Smart Cities NYC
SmartCities NYC is a newly-minted conference and exposition that explores the intersection of technology and urban life. Presented recently in the revitalized Brooklyn Navy Yard, the inaugural event was sponsored by Microsoft and featured world-renowned speakers, a cutting edge exposition, workshops, panels, parties, and a multitude of public events drawing attendees from around the world.
For the past several years, Smart Cities events have been held globally, bringing together hundreds of local, national, and international organizations from government, academic, public, and private sectors in Barcelona, Istanbul, Kyoto, Casablanca, and Puebla to focus attention on urban innovation and to bring together businesses and institutions interested in finding the best solutions.
Inspired to meet the growing interest in pioneering urban solutions that are defining and transforming cities around the world, Smart Cities was organized around three major concepts – innovation, infrastructure, and inclusion. Smart Cities NYC’ 17 focused specifically on the importance of citizen participation in making cities ‘smart’. With over 250 speakers, Smart Cities covered a broad range of important topics from cybersecurity and cloud computing, to technology for the disabled, mental health, big data, drones, rooftop urban agriculture, shared housing, transportation, and infrastructure.
Some of the noteworthy speakers and participants included: Toni Townes-Whitley, Corporate VP Worldwide Public Sector, Microsoft (tech and education); Miguel Gamiño Jr., Chief Technology Officer, City of New York (civic tech & innovation); Daniel Doctoroff, Founder and CEO of Google’s Sidewalk Labs; Rachel Haot, Managing Director, 1776 (global incubator & seed funding); Robert Wolf, Chairman and Co-Founder, Measure, Drone as a Service (drone solutions); Abby Joseph Cohen, Senior Investment Strategist, Goldman Sachs; Richard Park, CEO, CityMD (tech solutions for healthcare); David Rothkopf, CEO and Editor, FP Group (global foreign policy insight& analysis); Gregory Treverton, Former Chairman, National Intelligence Council (U.S. Intelligence Community); Andrew Right, Former Counselor, U.S. Secretary of Transportation (transportation & infrastructure); Stacey Gillett, Senior Program Officer, Bloomberg Philanthropies; James Ramsey, Co-Founder and Creator, Lowline, and developer Lela Goren of the Goren Group.
The event featured an exhibit hall and B2B trade show that included interactive demonstrations from sponsors ranging from Microsoft, Verizon, Union Point, Boston Properties/Dock72, German Areospace, Victor+Stanley, BMW/Urban X, PBSC Urban Solutions, and the Consulate General of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. At the expo, lead sponsor Microsoft showcased HoloLens - the first self-contained, holographic computer, enabling participants to engage with digital content and interact with holograms in the world around them. Measure: Drone as a Service demonstrated its turnkey drone solutions via the DJI Inspire 2,the first filmmaking drone in the world to integrate HD video transmission.
On the final day Smart Cities NYC ’17 hosted STEAM AHEAD, a day of citizen engagement to help New Yorkers access the information they need to better prepare them for the demands of the modern workforce. From challenging high school students to think big with moonshot projects, to creating employment opportunities for our country’s veterans, to helping people seek meaningful careers in technology, STEAM AHEAD brought companies, nonprofits, and government departments together with members of the community to discuss the challenges and opportunities of work in the 21st century.
The four-day event culminated in a by-invite-only “Humans of the Year” Closing Night Party, hosted by Smart Cities NYC ’17 media partner, VICE Motherboard, and Prius Prime. Vice Motherboard and Smart Cities NYC invited over 500 guests to enjoy closing night cocktails and custom projection installations in the cavernous Duggal Greenhouse space as well as on the picturesque East River waterfront.
Its placement in the Duggal Greenhouse showcased Brooklyn’s increased standing in the world of technology. And in the past year, the Brooklyn Navy Yard has been host to two tech hubs opening: New Lab, a workspace for manufacturing and design firms, and 1776 NY, a startup incubator.
Empire served as overall producer of Smart Cities NYC and was responsible for project management, production design, technical production, staging, production of digital media content, liaison with all exhibiting sponsors, staffing, catering (through a partnership with the New York Food Truck Association) and café area. Additionally, Empire’s team worked closely with Global Futures, Microsoft, VICE, and other partners to facilitate each partner’s activation and to supervise the overall guest experience.
Empire is proud to have served as producer of the inaugural Smart Cities NYC and to have supported this important thought leadership platform.
To learn more about Smart Cities NYC visit http://smartcitiesnyc.com
Guests received their first taste of technological innovation at registration, where they were welcomed by name on a reactive LED screen installation covering the full width of the entry wall. A large lunch café was created with a décor scheme that incorporated custom-built, ceiling-high steel LED frames draped with foliage to create smaller, intimate restaurant-style spaces that displayed both technology and nature.
A series of breakout sessions presented content targeted to attendees’ varied interests, while imagery displayed throughout the venue showcased real-life applications of how products designed to empower developers help to unleash the power of data and reimagine possibilities that will improve our world.
Every element of Microsoft Connect(); from registration, breakfast and keynote, to lunch and evening cocktails, were custom-designed to communicate exacting brand messaging and to deliver a high-touch guest experience to this important audience. The keynote and breakout sessions were livestreamed through an onsite studio built for this purpose and content was watched online by millions around the world.
Empire is proud to collaborate with Microsoft on this annual, top-tier business communication event.
To view excerpts of Connect(); 2017, please visit https://www.microsoft.com/connectevent
