As students prepare for the 177th Semiannual General Conference for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints this Saturday and Sunday, there are a few things they should know.
What to expect
Although it is not confirmed nor required, one new apostle and a new member of the First Presidency will most likely be announced during conference. In the October 2004 conference, President Gordon B. Hinckley announced Elder David A. Bednar and Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf as the new apostles in his opening remarks during the Saturday morning session. However, President Hinckley has not said if or when he will make announcements, and that decision is completely at his discretion, church officials said.
Admission
All attendees must have their tickets in hand to get into any and all sessions of conference in the Conference Center. Tickets are distributed to church members through localcChurch leaders. Contact your local church leaders if you have questions.
Transportation
With more than 100,000 people expected to attend conference, church officials encourage attendees to carpool or choose other methods of transportation, such as the train or TRAX, according to a news release.
UTA will double the number of trains available Saturday and Sunday, and additional times will be added to the schedule for morning and afternoon sessions, according to the news release. TRAX will run Saturday from 5:10 a.m. until 1 p.m. and Sunday from 7:38 a.m. until 9:20 p.m. Parking is available near some TRAX stops. The farthest south stop with good parking is at 101st South. Take the 106th exit from I-15 and go east to State Street, then north on State to 100 South and than east to the parking lot.
TRAX officials suggest buying a roundtrip ticket to save time. A UTA Family Pass for two adults and six children roundtrip is $10.
Parking
For people who plan to drive, free parking will be available at the Triad Center Garage, 50 N. 400 West; the Eagle Gate Terrace, 145 E. Social Hall Ave.; and Regent Street, 65 E. 200 South.
Parking passes for designated areas are distributed by local leaders along with conference tickets. Some available designated parking areas are the Triad Center Garage, the parking lot behind the Family History Museum; the Dee’s Restaurant located at 200 W. North Temple, and the tunnel under Main Street.
To avoid being towed or booted, conference attendees should avoid parking in front of homes in downtown residential areas.
Broadcast
Sessions of General Conference will be available on KSL-TV (channel 5), KBYU-TV (channel 11) and BYU-TV (DirecTV channel 374 and DISH Network channel 9403). Sessions in Spanish will be available on KSVN-TV (channel 49 and cable channel 66). Broadcasts will also be available over the radio in Spanish (KSVN-AM 730 frequency) and English (KSL frequencies 1160 AM and 102.7 FM). At least one session of conference will be available in as many as 91 different languages worldwide via satellite and DVD, according to a news release.
Internet Access
Audio coverage of conference in up to 77 different languages will be available at www.lds.org. Complete texts of conference talks will be published on www.lds.org within a week of conference.
