First use: April 2000 general conference

Capacity: Seats 21,000 people (three times the number that could be in the Tabernacle)

Square footage: 1.5 million square feet

Breaking ground: July 24, 1997, 150th Anniversary of the arrival of Latter-day pioneers in Salt Lake Valley

Dedicated: October 2000 general conference

Seeing clearly: No support columns in the auditorium, so used steel roof trusses up to 290 feet long

Air Space: a 747 jetliner can fit into the auditorium

Lighting it up: 1,600 theatrical lights, 4,500 house lights

Creating comfort: Cushioned seats, three different sizes so no one will only see the back of someone's head

Future: Lasting 150 years

Up and up: varies from 4,311 feet to 4,441 feet above sea level

Alternative: Conference Center Theatre, seats 900 people

source: Don L. Searle, "The Conference Center: 'This New and Wonderful Hall," Ensign, Oct. 2000, 32
Copyright Brigham Young University 3 Oct 2001