The SDG Lounge at the United Nations General Assembly
Convened by the United Nations Deputy Secretary General, Amina Mohammed, and hosted by the UN Office for Partnerships in collaboration with the PVBLIC Foundation to promote dialogue and progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the SDG Lounge was created in the Woodrow Wilson Reading Room of the Dag Hammarskjold Library at the United Nations Headquarters for the duration of the 79th session of the UN General Assembly.
Embodying the spirit of the United Nations, the SDG Lounge provided representatives from Member States throughout the world with a global platform to discuss issues and solutions relating to the 17 Sustainable Development Goals, ranging from food insecurity and gender equality, to AI, inequality and global health.
With sessions featuring representatives from the Maldives, France, Sierra Leone, Belgium, Tonga, Chad, Rwanda, Sweden, Somalia, Denmark, Liberia, Senegal, Jamaica and Norway — alongside former and current heads-of-state, including Prime Minister of Canada - Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Barbados - Mia Mottley, as well as the President of the European - Union Ursula von der Leyen, the SDG Lounge was a space for attendees to experience unscripted dialogues and interactive, in-depth discussions.
In addition to member State representatives, the SDG Lounge included key voices from across industries and sectors, bringing together business leaders from Google, Microsoft, OpenAI, and World Bank, alongside powerhouse advocates for change like Astronaut Sara Sabry, IOM Global Goodwill Ambassador America Ferrera, Tunisian Tennis phenom Ons Jabeur, and UN SDG Advocate Lilly Singh, among many others.
With an ethos of both sustainability and partnership at its core, Empire and the UN Partnerships worked together on the design of the SDG Lounge to keep the Goals front and center. Each element was constructed using eco-friendly materials designed for reusability, while modular furnishings allowed for flexibility. All scenic elements were retained by the United Nations, where they will continue to serve the global community, including a custom commissioned 50’ mural that has become a permanent fixture at the Library Reading Room.
With resounding messages of collaboration delivered across 7 days of programming, the SDG Lounge provided us all with the inspiration needed to keep the promise of the SDGs today, tomorrow and for future generations to come.
To learn more about this year’s SDG Lounge and view some of the programming please visit https://webtv.un.org/en/search/categories/meetings-events/side-events/sdg-lounge-2024
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
