Got a question? You’ve come to the right place. Our frequently asked questions are below. Let’s see if we can’t help you find the information you need.
Have a not-so-frequently asked question that you couldn’t find below?
Feel free to reach out to us.
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SEEK23 will take place at the America’s Center Convention Complex in St. Louis, Missouri from Monday, January 2 to Friday, January 6, 2023.
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Every Event Pass includes the following:
– Lunch each full day of the conference
– Entrance to all sessions with in-demand Catholic speakers
– A seat at all evening concerts and entertainment
– Access to conference resources, such as the SEEK23 app and our discounted hotel room block
– A one-of-a-kind encounter with Jesus Christ and the Church through the sacraments
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With an Event Pass, you will be provided lunch on each full day of the conference. You are able to annotate dietary restrictions within the registration process. We do our best to accommodate the most common allergies, but with our large audience, we cannot guarantee that all will be met. Please email events@focus.org with any questions about your specific dietary needs.
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We do our best to accommodate broad allergies and dietary requirements when creating our boxed lunch menu. All boxed lunches will be nut free. You may select additional needs for gluten free, dairy free and/or vegetarian in registration. Unfortunately, with a large audience, we are unable to ensure that all allergies can be accommodated. If you have any specific questions, please reach out to events@focus.org
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SEEK23 programming will formally begin around 6 pm on January 2, 2023 and end around noon on January 6, 2023. We recommend arriving on January 2 with enough time to settle into your accommodations, check in to the event and get some dinner before joining us for the conference kickoff.
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The Impact Session schedule will be available a few weeks prior to SEEK23 on our conference app.
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You can learn more about our SEEK23 sponsorship opportunities here. Please reach out to sponsorships@focus.org with any questions!
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Yes! We will have many different talks and special events to meet your needs. Along with the Collegiate Track, we will also have the Making Missionary Disciples Track and the Ministry Track that you can join at SEEK23. The Making Missionary Disciples Track will include any post-college attendees (priests and parishioners) and is designed to provide vision, training, and resources for those striving to be missionary disciples in the family, parish, and workplace. The Ministry Track will pertain to those interested in creating dynamic and fruitful campus ministries and parish ministries.
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Within registration for SEEK23, you are able to select whether you need an accommodation for disability assistance, visual/audio assistance and/or ASL interpretation. These are general categories that can be flexible to suit your needs. We will then follow up with you in December 2022 to confirm how we can best assist you.
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All speakers for SEEK23 have been selected. Interested in being considered for future conferences? Please apply here.
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ASL interpretation will be available when requested within registration. After selecting this need, look for further communication from the FOCUS Events team approaching SEEK23.
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Childcare will be available each full day of conference (January 3 – 5) from 8 am to 5 pm. Childcare services are open to all children aged 18 months to 10 years. Additional registration through our partner vendor is required. Details will be sent to those who opt-in during their SEEK registration.
Cost: $50 for 1 child, $100 for 2+ children for all 3 days of care.
Please note this cost for the service is in addition to the conference registration fee for children aged 3 and up. The cost includes babysitting for all three days. Day passes are not available.
FOCUS works to subsidize 80-90% of the cost of this service to ensure our families can experience SEEK.
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You can find promotional materials here. We encourage you to bring your friends with you to SEEK23!
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For security reasons, everyone entering the America’s Center Convention Complex (including children) will need an Event Pass. As a private event, you must purchase an Event Pass to participate in any portion of SEEK23. Day Passes can be purchased online leading up to SEEK23, or you can head to the Info Booth to purchase a pass on site.
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Use the packing list below as a guide. (As you prepare for SEEK23, don’t forget to bring any other essential personal items you may need, such as perscription medication and the like.)
– Mass attire
– Casual attire
– Outdoor apparel (jackets, hats, etc.; please check the weather forecast before you leave)
– Bible
– Toiletries
– Money for some meals, vendor booths, parking, and gratuities for housekeeping and porter services
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Short answer: yes! Some content will be available to those who cannot attend in person and wish to bring SEEK23 to their community. More information and registration details can be found here.
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As SEEK continues to grow, our event staff cannot accommodate one-off group payments coordinated with our office on a national level. We recommend that each parishioner or student should pay for their own SEEK23 registration. However, you are able to add guests to your registration as you register yourself for SEEK23 if you would like to pay for a group of up to 10 people. You may also instruct your group to register themselves with their own credit or debit card and then submit their payment confirmation as a receipt to your parish/campus ministry office for reimbursement.
If you represent a parish staff and will be paying for your entire staff team to attend SEEK, please take a look at our Parish Pack option.
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Each member of your group should register separately for their own Event Pass. Your group will have the ability to book individual rooms (or rooms to share) through our housing portal or with the assistance of our housing partner, Connections Housing. We have negotiated special rates with our official conference hotels for your convenience. You will receive a link to book your housing within our discounted block in your SEEK registration confirmation email.
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We do not have scholarships available for SEEK23. We highly recommend fundraising to cover your registration cost and/or travel to bring others into your mission as well.
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Yes! Most of our conference attendees fundraise for their registration, travel costs, food and more. Fundraising is an opportunity to meet the cost of registration while inviting others to support you as you experience SEEK. When others donate to help you attend SEEK23, they too become partners alongside you as you work to carry out the Great Commission.
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Never fear! If you need to change your contact info or item choice, just log back in to your registration account using your confirmation code and email address. This will allow you to adjust your registration. If you have other issues with your registration, reach out to events@focus.org.
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You can find our full cancellation policy here.
For all registrations, the deposit is always non-refundable. You can receive a refund of any further payments beyond the deposit made toward SEEK23 through December 1, 2022. If you cancel between December 2 and December 15, 2022, FOCUS will retain 50% of your total registration cost or charge your card for the difference. If you cancel on or after December 16, 2022, FOCUS will retain your entire registration cost or charge your card for the difference. Technical issues, no shows, non-participation and other issues are not eligible for a refund.
As stated above, FOCUS reserves the right to charge your credit/debit card according to our cancellation policy or if you have not paid in full after December 15, 2022. Final payment is due on December 15, 2022 for all currently registered participants.
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Full payment is due on the payment deadline of December 15, 2022. FOCUS reserves the right to charge your credit/debit card for your remaining balance on and after December 16, 2022.
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High school seniors are welcome to attend SEEK23 with a chaperone. Younger students may attend with a parent or guardian.
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Please have a parent or guardian fill out this form and upload it here before arriving at SEEK23.
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To enter the convention center and pass through security, each person (including children) will need an Event Pass. Spouses and children can be added to your registration by clicking Add a Guest. The following are the costs for each child, by age:
– Spouse and Guests: $449
– Child aged 0-2: $0
– Child aged 3-12: $65
– Child aged 13-18: $200
– Child aged 18+: $449
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Staff registration is not on the SEEK23 website. Refer to the Pilot article from Sept 19 for registration information.
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Details about different types of Event Passes available and the price per each can be found on the Registration Information page.
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If you are a member of the media interested in covering SEEK23, visit FOCUS’ News & Press Room page for our media contact information.
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We reserve the right to charge your card after the final payment deadline. This is included in the Cancellation & Payment Policy, which you are required to read and accept during the registration process. The payment deadline is December 15, 2022. Additionally, according to our cancellation policy, we reserve the right to charge your card for the full amount or a portion if you cancel after December 15.
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Event Passes can be transferred to another person of the same gender and registration type as the original registrant. These substitutions can be requested by emailing events@focus.org with your name and confirmation number and the name and email address of the person who will be taking your place.
For registration options that include housing, your Event Pass cannot be transferred after the final payment deadline.
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If for any reason you need to cancel your registration, the deposit is always non-refundable. You can receive a refund of any further payments made toward SEEK23 through December 1, 2022. If you cancel between December 2 and December 15, 2022, FOCUS will retain 50% of your total registration cost or charge your card for the difference. If you cancel after December 15, FOCUS will retain 100% of your total registration cost or charge your card for the difference. No shows are not eligible for a refund.
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If you are a student on a campus with FOCUS missionaries, you will be able to purchase an Event Pass + Room option. All other attendees will be able to purchase an Event Pass and book their own hotel room through our housing portal found in your registration confirmation email. Attendees will be able to select the hotel that best fits their needs based on price, distance from the convention center and amenities. By booking through the housing portal, attendees will also be able to select their own roommates.
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Our system sends an automatic confirmation email within a few minutes of completing registration. Be on the lookout for an email from events@focus.org. Your inbox may send this email to your spam/junk folder, so also check there. If you cannot find it, please email events@focus.org and we can re-send your confirmation.
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Most attendees will purchase an Event Pass and will have the option to book a hotel room within our FOCUS discounted housing block. This puts the decision power in your hands to select your preferred hotel based on location, price point, amenities, etc. and also allows you to choose your own roommates. After completing registration, you will receive a housing portal link in your registration confirmation email where you can reserve a hotel room at the special conference rate. For more information, download our SEEK23 housing guide.
Students who attend a campus with FOCUS missionaries will be housed with their FOCUS campus. Hotels will be assigned in December. No additional housing steps are required for those who purchase an event pass + shared room. A confirmation email with your hotel placement will be sent on or after December 20. If you do not see one at that time, please contact Connections Housing for any housing inquiries: focus@connectionshousing.com.
For basic Day Passes or Evening Passes, you will need to arrange your own housing or transportation to/from SEEK23.
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You can expect to pay $120-$150/night for a standard room depending on the hotel you select.
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If you are on a FOCUS campus and register before the preferred housing deadline of December 2, 2022, we will make an effort to room you with other students from your campus. Most other attendees will have the ability to book their own housing through our housing portal and select their own roommates.
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Unfortunately, we are unable to accommodate roommate requests for those with the Shared Room + Event Pass option at this time. For those purchasing Event Passes and utilizing our housing portal, you are welcome to select your roommates.
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Access the SEEK23 Housing Portal for discounted rates by clicking on the link in your SEEK23 registration confirmation email. You will be able to select the hotel that best matches your needs based on price, amenities and distance from the convention center. You can also reserve blocks of rooms for your group, review this guide for instructions. Block requests are due by October 28, after which we cannot guarantee that we will be able to accommodate your full group at the same property.
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With Event Passes that do not include housing, attendees will have the option to book additional “shoulder” dates when reserving their rooms through the housing portal.
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With Event Passes that include housing, we can only reserve hotel rooms for the days of the SEEK23. Should you wish to spend more time in St. Louis, you may book shoulder dates separately from your main reservation through our housing portal. Please note, this may require you to relocate rooms or hotels and will require payment directly to the hotel property for the additional room nights.
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Connections Housing is the only approved, official housing vendor for SEEK23. We understand that unauthorized housing companies may contact you and advertise cheaper rates, or they may imply or claim an affiliation with SEEK23. Unfortunately, some past attendees have fallen prey to these companies and were unable to recuperate the money they spent on rooms that did not exist. If you are contacted by any company that is NOT Connections Housing, please notify the SEEK23 Housing Management at focus@connectionshousing.com before providing any information to a secondary housing vendor.
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To accommodate the many specific needs that individuals or families attending SEEK23 may require, all attendees are able to book their room through the housing portal. On the housing portal webpage, attendees can send any special request directly to the hotel and will be able to reserve a room at the SEEK23 conference rate. For other attendees in single or shared rooms, please contact Connections Housing at focus@connectionshousing.com to make your request known.
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The Event Pass or Family Pass option gives attendees the option to choose their hotel or other accommodation. After completing registration, you will receive a housing portal link in your registration confirmation email where you can reserve a hotel room at the special conference rate. If you would prefer to book for housing elsewhere, that is acceptable.
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Attendees with the Shared Room + Event Pass will receive their housing assignment in mid-December. All other attendees should receive an acknowledgment once they have booked their accommodations through the SEEK23 housing portal. If you did not receive an acknowledgment upon completing your booking in the SEEK23 housing portal, please reach out to focus@connectionshousing.com.
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There are several ways to travel to and between the convention center, the conference hotels and downtown St. Louis. (Please note: Travel costs are not included with registration and should be calculated separately based on your individual needs.)
The closest international airport is St. Louis Lambert International Airport. The airport is connected to the MetroLink, St. Louis’s metropolitan light rail system. The ride from the airport to the Convention Center stop downtown takes about 45 minutes. Please refer to the MetroLink website for the schedule and pricing.
Additional transportation options from the airport can be found here: https://www.flystl.com/parking-and-transport/transportation
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SEEK23 does not provide parking for attendees. However, there are many local parking options at the convention center, hotels and downtown parking garages. Explore St. Louis provides details about convention center parking and other local options here: https://explorestlouis.com/travel-tools/get-around-st-louis/downtown-parking/
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Most of our SEEK23 partner hotels are in the downtown St. Louis area. Many are within walking distance, but you may also choose to ride the MetroLink light rail to get around the area. Please be careful when exploring the downtown area and be sure to walk in groups to and from the Convention Center.