receive an email with the Zoom link for your chat. This may take a few days. You will also receive a reminder email a day or two ahead of the chat.

Once you have registered, you will be notified of future Chats automatically and do not need to re-register. You will also receive a reminder email a day or two ahead of each chat.

You can cancel your registration via a link in your Zoom confirmation email.

Digital Bulletin Boards are information pages designed to give coffee chat attendees a place where useful and pertinent information is posted for use by everyone. If a coffee chat facilitator has a handout, it will be posted on the digital bulletin board. You can view each of the Coffee Chat Digital Bulletin Boards by clicking on the links below.