Hillsong Conference is a mid-year week long annual conference hosted in Sydney, Australia with a smaller three day conference held in London later each year. It is the largest annual conference in Australia of any kind. The conference is hosted by Hillsong Church at the Qudos Bank Arena and surrounding Olympic Park precinct. Hillsong Conference grew from 150 people at the first conference in 1986 to now be attended by upwards of 30,000 people each year in Sydney. It brings in over $28 million to the New South Wales tourism sector annually In 2020, the Hillsong Conference was postponed for the first time in its history until 2021 due to the COVID-19 global pandemic.
History
1986 – 1994: Early Years
The first Hillsong Conference was held in 1986 in Baulkham Hills with only 150 attendees. In the early 1990s, night rallies were held in the Hills Centre where Hillsong Church was holding meetings, with attendees growing to as large as 750 by 1992.
Hillsong Conference was first held in the Qudos Bank Arena and various venues throughout Sydney Olympic Park from 2001. In 2011 Hillsong Conference was not held in Sydney Olympic Park but instead in the Sydney Entertainment Centre for logistical reasons relating to the availability of Sydney Olympic Park.
2018 – present
In 2018, the Hillsong Conference completely sold out the Qudos Bank Arena venue. Future growth is expected to continue to overflow into the wider Sydney Olympic Park precinct where currently the Kidsong and Hillsong Young & Free Conference is held simultaneously. In 2020, the Hillsong Conference was postponed for the first time in its history until 2021 due to the COVID-19 global pandemic.
Conferences
Hillsong Conference Sydney
Hillsong Conference was first held in the Qudos Bank Arena and various venues throughout Sydney Olympic Park from 2001.
Hillsong Conference London
In 2006, an offshoot of Hillsong Conference began in London with 3,000 people at the ExCeL Exhibition Centre known as Hillsong Conference Europe. Since its inception in 2007 it has become an annual 3-day conference held in London attracting people from across Europe. Hillsong Conference London is now held at The O2 Arena, which is the second largest indoor venue in the UK of 21,000 seats.
In July 2012, Brian Houston announced they will be bringing the Hillsong Conference for the first time ever to the United States. Hillsong Conference was held in New York in 2013 for the first time, and annually since. Hillsong Conference New York was held in the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, with a seating capacity of 17,000.
Sessions
The sessions that make up Hillsong Conference are diverse and vary from a typical church service, from presentations from leaders in their space, traditional preaching and worship sessions, through to Design and Production masterclasses.
Morning/Night Meetings - Hillsong Church Service with special guest preachers
Masterclasses - One hour presentations in more intimate settings with experts across a wide breadth of topics.
Closing Ceremony
Kidsong
Kidsong is the Children's portion of the Hillsong Conference, and is hosted simultaneously to Hillsong Conference in the surrounding Olympic Park Precinct. Kidsong also runs a special programme named Treasure Chest for children living with disabilities.
Charitable Contributions
Various charities are present at Hillsong Conference, including Compassion and Open Doors. In 2019, over a 20 year partnership with Hillsong, Compassion announced that over 100,000 children had been sponsored through their programs.
Accessibility
The conference, including worship, is translated live into 11 different languages, plus Auslan, for those attending. The venue and surrounding precinct is wheelchair accessible and Hillsong Conference makes specific provisions for those who require additional assistance.
