Annual General Conference Reaches Global Audience

Sessions of the 185th Annual General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints will be broadcast live from the Conference Center in Salt Lake City, Utah, beginning on Saturday, March 28, 2015. The sessions of general conference will occur at the following times (all Mountain Daylight Time):

–Saturday, March 28, 6:00 p.m.: General Women's Session.
–Saturday, April 4, 10:00 a.m.: Saturday Morning Session.
–Saturday, April 4, 2:00 p.m.: Saturday Afternoon Session.
–Saturday, April 4, 6:00 p.m.: Priesthood Session.
–Sunday, April 5, 10:00 a.m.: Sunday Morning Session.
–Sunday, April 5, 2:00 p.m.: Sunday Afternoon Session.

The general women’s session is for women, young women and girls ages 8 and older, and the general priesthood session is for the men and young men of the Church ages 12 and older.

General conferences are conducted by the Church each spring and fall. Spring meetings are called annual conferences and those in fall, semiannual. The first general conference was held in 1830, the year the Church was organized.

Messages of Hope and Peace

During the conference, leaders of the Church deliver spiritual messages about a variety of subjects related to the gospel of Jesus Christ. Members of the Church approach general conference as an opportunity to be taught from inspired leaders.

At the opening of the October 2014 general conference, President Thomas S. Monson said: “We are gathered together in locations around the world to listen to and learn from the brethren and sisters whom we have sustained as General Authorities and general officers of the Church. They have sought heaven’s help concerning the messages which they will present, and they have felt inspiration regarding what will be said.”

A Worldwide Audience

The Conference Center seats 21,000 people for each of the six live-audience sessions. Millions more around the world will view or listen in more than 90 languages in over 200 countries via television, radio, satellite and Internet broadcasts. 

In addition to broadcasts in local Latter-day Saint chapels around the globe, the Church streams and broadcasts the conference live on LDS.org, BYUtv, BYUtv International, the Mormon Channel, Roku, Facebook and YouTube. 

Many also hear and participate in sharing general conference through social media. A flood of tweets with the #LDSconf hashtag are posted on Twitter during each of the six sessions. During the weekend, general conference is one of the most discussed topics on Twitter in the U.S. and sometimes worldwide during a given period.

Through its official social media channels, the Church will immediately post messages live from the conference in multiple languages, and it encourages others to share those messages.

Attending in Person

Tickets are required to enter the Conference Center, where attendees will pass through a security check. Cameras, recording devices, weapons, food, backpacks, packages and large bags will not be allowed. A standby line for those without tickets will begin at the north gate of Temple Square.

Additional seating will be available in the Tabernacle  on Temple Square and in the Joseph Smith Memorial Building for general priesthood and Sunday sessions only. The North Visitors’ Center will have overflow seating available during the Saturday and Sunday morning and afternoon sessions. Overflow seating for all six sessions for Spanish speakers will be available in the Assembly Hall. Tickets are not required for the overflow locations.

Parking options in downtown Salt Lake City are limited. Conference attendees are invited to carpool or use public transportation to relieve local traffic congestion. Those driving are strongly encouraged to allow extra time for travel, locating a parking spot and being seated in the Conference Center. Public parking is not available at the Conference Center parking lot. Conference attendees should avoid parking in front of homes or downtown residential areas. Cars parked on neighborhood streets may be ticketed or towed at the owner’s expense. Disability parking is located at the northwest corner of West Temple and North Temple, but it is limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis.

Conference coverage, including photos, will be published throughout the conference on MormonNewsroom.org. Additional information will also be posted on the Mormon Newsroom blog. Journalists, bloggers and others can retrieve this material by going to those sites or following them on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or Google+ or by subscribing via email.