Empire Produces Launch Events for Xinhua News Agency's Times Square Headquarters

When the largest news agency in the People's Republic of China wanted to hold opening events for their new North American Headquarters in Times Square, they asked Empire Entertainment to produce a sophisticated launch party.In existence for 80 years, Xinhua News Agency operates roughly 40 domestic bureaus in China and 140 overseas offices across the globe. Xinhua owns more than 20 newspapers and a dozen magazines, and it prints in eight languages: Chinese, English, Spanish, French, Russian, Portuguese, Arabic and Japanese. In 2010, they launched their own news network "CNC World TV". For the New York launch, the festivities began after the Opening Bell Ceremony at the NASDAQ MarketSite. Empire produced a luncheon event at Xinhua's brand new offices overlooking Times Square. The event was attended by Xinhua executives from across North America and the world, including a delegation from the global headquarters in Beijing. Among the nearly 100 guests were high-level business and political leaders including Ambassador Peng Keyu of the Chinese Consulate-General in New York, Tom Gallo of the U.S. State Department Office of Foreign Missions, and President of the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations Steve Orlins. Following a brief cocktail hour, giving the guests a chance to explore Xinhua's state-of-the-art offices, attendees were greeted by North American Bureau Chief Zeng Hu. Remarks were also given by Ambassador Li Baodong of the Chinese Mission to the United Nations and finally from Zhou Xisheng, Xinhua Vice President and Executive Deputy Editor-In-Chief. The speakers then participated in a ribbon-cutting ceremony and champagne toast to Xinhua's future in New York and the world. In the evening approximately 200 friends, colleagues, and honored guests arrived at the Marriott Marquis Sky Lobby just across the street from Xinhua's North American Headquarters for a cocktail event. In addition to remarks from Zhou Xisheng celebrating the day's joyous occasion, a special performance was given by Huang Ruo and his Fire ensemble. Known internationally for his compositions which blend Eastern and Western musical conventions, Dr. Huang gave a rousing performance at the piano while accompanied by clarinet, violin, viola, and pipa (Chinese lute). Empire worked closely with Xinhua and their PR firm the Brunswick Group to design these events and ensure a smooth flow between remarks, dining, and other important moments in the program. Serving as overall event producer, Empire managed/coordinated all aspects of production including venues, lighting, staging, audio, video content, catering, catering staff, video documentation, design and décor, graphic presentation, security, and overall project management. In this unique venue, Empire coordinated between the in-house production team, external audio/video vendors, electronic news media, and building management to integrate the various technologies and production elements required to execute the first-ever production held in this private office space. Empire Entertainment is a leading event producer for international companies in New York City and around the world.