In addition to the main speakers and sessions, participants are offered a choice of seminars, relating to specific topics within the general theme of the university and international missions.

[2] From 1948 to 2003, Urbana took place at the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign, with the primary venue after 1963 being the Assembly Hall (now State Farm Center), the school's basketball arena.

and included speakers John Stott, David Howard, Leighton Ford, Byang Kato, Samuel Kamelson, and Tom Skinner.

John Stott spoke on the biblical basis for mission, Elisabeth Elliot on the will of God, and Helen Roseveare on Declaring His Glory in Suffering.

Speakers included Wycliffe Bible translator Ed Beach, Eric Alexander from a church in Scotland, Gordon MacDonald, Isabelo Magalit, Marilyn Laszlo, Billy Graham, George McKinney, and author Rebecca Manley Pippert.

Other notable speakers: Ada Lum, Billy Graham, Cliffe Knechtle, David Bryant, George McKinney, Joanne Shetler, John Kyle, Luis Palau, Mariano DiGangi, Ray Bakke, and Tokunboh Adayemo.

Nearly 19,000 participants came to hear Harvie Conn, Ray Bakke, Floyd McClung, Billy Graham, Helen Roseveare, Rebecca Manley Pippert, Roberta Hestenes, and Tony Campolo.

[7][13] Throughout the 90s, Urbana was hosted at the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign, but the large numbers in attendance meant that the conference was pushing that venue's capacity.

Urbana 90 was InterVarsity's 16th triennial student mission convention, was themed "Jesus Christ: Lord of the Universe, Hope of the World."

Featured speakers included Joni Eareckson Tada, Ada Lum, Ajith Fernando, Caesar Molebatsi, George Otis, Glandion Carney, Isaac Canales, Luis Bush, M. Fisher, Paul Tokunaga, Peter Kuzmic and Philemon Choi.

Featured speakers included Neil Anderson, Lindsay Brown, Isaac Canales, Peter Cha, Margarita Petrovna Dvorzhetskaya, Ajith Fernando, Mary Fisher, Steve Hayner, and David Zac Niringiye.

Featured speakers: Tokunboh Adeyemo, Rebecca Atallah, Jorge Atiencia, Robbie Castleman, Alex Gee, Steve Hayner, Jacqueline Huggins, Daniel Oh, Mac Pier, T.V.

Featured speakers included: Vinoth Ramachandra, Ken Fong, Steve Hayner, George Verwer, Jimmy McGee, Paul Borthwick, Marta Bennett, Barney Ford, and Alex Gee.

The 2000s marked the move of Urbana from its long-time home at the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign to St. Louis in 2006—a much larger venue for a conference that seemed to be maxing out every year.

Urbana 06 speakers included Rick Warren, pastor and author of The Purpose Driven Life; Ray Bakke, a professor and specialist in urban ministry; Bono from the band U2 (via video); and Ajith Fernando, a well-respected Bible teacher who is the director of Youth for Christ in Sri Lanka.

Urbana 12 speakers included Calisto Odede, David Platt, Chai Ling, Daniel Bourdanne, Ziel Machado, Geri Rodman, Terry LeBlanc, and featured a performance by Andy Mineo.

Speakers included Francis Chan, David Platt, Evelyne Reisacher, Michelle Higgins, MaryKate Morse, Allan Matamoros, and Christena Cleveland.

[19] "Faithful Witness” was the theme of Urbana 18, taken from the book of Revelation, and speakers included René Breuel, John Inazu, Dominique Gilliard, Beth Paz, and Anne Zaki.

Speakers included Bishop Claude Alexander, Alexia Salvatierra, Michele Lee, James Choung, Alejandra Ortiz, Michael Oh, and Richmond Wandera.