LDS General Conference Behind the Scenes

The Seventy receive assignments to speak for 9 minutes; Apostles for Thirty speakers typically speak.

Pray-ers are assigned to pray and to limit their prayer to 60 seconds

The Correlation committee (since 1972) reviews and approves talks

The Conference Center is cleaned; curbs repainted; florists begin planning arrangements two months prior; lighting crews ensure that the 6000 light bulbs each work.

Two satellite systems: two teleprompter sets; two electrical feeds

Security teams memorize faces and names of security threats that may arrive among the 100,000 participants that come to the 1.4 million square foot conference center.

Speakers and choir directors are given the last sentence of the speakers talk that precedes their talk/song so they know when to be ready.

157 of the 341 hymns in the LDS hymnal have been sung at general conferences; there are 7,667 pipes in the organ.

Speakers and singers select their meal ($7.32 charge)

The presiding bishop provides treats for the apostles and prophets.

Pulpit measurements are taken so the microphone is centered on the speakers tie knot (males) or neckline (females) Speakers are told not to touch the microphone.

Members of the Seventy receive 6 tickets to conference for friends and family; apostles are given 25 tickets.

Members of the Quorum of 12 Apostles enter, followed by the First Presidency.

Conference is broadcasts through seven live cameras by 105 full time employees and translated live into 94 languages by the 800 members of the volunteer translation team and their 58 booths to 197 countries; broadcast signals are sent to 2,177 cable stations and to 7,450 church facilities worldwide.

Church social media teams choose five phrases during each talk to tweet. Memes are created and published via Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Vine, GooglePlus, etc.

After each session, the Prophet is first to leave, followed by his counselors and the Quorum of 12 Apostles.

Monday morning, after conference, each speaker receives two versions if their talks - the one that was approved by the correlation department and a second that reflects their exact words they spoke; they submit a final version for publication.

Videos are available immediate following each session on lds.org; text transcripts are published the Thursday after conference; the Ensign publication of talks is printed 3 weeks after.

LDS General Conference Behind the Scenes