All Hands and Hearts – Fight for Education (3rd Annual)
All Hands and Hearts, Co-Founded by philanthropist and supermodel Petra Nemcova, called on Empire once again to produce their Third Fight for Education gala in the renowned Cipriani Wall Street.
On February 15, leaders from finance, sports, and fashion gathered to support the All Hands and Hearts mission to address immediate and long-term needs of communities impacted by natural disasters by engaging and leveraging volunteers, partner organizations, and local communities.
The action-packed evening was kicked off by internationally-acclaimed tenor James Valenti singing the National Anthem. After the moving performance, Petra invited All Hands and Hearts volunteer, former NFL star, and Good Morning America anchor Michael Strahan to speak about his recent experiences with the foundation as they worked to rebuild Houston after the devastation ofHurricane Harvey.
After his moving remarks, All Hands and Hearts co-chair Tina Lindstrom took to the ring to introduce their new partnership with Equinox and thank guests for their attendance. Then, veteran sports announcer Mark Fratto stepped into the ring to begin announcing the night’s roster of bouts.
The evening proceeded with six fights featuring amateurs in finance representing JP Morgan Chase, Goldman Sachs, and Siris Capital Cantor Fitzgerald, among others. The highlight of the night was the last fight between All Hands and Hearts Co-Chairs, Tina “TNT” Lindstrom and Kathleen “Kitty” Kelly, and showcased the women’s fierceness as well as their dedication to the cause.
In between the action, Sotheby’s auctioneer Ben Doller led the live auction of eight lots, including a trip to Mexico City to experience the famous Formula 1 on the Mexico City Grand Prix F1 track, and a special VIP package to NYFW.
Throughout the elevated evening, the nearly 400 guests were treated to a three-course meal of spring salad, entrée choices of world-famous Cipriani pasta, short rib or sea bass, and family-style desserts for a sweet finish.
Empire was proud to be a part of this creative fundraising event, having been the producer of All Hands and Hearts’ annual events for the last eight years, and is a leading producer of not-for-profit events globally.
To learn more about All Hands and Hearts, please visit https://www.allhandsandhearts.org/
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
