The General Conference Session is the official world meeting of the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, held every five years.
The first session was held on May 20, 1863 in Battle Creek, Michigan with 20 delegates in attendance.
The early sessions were held every year in a small church.
As the Church's membership grew, time between sessions lengthened, meeting places got bigger, and more delegates attended.
Today the sessions are held every five years in cities with stadiums that can seat more than 70,000 attendees, which includes the more than 2,400 delegates attending and the visitors from around the world who are watching the session.