Celebrating an Epic Showcase and Training Night

Sep 28

Forefront Productions recently hosted a hugely successful Showcase and Training event at their Newcastle HQ, packing out the building for a night of immersive demonstrations and world-class training. This event, aimed at Church technical directors, Pastors, Worship Leaders and Production Volunteers, gave attendees the chance to see, hear and compare cutting-edge production technology, in a revolutionary format seldom seen in Australia before.

Seeing, Hearing and Comparing the Difference

Wanting to create an experience that would bring the most value to Church Leaders and volunteers, the team at Forefront set out to create a night filled with opportunities to get up close with lighting, audio and video equipment in an interactive and immersive format.

“We crafted the night to give attendees the chance to see and compare side by side the latest in gear, without any boring slide shows or clunky presentations. All elements were well thought through and presented in an interactive way, making the night practical, informative and enjoyable,” said Nick Burns, Owner and Founder of Forefront Productions.

The Sound Lounge

To facilitate the Showcase and Training Night, as well as future events, workshops and weekly client visits, Forefront has invested significantly in a cutting-edge audio space. Dubbed the “Sound Lounge”, it features a diverse range of Loudspeakers and Line Arrays from Adamson, NEXO, RCF, Quest and more, providing guests with a tangible, side-by-side comparison of these audio solutions. Attendees were able to hear the distinct differences firsthand, with many expressing their surprise at the nuances between models. This comparison is a game-changer for Churches and clients of Forefront, helping them make more informed choices for their unique audio needs.

Mix Master Class

As a part of the night program, the team brought in the renowned “Mix Wizard”, Andrew Crawford, to facilitate a Mix Masterclass, equipping those in attendance with practical skills to enhance their Sunday Services.

“Andrew is a world-class instructor and brings many decades of experience into his masterclasses. His background working in the Christian Music Industry, for both global and smaller stages, means he brings a level of insight into mixing that is very valuable for the Churches we work with. Most on the night left with new concepts to apply to their own mix on the coming Sunday.” said Nick Burns.

This training reflects Forefront's commitment to serving Churches across Australia, not just through cutting-edge technology, but also through the sharing of experience, expertise and training.

The Lighting Arena

To complement various pro-sound solutions showcased on the night, including mixing consoles from both DiGiCo and Allen & Heath, the Forefront team transformed their warehouse space into the “Lighting Arena” - a jaw-dropping display of lighting fixtures and LED Video. Its most innovative feature lay at the centre of the room, with the entire showcase being powered by Kramer Control.

The lighting arena at our showcase night was programmed in such a way that was built around user interaction. Utilising the GrandMA2 and Kramer Control, we were able to achieve multiple operating stations with each lighting fixture individually controlled from a custom iPad control station.” said Matt Peterson, Hire & Events Manager at Forefront Productions.

This approach gave guests the chance to compare fixtures from Chauvet, Martin, Robe, ACME, ProTour, ShowPro, PixaPanel, Claypaky and more, in an informative and interactive manner, helping them find the best solutions for a wide variety of price points and Church sizes

“With multiple of these around the room, it made for an interactive fun way where our clients could see what each fixture was capable of with the touch of one button. The feedback was fantastic with users being able to take their time to look at each individual fixture,” said Matt Peterson.

A Night To Celebrate

Whilst a significant component of the event was to inspire and inform through an immersive display of technology and training, the night also gave a chance for the team at Forefront to answer questions, build connections and say hello to old and new friends from across Newcastle, the Hunter and beyond.

“It was so great seeing so many churches represented on the night. Opportunities like these are valuable for our clients, who can compare solutions side-by-side to see what’s best for their Church, but we also value the opportunity to build existing and new relationships with local churches and Beyond,” said Kim Alexander, General Manager at Forefront.
In all the years of experience working with Churches, this is the first time I have seen an event like this, tailored to helping people achieve great worship environments, no matter what their budget.”

The team at Forefront look forward to hosting more events, workshops and client demonstrations in their Showroom Space, which will continue to host interactive demonstrations of Audio, Lighting and Video technology throughout the week.