2nd Annual Worship Facilities Conference & Expo Attracts Over 3,000, Doubling in Size
Framingham, MA, November 17, 2006 - Over 3000 church leaders, staff, volunteers and industry professionals from 42 states and around the world convened in Dallas, TX, November 8-10, 2006 for the second annual Worship Facilities Conference & Expo (WFX; [www.wfxweb.com]) -- the leading event for church facilities and technology teams. Presented by Worship Facilities magazine and Church Production Magazine, WFX offered over 45 Conference sessions, a packed expo floor with nearly 300 exhibiting companies, world-renowned keynote speakers, two church tours, industry awards programs, and more.
“The feedback we have received from both exhibitors and attendees has been stellar. Both groups recognize that the event is completely unique in scope, and appreciate the quality educational content and highly qualified attendee traffic,” stated Brian Blackmore, conference co-chair and founding editor and publisher of Worship Facilities magazine and Church Production Magazine. “In just the second year of existence, WFX has become the ‘can’t miss’ event for both churches and exhibitors who target the house of worship market,” continued Blackmore.
"With exhibition space growth of better than 100 percent, an expanded and improved seminar program, great keynotes and fascinating church facilities tours, WFX continued to take great strides forward in 2006," stated John Galante, vice president of EH Events. "We're looking forward to another year of strong growth and even more 'wows' in 2007." Attendees representing hundreds of churches from across the nation, and internationally, spent three days learning, researching and networking. Below are just some of the highlights of the event:
Keynote Presentations by Ed Young and M. Rex Miller
In a powerful opening keynote presentation on November 9, founder and senior pastor of Fellowship Church, accomplished author and radio show host, Ed Young, shared Fellowship Church’s philosophy behind their growth and the important role facilities and technology has played in their overall growth process.
On November 10, theologian, futurist, communications expert and acclaimed author of “The Millennium Matrix,” M. Rex Miller, delivered an inspiring presentation that included practical suggestions on how churches can use communication technology to inspire their congregation and connect across the generations. Both keynote presentations will be available for streaming on the WFX website in early December.
Conference Program
The WFX 2006 educational program consisted of more than 45 Conference sessions grouped into two tracks – one designed for facilities teams and one for technology teams – and a number of sessions within each track had an Executive-Level focus to address the specific needs of church leaders. Facilities Teams including Facilities Managers, Operations Managers, Architects, Building Committee Members, Pastors, Church Staff and Volunteers spent three days learning about the building process, construction tips, innovative church design and fundraising. Church Production Teams made up of Technical Directors, Media Ministers, Tech Staff, Tech Volunteers and Pastors learned about audio, video and lighting tools, techniques and strategies that create powerful worship experiences. Decision-making teams and church leaders including Pastors, Senior Pastors and Executive Pastors attended Executive-Level sessions that provided concepts and strategies to successfully lead their organization through the growth process.
Packed Exhibit Floor
Nearly 300 companies were on hand to showcase the latest products and services for designing, financing, building and outfitting worship facilities, and church audio, video and technical production. Among the A/V product manufacturers, technical systems integrators, financing companies, designers of themed environments, architects, builders and more, were show sponsors: The Gage Group, Ford Audio-Video Systems, Inc., PraiseBuildings.com, Precept Builders, Inc., Partners in Church Consulting, QSC Audio Products, Inc., Aspen Group, Sparks Spiritual, Tri-Media Marketing Services, XCI Corporation, Ascent Solutions Group, Inc., Creative Animation Studios, Harman Pro Group, ISG Architects, HH Architects, Impact Acoustics, Mantel Teter Architects, AMX, Crown and ViewCast Corporation. A complete exhibitor list and URLs to all exhibiting company websites is available at www.wfxweb.com. Exhibitor participation at WFX 2006 more than doubled over 2005, and 36,500 square feet of booth space is already contracted for WFX 2007.
Behind-the-Scenes Church Facilities and Production Tours
More than 500 attendees participated in Church Tours of First Baptist Church of Dallas and Fellowship Church’s Downtown Campus. First Baptist Church of Dallas opened their doors to the Worship Facilities Tour to showcase their Criswell Center, which recently underwent a $49 million total renovation. Attendees were in complete awe of this seven-story, 210,000-square-foot multi-use facility, which includes a 500-seat chapel, 800-seat dining and concert venue, fellowship mall, cafe, bookstore, offices, classrooms, prayer tower and commercial kitchen. The host church for the Church Production Tour was world-renowned Fellowship Church’s new, 45,000 square-foot downtown Dallas satellite location. Staff members of the church’s tech team explained and demonstrated the top-notch audiovisual equipment used to create a compelling and intimate worship environment.
Awards Programs
Earlier this year, WFX introduced the New Product Awards and House of Worship Awards. The WFX New Product Awards recognize the most innovative new building and technology products to hit the house of worship market. The WFX House of Worship Awards provide churches across the nation the opportunity to be recognized for their excellence in church design, growth, management and production. Entrants for both awards were promoted as part of the WFX program and the winners were announced live onsite at WFX. A list of all entrants is available at www.wfxweb.com and the winners will be highlighted later this month. Church Production Magazine's 2nd annual Video Production Awards were also presented onsite at WFX.
Plans are well underway for WFX 2007, which will be held October 24-26, 2007 at the Cobb Galleria Centre in Atlanta, GA with over 400 exhibiting companies, 4,000 attendees.
More information on WFX can be found at [www.wfxweb.com]. For exhibiting and sponsorship information, please call 800-598-6031: Laura McDermott, x241, (companies A-M); or Patrick Shaughnessy, x267, (companies N-Z).
About Worship Facilities Conference & Expo (WFX)
WFX is the leading event for church facilities and technology teams, providing in-depth information and insights on facility design and construction, audio/video and lighting technologies and leadership and project management for building and technology initiatives. Presented by market-leading publications Church Production Magazine and Worship Facilities magazine, WFX features keynotes and general sessions from internationally known church leaders, a comprehensive conference program and a dynamic exhibit floor hosting over 300 suppliers, consultants and contracting companies.
About Production Media Inc. (PMI)
PMI is a publishing and event management company specializing in the house-of-worship market. Publications include: Church Production Magazine, an educational magazine for houses of worship covering audio, video and lighting technologies; and Worship Facilities, a publication that covers design, construction, operation and maintenance of larger houses of worship. Events include: T3 Technical Team Training, a series of technology and team building seminars for technical personnel; and WFX, owned and operated in conjunction with EH Events, a conference and tradeshow for church leaders covering facilities design, construction, financing, operation and technology.
About EH Events
EH Events, a division of EH Publishing, Inc., develops and produces world-class expositions and conferences for the technology and construction industries. The EH Events portfolio includes: Electronic House Expos (EHX) Spring & Fall, the TecHome Builder Conference and Expo (TBX), and Worship Facilities Conference & Expo (WFX). EHX Fall was named the fastest growing show in America by Tradeshow Week magazine in 2003, and both EHX Spring & Fall were named among the fastest 50 growing tradeshows by Tradeshow Week magazine in 2004 and 2005.
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