Program
Browse the seminars program timetable and find out more about the seminars and critique sessions on offer.
A world of options
Take your mouse on a tour of the islands below to discover the kinds of things that Create 09 is covering.
Create is all about the following areas
Marketing
The total process of presenting, persuading and promoting. Where business marketing is about profit. Christian marketing points to Jesus and should always be about promoting Jesus with integrity.
Not sure that the words Christian and marketing should appear in the same sentence? Then read an article on the topic.
Visual Design
The use of effective and contemporary ways to express ourselves visually, including signage, logos, websites, presentation slides and films.
Does it look good? Is it eyecatching? Is it easy to read? Do the colours work? Are the fonts right? Is there balance and style? What impact does design have on the audience?
Public Relations
A sub-branch of marketing including media relations. It's all about managing and promoting communications between your ministry and the public, often via the media, and increasingly using social media. It involves considering the best forums to promote events, programs and your message while avoiding the common pitfalls of media engagement.
Writing
You might have heard the term 'copy' - it just means a piece of writing. So, long copy? Short copy? Big words? Small words? Is it interesting? What's the right tone? Who's the audience? Why is some copy more readable than others?
Copyright
It's easy to steal or misuse content and not even know it. It's certainly easy to not think too hard about it or worry about the legal implications. But what can you use and what should you pay for? What laws govern the use of different forms of media and how do these affect Christian ministries?
Place and Space
Eden was very nice. Heaven will be better. In the meantime, all of us have to make do with a particular space. It may be a neo-Gothic mausoleum, a lean seventies number with sprayed concrete ceiling, or perhaps it’s a rented school hall. Maximising space, acoustics, lighting and renovation all usually require specialist advice.
The Internet/Web
A nasty place or a wonderful tool? The most pervasive, all encompassing tool for change since… (insert unsubstantiated google fact here – wheel, printing press, Spinning Jenny)?! The time to get online was yesterday. The time to make the most of online is today.
Film and Video
Moving images. We’re drawn to them. We love a pixel fix. Show us something on film and we’ll take notice. Moreover, when it’s on film, we can post it for the whole world to see with free video upload services like Youtube.
Stunts and Props
When you want to draw attention to something then sometimes the unusual and extraordinary is needed. Australia is the land of the Big Pineapple, the Big Prawn… the big anything. So, fly some kites and see if people notice.
Event Management
God’s plan is fast moving towards a major eternal event called Heaven. He’ll run it flawlessly. Right now, we are called to meet together for church and inevitably other events follow. What type of events work? How do you get people along? How can you run great events on a limited budget?
Strategy and Risk
Starting new initiatives is part of gospel ministry. We’ve got to do it. But when should we take the plunge? Some can’t wait for the sheer adrenaline thumping excitement of it all. Others faint at the prospect. Yet we must do it.
Technology
Since inventing the wheel we haven’t stopped. Now we’re always having to master new things. Keep up and be effective. Get stuck or ignore the tools and you may get left behind. What really helps is having good problem solvers and ‘first adopters’ close at hand, helping to sort the good from the bad and smoothing the way.
Communicating with Different Ages
Good communicators take account of their audience, especially if they’re children.
Drama
How much acting do we see each week on television, online or at the movies? We love being a fly on the wall because it brings insight to the drama of real life.
As we soak regularly in dramatised conflict, satire, joy, despair and a myriad other emotions and life situations, consider - if you have something to say, then drama can be a great way to communicate.
Presentation Software
Presentation software allows the communicator to emphasise, highlight and focus the mind. Nowadays it’s almost a prerequisite for ministries to have as part of their communications tool kit. But using it doesn’t equate with effective communication.
Market Research
What are the statistics for your area? Who’s living close by? Have you decided who you can reach or won’t reach? Getting hold of (or actually doing) research is important to the decisions you make about programs and communications.
Understanding Social Trends
It’s true that people are the same everywhere and their problems universally the same. We all have aspirations for work, play and love, and we need food, clothing and shelter and most of all, salvation from sin.
Yet paradoxically, it’s not true. People are different. There are a range of forces in Australia such as increasing secularism, new atheism, new media, globalisation and immigration that mean that today’s generation is increasingly diverse and unlike any past generation.
Media Watch
How is Jesus traveling in the media? How are Christians being treated and represented? What prejudices and misconceptions are we wrestling with currently? And to what extent should we let ourselves be known as society’s dag?
Generating Ideas
Sparkle, pop! Eureka! Brilliant idea! Drilling for the good oil is hard work and you’ve got to know where to look. Thankfully there are ways to improve the generation of ideas.
Sound
A technical area that can challenge communicators who aren’t technical. Sound is affected by the space you’re in and the gear you’re using and it can make or break an event. How can you do a good job with limited resources or little training?
Running Programs
Medium to large ministries tend to juggle a range of programs. They’ll have competing needs and budgets and struggle for oxygen in the communications mix.
How do you run a number of effective programs without burning out your congregation?
Music
Hey, this is already covered! Go to the Twist Conference at twistconference.com. They are doing a great job.
Voice
A speaking God has made us in his image. We speak the gospel, so it’s important to know how to use your voice, how to care for your voice… and the really scary thing, what you can do with it (yes, this means emotion).
Developing Content
Developing content for our modern age usually requires collaboration with a range of skill sets. To do this, you need to become a producer. Such a person is a generalist with a knowledge of styles, genres, emerging technologies and audience interests.
Christians need to collaborate to produce content that meets today’s standards of rich media.