*Our housing is in Shepherd’s Inn, which is the hotel directly beside the Training Center. You’ll see this numerous times on this page and in our newsletter page, but we find repetition is best.
CHECK-IN:
*DO NOT ARRIVE AT THE COVE EARLIER THAN 11:00 A.M. Our early bird classes begin at 1:00 p.m. on Friday.
When you arrive:
* Leave your bags in your car.
*Go to the lobby of Shepherd’s Inn and get your packet, sign your liability form, and get your nametag.
*Walk next door to the training center and take the elevator to the 3rd floor. We have the entire 3rd floor. You’ll walk off the elevator directly into our bookstore ladies. Walk past them and the early bird classes are in the auditoriums behind the bookstore. Check your schedule for what class is in A auditorium and which one is in B auditorium.
*After early bird classes, you can retrieve your luggage and go back to Shepherd’s Inn. The Cove employees will have your room keys. IF YOU ARE ARRIVING AFTER 5 P.M. You will get your room key at Shepherd’s Inn and then go to the reception office in the training center to get your badge and packet. Should everyone be gone from Shepherd’s Inn, go directly to the Training Center. The reception office is an immediate RIGHT after you enter the front doors.
*We will give you a small schedule when you pick up your packet, but we recommend you keep your phone handy so you can check the site. Everything you need to know is on this site.
*PRINT BEFORE YOU LEAVE HOME – We do not have printers at the Cove. If you have things you want to print, do it at home and bring it with you. We recommend you save everything to your computer or phone as a pdf and you can easily email them to faculty if they need it. Please do not ask to print things. We cannot print.
Remember to visit our Bookstore. Only faculty books are sold at the bookstore due to lack of space. We’re sorry, but we just don’t have the space for conferee books. However, feel free to carry your books with you and share/show them to your peers, then share a link for them to purchase.
*Appointments will be made Friday night for the general conferees. Terri will explain how we will proceed to make appointments. We ask that you remember we are in a building, and rushing like a herd of cattle won’t do anything but bottleneck our already tight area. Be patient. There are plenty of appointments available.
*Appointments will be held in the large conference room and seating area behind the 3rd-floor elevator.
*Please do not email our liability form. Our Conferee Care Team will be sure you are able to sign one at check-in. We DO NOT need this mailed to us. You will sign it on-site. It is listed at the bottom of this page.
*The weather is supposed to be very chilly and maybe give us a rain shower or two at night. Snow flurries are possible but no accumlation. We do recommend you plan to dress comfortable and warm. The rooms tend to get chilly. So be prepared.
*Unless you are staying off-campus, we ask that you do not leave the campus. If there is a need to leave, please let me, Terri, or our bookstore attendants know. Be sure we have a phone number to reach you and that you have my phone number or Terri’s phone number in the event of an emergency. You are an adult, and we are not responsible for you if you leave campus. But if there is an emergency, we need to know where you are so we can help.
*We encourage you to spend some downtime in the evenings on the second-floor level of Shepherds Inn. There is a huge fireplace on the main entrance level and on the second floor. Utilize that to enjoy some time getting to know your peers.
Schedule-At-A-Glance will be updated on this page closer to the conference. Until then, you can see it on the Schedule page. CLICK HERE
*Conference room locations: Conference Room A is directly behind the bookstore.
*Conference room B is located through Conference Room A, through the curtain, and behind Conference Room A
ARRIVE AT NO EARLIER THAN 11:00 A.M.! (NOT BEFORE)
When you arrive - FACULTY! We hope your rooms are ready. CONFEREES, YOUR ROOMS WILL NOT BE READY UNTIL 3. Please don't ask if they are ready. The Cove is turning over 100 rooms from a conference that leaves Friday morning. This takes time. Our faculty rooms are a priority, so they have time to get ready to teach. We hope they are ready.
YOUR BADGE - the badges the Cove provides are pin-on badges. We do have lanyards that you can hook to the pin if you'd like one. You can get that when you get your badge. NOW ABOUT THE POWER OF THE BADGE! If you get hungry at meal times, the power of the badge opens the dining hall meals to you. It is also your on-campus security badge. You must wear your badge at all times. The Cove volunteers are wonderful, but they are also sorta like ninjas. You don't see them. However, they see you. If you do not have your badge, do not be surprised if someone stops you and asks you to retrieve your badge. I know it's a bit frustrating, but one of the things that is a perk at the Cove is knowing that every conferee is 1) prayed over. They ask for a list so their prayer teams can begin praying for you. 2) The meals are awesome 3) The security is top-notch. They keep every conferee so safe. It's really not asking too much for you to wear your badge all the time. At the end of the conference, we will ask you to leave your lanyard and badge.
SUNDAY MORNING - pack your bags and put them in your car. If you are being picked up, you may leave them safely by the fireplace on the first floor of Shepherds Inn. You must check out of your room by 10 a.m.
AND WE REMIND YOU AGAIN: When you arrive, go to the Shepherds Inn and get your name tag, then walk next door to the Training Center. It’s only a few steps, and if it is raining, there is a covered walkway. Take the elevator to the 3rd floor. Classes begin at 1:00 p.m. (NO, you do not register for classes). There will be time to check in after Early Bird classes.
FINDING THIRD FLOOR - Easy peasy! Walk into the Training Center, and you will see the monster fireplace to your right, and to your left is the elevator. We try to place our banner by the elevator. Take the elevator to the 3rd floor. When you step off the elevator, you will see our bookstore. You may browse, but the store is not open for sales. They have to check in books from faculty, take inventory, and enter it into the computer. There's a lot to do to get the store ready. You will be able to make a small deposit to hold your 2026 registration if you like. This will be taken off the price when you register on the site. This is non-refundable, and if you do not respond to us when we notify you about registration opening later in the year, we will fill your slot. The funds go into our scholarship fund. You can also purchase Conference MP3s early and you can donate to the Bob Box early.
Both Step-Up (Classes geared more toward newer writers) and Step-Out (classes geared more toward seasoned writers) are on the 3rd floor, BEHIND OUR BOOKSTORE. Step Up classes are in the first conference room, and you continue walking past the stage to the back conference room for Step Out. Now, we can't force you to stay in a track so you can wander between rooms for classes. Just be quiet as you do so. Our faculty is very seasoned to folks meandering in and out for appointments. It's fine and acceptable.
We've mentioned MP3s numerous times. We recommend you purchase the MP3s so you have the full conference at home after this weekend. You will be able to purchase those in our bookstore. They will be ready about a month after the conference, and we will notify you when you can download them. MP3s take the pressure off of you in deciding what class to take. Buy the MP3s, and you have the full conference afterward. Take the face-to-face classes you can take while at the conference. The rest you can listen to at home. MP3s are $55 for the full conference.
Our appointments and mentoring will be held in the large conference room BEHIND the elevator. There is a living room area and then the conference room. Terri will go over all that with you on Friday night. I will say, all of our faculty are awesome to meet with and chat. They all have tremendous experience - so though we know you are just dying to spend time with BOB HOSTETLER (it goes to his head...truly it does), we have other faculty who have amazing experience. Vincent is the Amazon wizard, Pepper is releasing books left and right, Edie is the social media queen, and Eva is in a race with Bob to see who has written more books! Lynette is not only a 3 million book seller but she is also an agent. Billy is awesome to talk music or screenplays with. They all have superpowers. So, think through who’d you like to meet with and make a plan. My point is when appointment time arrives to sign up...consider all our faculty. They are here for you, and they are all very knowledgeable. It's time well spent to just pick their brains. Run your idea past them. Just network.
Anyway, everything you need is on the 3rd floor.
The Eternal Feeding Trough - This is what we lovingly refer to as the place where you can always find refreshment. It is one of the amenities at the Cove. There are always drinks available and ice cream in the hallway by the dining hall. Our floor has coffee and tea. I recommend you bring a nice drinking cup with a lid (we don't want spills) so that you can take advantage of this constant flow of drinks if you need them. There is also a drink station on the second-floor lobby of Shepherd's Inn. You do not have to bring water or drinks in your car. These are provided for you at these stations. NICE, HUH?
AGAIN - Clean up after yourself. Please put trash in the trash cans. I hate picking up trash, and my momma taught me that when I leave a place, it should look better than it did when I arrived. Please be neat. The Cove is beautiful, and again, their ninja staff comes and goes, and you rarely see them. You may look around, and your paper cup is gone. LOL.
Off-campus folks, drive up to the assigned Inn and get your name tag, then go to the training center. If you arrive after 5 p.m., you will get your name tag at the office in the Training Center. Go in the door, make a fast right, and the office in is that little cubby.
Liability Release – You will be asked to sign a liability release form when you check-in. Please do that for our event insurance.
Our bookstore will open on Friday after supper. Feel free to browse, but our staff is not ready to sell until after supper. They are checking in inventory, adding it to our inventory in the Square, and making sure things are priced. Keep in mind there are times when the internet will be slow at the Cove with the hundreds of folks using it. That does, at times, affect how quickly our charge cards run. Don't grow frustrated with our staff, they have no control over the internet speed. Just chat with the folks next to you for a minute, and things will go through.
We are a fragrance-free conference. Please help us by leaving your perfumes and body sprays at home. Several of the faculty have to carry epi-pens because of perfumes. Please be kind and trust your soap in the shower will keep you fresh.
The Cove has brochures with their events. Please take one. They’ll be placed throughout the building, and we want you to read about all they offer. From wonderful speakers, preachers, and even singers, they have it all. Check out their brochures and visit the Cove at other times during the year.
Keep in mind the Cove is Alcohol and Smoke-Free. If you are caught with these things, their security will ask you to leave. You must go to your car if you are a smoker. ABSOLUTELY no smoking, alcohol, or vaping is permitted inside any room or building. Please don’t put yourself in the position of being asked to leave.
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2025 Event Liability Form
Event: The Asheville Christian Writers Conference
Date: February 21-23, 2025
Event location: The Cove, The Billy Graham Training Center, Asheville, NC
Participant's Name:______________________________
In signing below, I assume risk of harm or injury which may occur to the participant as a result of participating in the above-named event or activity. I hereby release The Asheville Christian Writers Conference, Christian Devotions Ministries & The Cove (The Billy Graham Training Center, their staffs and faculty and its officers, employees, or agents, and all 501c3 connections from any liability, costs and damages resulting this individual's participation. I accept full responsibility for myself, my well-being, my possessions while in attendance.
I also give my consent for the Asheville Christian Writers Conference, Christian Devotions Ministries & The Cove (The Billy Graham Training Center, their staff, and faculty to seek emergency treatment for myself if necessary, and I agree to accept financial responsibility for the costs related to this emergency treatment.
