Outright International's Celebration of Courage
A vibrant celebration of courage, community, and queer joy set the tone for Pride Month as more than 500 guests gathered for Outright International's annual Celebration of Courage awards & gala. The evening raised $1.5 million in support of Outright and the global LGBTIQ movement.
The experience transformed Pier Sixty into a dynamic expression of advocacy and celebration, blending immersive branding, custom event design, and thoughtfully curated guest experiences. Hosted by Laverne Cox, the evening featured powerful moments of recognition, spirited fundraising, and an unforgettable Ballroom competition that brought energy, visibility, and community to the forefront while honoring leaders advancing LGBTIQ equality worldwide.
The program honored Cyndi Lauper with the Outspoken Award, Levi Strauss & Co. with the Outstanding Award, and VoteLGBT with the Felipa de Souza Award, each for their contributions to advancing equality and human rights around the world.
For the fifth consecutive year, our team led creative production, event management, fundraising support, design execution, and onsite execution. The result was a seamless, high impact experience that amplified Outright International's mission while inspiring generosity, connection, and meaningful impact.
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
