VenuesNow Conference
The inaugural New York City VenuesNow Conference was held at the Conrad Hotel downtown for over 600 attendees. Oak View Group’s Media & Conferences division annually hosts the conference which provides a forum for leaders in the live entertainment industry to discuss important trends and topics appearing in the VenuesNow magazine published by OVG. After two years in Los Angeles, the flagship event has moved to New York City.
The first day of the VenuesNow Conference took place in the Gallery Ballroom and featured opening remarks by OVG Founders, Tim Leiweke and Irving Azoff. Soon after, the all-star lineup of speakers would discuss key topics from Capital Ideas to Esports. James Dolan sat down with Irving Azoff to discuss business and MSG Co. and the program included panel discussions featuring NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, WNBA Commissioner Cathy Englebert, and MLS Commissioner Don Garber.
Other notable speakers included Executive Vice President of MSG Live, Darren Pfeffer, President of San Francisco 49ers and Co-Managing Partner of Elevate Sports Ventures, Al Guido, Director of Strategy for AT&T, Dave Macdonald, and many more. The first day of conferences concluded with another opening night cocktail reception in the Gallery Prefunction space and Northeast Gallery featuring DJ Monopoli.
The final day of the conference took place on 9/11, 18 years after the devastating tragedy. A beautiful floral installation honored those affected by the events on 9/11 with a graphic wall featuring silhouettes of the twin towers built out using white roses.
The opening topic, “Never Forget: How Sept. 11, 2001 Forever Changed Public Assembly,” featured a highly qualified panel of safety experts who discussed exactly how public safety in this business has changed post-9/11. Light discussions followed throughout the final day and attendees were encouraged to take roses provided to the 9/11 Memorial, just a short walk from the venue.
The VenuesNow Conference connects leaders, influencers, and visionaries in a variety of discussions and networking opportunities, highlighting comprehensive topics and the future of the industry. Empire was proud to serve as the overall producer for this event.
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
