How many attendees do you expect?
As of February 1, 2022, registration for the 2022 Saint Kosmas Conference represents 95 families from 21 states. Last year’s Saint Kosmas Conference was attended by 320 people, representing 120 families from 20 states and representing at least six jurisdictions. With registration open for four more weeks, we anticipate the total attendance and total number of families represented this year to exceed that of last year.
Will you offer live-streaming of this conference or an option to attend 'virtually'?
The hallmark of our conferences is bringing people together to create a space for engaging discussion and meaningful fellowship in service to the growth of Orthodox education. We do not live-stream this conference or offer “virtual” attendance.
We will offer a private live-stream of the keynote lectures in one of the conference meeting rooms that will be set up as a space for parents to supervise their youngest children. This meeting room with private live-stream will be available only for parents and children who are registered for the conference.
Will recordings of the conference be made available to the public following the conference?
We will record and post some of the 2022 Saint Kosmas Conference presentations on the Saint Kosmas website. These selected presentations will be posted over the course of the year as either transcripts or digital media. Not all sessions will be recorded or available online.
What jurisdiction are you affiliated with?
Saint Kosmas Orthodox Christian Education Association is an independent non-profit organization, not affiliated with or attached to any particular jurisdiction. Likewise, the 2022 Saint Kosmas Arizona Conference is not affiliated with any particular jurisdiction. There will not be any church services held at the 2022 Saint Kosmas Conference, but families can participate in the liturgical cycle of the Church during their stay in Arizona by visiting local Phoenix-area churches and monasteries of various jurisdictions.
How late can I register?
General registration will be open until February 28. Registration will not be extended into March for any reason.
Registration for the Children’s Program is open until February 28 or until we reach 100 children between the ages of 5 and 14, whichever comes first. (In 2021, the Children’s Program sold out 2 weeks prior to the close of general registration.)
Exhibitor registration will be open until February 28, or until space in the exhibition hall is sold out, whichever comes first. Some exhibitor package components have an earlier deadline (such as the black and white ad in the program), so to take advantage of the full package, exhibitors should register by February 15. For more information about exhibitor deadlines, view the Exhibitor Information page.
If I cannot attend the entire conference, is there a pro-rated package for partial attendance?
Registered attendees are welcome to attend as few or as many of the seminars as they desire, however, there is no reduced rate for reduced attendance.
Can my child participate in the Oratorical Festival without being registered for the conference?
Participation in the Oratorical Festival requires that the oratorical competitor and at least one parent or guardian of the competitor be registered for the conference and be physically present at the festival.
Can my child participate in the Oratorical Festival via live-stream?
Participation in the Oratorical Festival requires that the oratorical competitor and at least one parent or guardian of the competitor be registered for the conference and be physically present at the festival.
Do you offer scholarships for families with low income?
Unfortunately, we do not receive any outside funding for scholarships. If you, or a family you know, would like to participate in the Saint Kosmas Oratorical Festival or the Saint Kosmas Conference but does not have the financial means to do so, we encourage you to ask your parish priest or petition your parish counsel to sponsor your family to attend the conference. There are parishes in the US who did parish-wide fundraisers this year to pay to send parishioners to the 2022 Saint Kosmas Conference, so as to better enable them to serve their local community in the space of Orthodox education. We encourage you to do the same. If you would like to donate to another family’s registration cost, please contact us.
Can I “drop in” to visit out-of-town friends who are attending the conference?
No. If you are not registered for the 2022 Saint Kosmas Conference, you are not permitted to be on the private venue space that has been rented by the Saint Kosmas Orthodox Education Association. “Drop-ins” who are not registered for this private event will be asked to leave the conference area. All registered attendees will be issued a registration pass which will be checked at the entry into all presentation sessions, the curriculum fair, the Children’s Arts & Crafts Auditorium, and the children’s archery and “Star Party” sessions.
Can my spouse be at the conference to watch my youngest children without being registered?
Anyone coming to the conference exclusively as a babysitter must be registered as an attending babysitter, whether that is a spouse, grandparent, friend, or teenage child from your family. Every person who will be on the private venue space of the 2022 Saint Kosmas Conference is expected to be registered in some form. We have a special registration form for those coming to the conference as an attending babysitter who will not be entering any of the buildings being utilized for the conference. To discuss registration options for those who you would like to bring to the conference solely as an attending babysitter, contact us.
May I distribute promotional literature about my school, co-op, community, company, or non-profit organization at the conference? More specifically, may I solicit for potential enrollees, employees, or financial support for my school or co-op while attending the conference?
To learn more about the approved ways that you may market your resources or educational institution through the Saint Kosmas Conferences, visit the Exhibitor Information page.
To apply to submit printed literature to be included in the Saint Kosmas Conference literature bag that is distributed at the Saint Kosmas Conference to all attendees, contact us. All approved printed promotional materials for the literature bag must be received by the conference administration by February 28, 2022.
Other than the approved, printed promotional materials distributed in the literature bags, the Saint Kosmas Conference allows promotion of educational institutions and resources only if the institution is an approved, registered exhibitor at the 2022 Saint Kosmas Conference. For those institutions that are registered exhibitors, the terms of solicitation are defined in their contract, and generally confines all solicitation to the space of the exhibition booth.
For those attendees who are not registered exhibitors, no solicitation is permitted at any time anywhere on the conference venue during the conference. No leafleting is permitted, nor is it permitted for attendees to post advertisements or leave stacks of printed promotional materials lying around at the conference venue.
Are you allowing press coverage or special entry for those who would like to write an article on this event or interview your speakers?
No. This is a private event and we manage our own interviews, marketing, and media coverage.
What is the possibility that the conference will be canceled due to COVID?
Based on the history of the Arizona governor's response to COVID during 2020 and 2021, we do not anticipate any state mandates that would cause the resort to be closed or even limited in function. However, we have taken the following measures to be able to observe any possible COVID protocols that may potentially be required by the state, county, or Church at the time of the 2022 Saint Kosmas Conference in March to ensure our ability to hold the conference:
We have secured over 12,000 square feet of indoor meeting room space at the Gold Canyon Golf Resort and approximately the same amount of outdoor meeting space. This amount of space will easily allow us to accommodate social distancing protocols if required at the time of our conference. We will be utilizing the following venues at the Gold Canyon Golf Resort: Kiva Board Room, Kachina Room, Geronimo Room, Towne Hall Square Complex, The Ballroom, Towne Hall Pavilion, and Upper Towne Hall, as well as surrounding lawn areas. Visit the Gold Canyon Golf Resort's "Venue Location" page to learn more about these spacious venues being utilized for the 2022 Saint Kosmas Arizona Conference.
We have arranged for all meals to be served in individual boxed containers and served outdoors. Outdoor dining will take place in the Towne Hall Pavilion and the lawn areas of the Towne Hall Square complex. This will allow us to follow the strictest food service protocols if required, and will also be very practical for families with children. To view the outdoor dining locations, visit the resort's "Venue Location" page.
For more information, visit the Saint Kosmas Conference COVID policy page and the Gold Canyon Golf Resort COVID policy page.
