NRB 2007 Opens This Weekend

The National Religious Broadcasters annual conference kicks off this weekend at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Fla. The conference, in its 64th year, runs from Feb. 17-20.

Early indications of attendance are "very healthy" and set to equal or surpass last year's attendance of 6,331, which itself was a record year for NRB coming in at a 19 percent growth over 2005, according to NRB Vice President of Operations, David Keith.

The conference offers more than 100 educational sessions focusing on radio, television and church media, along with an exhibit hall with more than 300 vendors. Keith said there would be about 30 more companies on the exposition floor, a 10 percent growth from last year. Guest speakers and artists this year include Dr. Michael J. Easley, Janet Parshall, Erwin Raphael McManus, Dr. Crawford W. Loritts Jr., Go Fish, and Ernie Haase & Signature Sound.

The NRB provides a new format this year offering professional training in four areas: Broadcast Essentials, core principles for operating a broadcast ministry; Reach, media related educational sessions; Leadership & Management, tactical approaches to optimizing results; and Training Academy, in-depth sessions hosted by educational institutions, specialists and vendors.

This also marks the third year of the NRB Tech Lab, produced in partnership with TV Magic, which allows hands-on demos of broadcasting gear from about 40 different equipment manufacturers. The area also offers presentations and roundtable discussions featuring this year's hot topic: HD television and radio.

"With the addition of significant program enhancements like the Reach Keynote Sessions; our nearly doubling of our educational tracks; and growth within our Tech Lab, we are working to address the growing interests of a broader audience that now includes many independent and church media program producers," Keith said.