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360 solution for house of worship festival with Solotech
New Wine is a network of churches that operate throughout the United Kingdom. Back in 1989 they held their first New Wine Christian Conference at the Royal Bath and West Showground, Somerset, attracting nearly 2,500 people. Fast forward to 2023 and the event now sees thousands of attendees from around the world and welcomes up to 10,000 guests and 1,000 volunteers.
This year, the New Wine event took place in the Kent event centre and was spread over two weeks. It comprised a number of large marquees and buildings, the largest being The Arena, followed by Impact, Luminosity, Late night, and several smaller venues.
We worked closely with New Wine to understand their brief, the project parameters, and what they wanted to achieve. From a technical perspective this meant close collaboration with the New Wine Church production team in conjunction with the creative team, which brought their vision to reality.
Our team provided a full 360 package to New Wine, including audio, lighting, and video services. As many venues were tents with no truss or load bearing fly points, we also installed a full ground support structure from which the audio and lighting could be flown.
“One of the challenges encountered while working on a site such as this was the inability to hang much weight from the roof of the marquee. To overcome this, ground support had to be deployed in the big top of the Arena. This enabled New Wine to fly line arrays, iMag, D screens, and lighting.” Dave Orridge – Senior Production Manager
“One of the challenges encountered while working on a site such as this was the inability to hang much weight from the roof of the marquee. To overcome this, ground support had to be deployed in the big top of the Arena. This enabled New Wine to fly line arrays, iMag, D screens, and lighting.”
Dave Orridge – Senior Production Manager
“To provide the best possible audio coverage, we map out the area where the audio will be heard. This helps us select the most appropriate speaker system to deploy, ensuring that the sound is clear and evenly distributed throughout the venue.” Dave Orridge – Senior Production Manager
“To provide the best possible audio coverage, we map out the area where the audio will be heard. This helps us select the most appropriate speaker system to deploy, ensuring that the sound is clear and evenly distributed throughout the venue.”
d&b loudspeakers are known for their high-quality sound, and form a key part of our hire inventory, deployed on numerous high-profile gigs and tours. For New Wine, audio modelling software was used to ensure the correct system was deployed in each venue, capable of delivering the required sound levels and coverage to each listener.
“The Arena is very long, and so we deployed the V-Series array, processed with YP delays This configuration meant that the hundreds of attendees were able to hear the pastor’s voice clearly – no matter where they were sat. D&B was also chosen for its prediction software, which produces great sound.” Dave Orridge – Senior Production Manager
“The Arena is very long, and so we deployed the V-Series array, processed with YP delays This configuration meant that the hundreds of attendees were able to hear the pastor’s voice clearly – no matter where they were sat. D&B was also chosen for its prediction software, which produces great sound.”
The Allen & Heath Avantis and the Digico SD12 were also utilized. These mixing consoles were chosen for their advanced features and capabilities, which provided precise control over the audio mix, thereby allowing for the creation of a rich and immersive sound experience.
Additionally, their intuitive interfaces made them easy to use, even in high-pressure live event situations. Overall, the use of the Allen & Heath Avantis and Digico SD12 in the Arena venue at New Wine greatly enhanced the audio experience for all attendees.
The Arena at New Wine was transformed into a vibrant and welcoming environment, where everyone could feel comfortable, read, and write with ease, and engage in prayer and worship.
We provided a lighting design that was lively and dynamic, able to move and change as needed, while also remaining static when required. We also ensured that our lighting met the requirements for television and handheld devices, with every detail carefully considered for those streaming the event.
We also placed LED screens and high-quality projection around the venue. Given the large size of the Arena and number of people it can accommodate, it was essential to have screens strategically placed around the venue. This ensured those seated further away from the stage could clearly see the lead speakers and fully engage with the event.
Solotech were able to transform an empty 10 king pole tent into an immersive environment for worship. Utilising a collection of moving washes, moving spots, and an LED bar that could be set to any colour. The result was a vibrant and welcoming environment for worship.
“This flexibility was crucial, as the Arena hosted a diverse range of activities and required lighting that could adapt to create the appropriate ambiance.” Derrick Jones – Lighting Designer for Arena
“This flexibility was crucial, as the Arena hosted a diverse range of activities and required lighting that could adapt to create the appropriate ambiance.”
Derrick Jones – Lighting Designer for Arena
To further enhance the look on stage, we also installed hanging vintage Edison filament lamps. The only challenge we faced was with the house lights, which were equipped with tungsten filament light bulbs. Concerned that the heat of summer would cause them to pop, we addressed the issue using LED panels instead. These panels provided higher levels of brightness and could be set to any colour of choice.
“We were able to transform an empty 10 king pole tent into an immersive environment for worship. Utilising a collection of moving washes, moving spots, and an LED bar that could be set to any colour.” Derrick Jones – Lighting Designer for Arena
“We were able to transform an empty 10 king pole tent into an immersive environment for worship. Utilising a collection of moving washes, moving spots, and an LED bar that could be set to any colour.”
The Impact venue of New Wine Church was a hub of activity, with a diverse range of events taking place. From dramatic performances that captivated audiences to live music, there was never a dull moment. The bands brought energy and excitement to the stage, while short speaking segments provided thought-provoking insights.
The audio equipment used at the Impact venue was carefully selected to provide the best possible sound quality and coverage. The main mixing console was an Allen & Heath Avantis, which was paired with Allen & Heath EM-1 monitors and four D&B M6’s across the stage for speaker reinforcement.
The main PA consisted of Y series line array hangs, V series subwoofers, and Y series out fills, which provided even sound coverage throughout the entire venue. Our microphone package was quite diverse, featuring equipment from both Shure and Sennheiser. We used Shure RF and DPA headsets, as well as Shure handhelds, which were easy to use.
In conclusion, the New Wine event was a resounding success, with carefully crafted lighting and audio design that created an immersive and welcoming environment for worship. The use of state-of-the-art equipment, such as LED panels, d&b loudspeakers, and Allen & Heath mixing consoles, ensured that the sound and lighting were of the highest quality. Close collaboration between us and New Wine Church allowed for a seamless integration of the technical aspects of the event, making sure that the vision for the event was achieved.
“One of our mottos is to make local changes that can change nations. That’s exactly what happens here. They bring such value to our work; they are primarily here to do audio and lighting. But you are also such wonderful people, they are willing to help with anything. They come up with solutions, not problems.”
New Wine
