The Church Sound & Media Summit

Panasonic’s KAIROS live video production platform at the heart of the Church Sound and Media Summit, showcasing latest in broadcast technology.

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Client: Church Sound and Media Summit

Location: United Kingdom

Product(s) supplied: IT/IP-centric video platform (KAIROS) AW-UE150 AW-UE80 AW-UE100 AW-RP150GJ Panapod

"I was fairly new to the world of KAIROS before the summit, however, having KAIROS in the middle of the audience allowed the engineers to see the system in use in real time and also having Sam provide in-depth training and talks on the KAIROS, alongside how to set up production in terms of camera setup, capturing the correct shots, spacing, all provided a key insight into all the important areas that our attendees needed to think about when looking to create future productions."

Background and Inception

The Church Sound & Media Summit emerged as a pioneering event in the UK, serving as a nexus for church leaders, sound engineers, media teams, and tech enthusiasts. Founded by industry veteran Dan Bowater in 2018, the summit quickly evolved from its initial iteration as the Church Sound Summit into the comprehensive and market-leading experience known today as The Church Sound & Media Summit.

Founder's Vision:

Dan Bowater's vision was born out of a passion for training and community building. Drawing from his extensive experience in the sound industry, including roles in the UK and the United States, Bowater aimed to create “an event that seamlessly combined elements of a traditional exhibition, a training program, and a networking opportunity. The goal was to provide a platform for hands-on experiences and training with the latest sound and media technology, fostering innovation and collaboration within the community.”

Exceptional Growth Despite Challenges:

The inaugural summit in 2018 drew 150-160 attendees from across the UK. Even during the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, the event transitioned into a free online virtual format, expanding its reach globally with participants from Africa, America, and Europe. By 2023, the attendance had grown to 260, indicating not just resilience but robust growth.

Expanding Horizons:

Recognising the growing specialisation of attendees and the increasing involvement of manufacturers and suppliers, the summit expanded its focus to cover the entire spectrum of production needs for churches and places of worship. This evolution allowed participants to gain insights into lighting best practices, sound capture, production, streaming options, and video capture techniques, creating a holistic learning environment.

Summit Highlights:

The two-day event has become a staple in the industry, featuring talks, keynote speeches, live training sessions, hands-on demonstrations, and networking opportunities, including the popular annual pub quiz-style evening. The summit caters to all experience levels, offering technical advice, practical demonstrations, and fostering an environment of fun and fellowship.

"Church Sound Summit has quickly become the essential conference for those involved in church audio. Catering for all experience levels, it combines technical advice, practical demonstrations, supportive talks and worship - and lots of fun and fellowship. I’ve found the Summit to be an excellent opportunity to learn, develop skills and share time with others."

Panasonic's Role

In 2023, Panasonic played a central role in the summit by showcasing the KAIROS IT/IP platform and Panasonic PTZ cameras, positioned at the heart of the event. Sam Lynam, Panasonic Project Manager, and the production staff demonstrated the flexibility of KAIROS and the capabilities of Panasonic PTZ cameras and PanaPod Elevation System, providing real-time insights and in-depth training on the latest equipment.

"I was fairly new to the world of KAIROS before the summit, however, having KAIROS in the middle of the audience allowed the engineers to see the system in use in real time and also having Sam provide in-depth training and talks on the KAIROS, alongside how to set up production in terms of camera setup, capturing the correct shots, spacing, all provided a key insight into all the important areas that our attendees needed to think about when looking to create future productions."

The KAIROS IT/IP platform is an innovative live video production system designed with a new concept and architecture. It utilises proprietary software to optimize CPU and GPU capacities for video processing, addressing the evolving needs of live video production and enhancing the sense of reality. KAIROS supports a variety of video inputs and outputs, including baseband signals like SDI and new IP signals such as SMPTE ST 2110, NDI®, and SRT, facilitating remote live video production and streaming.

As an IT-based open architecture platform, KAIROS enables functional enhancements and control linkage with external devices through added software. Its system integration capability enhances work efficiency and ensures future expandability. Additionally, the platform was complemented by Panasonic PTZ cameras, including the market-leading UE150, UE100, and UE80, equipped with features like auto tracking and set presets. The PanaPod elevation system further contributed to the professional capture of the event.

Market Observations and Trends

The summit highlighted the evolving trends in the industry, particularly the increased adoption of streaming and online production. The emergence of PTZ cameras as a standard within the UK house of worship market showcased the need for accessible and adaptable technology. “A couple of years ago PTZ cameras were not the standard within the market, however, in recent years they have become more accessible and adaptable allowing places of worship and church to utilise the modern technology to bring their productions in line with the industry” Dan Bowater.

This adoption of PTZ cameras and switchers can be seen to be even more important within the UK house of worship market, unlike America where they may have full teams running the production including lighting, video capture and sound engineers, the UK has a more volunteer method, thus needing a more straightforward and easier to use solution, something that PTZ’s provide. From one simple switcher a person can operate multiple cameras, or robotics, not needing a full team or multiple operators, while still producing the same high-quality content.

Future Commitment:

Looking ahead, The Church Sound & Media Summit is scheduled for September 27th and 28th, 2024, with Panasonic reaffirming its commitment as a sponsor, providing KAIROS and cameras to facilitate the production of the show. This ongoing partnership emphasizes the enduring success and significance of the summit in the industry.

Conclusion:

The journey of The Church Sound & Media Summit, from its inception to its current prominence, exemplifies the power of a visionary founder, industry collaboration, and an unwavering commitment to fostering innovation and education within the community. The summit stands as a testament to the transformative impact of technology on worship experiences and serves as a beacon for the future of sound and media in places of worship.