ADL's Never Is Now Summit
A two-day, multistage experience designed to convene and mobilize. The 2026 Never Is Now Summit brought thousands of leaders, advocates, and changemakers together for the world’s largest gathering dedicated to confronting antisemitism and hate. Produced by ADLthe Anti-Defamation League, the summit united voices across business, media, education, and public life to drive urgent dialogue and action.
A dynamic program unfolded across mainstage conversations, breakout sessions, and curated networking moments designed to foster connection and collaboration. ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt delivered his annual State of Hate address, setting the tone for a convening of global leaders committed to confronting antisemitism and advancing action. Notable speakers including Richard Dickson, CEO of Gap Inc., Emmanuel Acho, Gloria Gaynor, and Jerry O’Connell further shaped critical conversations around accountability, awareness, and collective responsibility.
Our team led the development of the mainstage run of show, helped curate speaker and talent participation and shaped a cohesive mainstage experience that balanced scale with intention and delivered a compelling platform for impact and continued action.
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
