Microsoft unveiled Visual Studio 2013, its ground-breaking and now cloud-based software development tool with an innovative, technological showcase that embodied the Visual Studio mantra: Connect, Create, Transform.

Serving as a platform for all Visual Studio 2013 news and announcements, the Keynote event hosted 250 in-person attendees at Highline Stages and 60,000 online viewers from around the world. Led by Microsoft Corporate Vice Presidents S. Somasegar and Scott Guthrie, this event was the worldwide corporate unveiling of Visual Studio and kicked off hundreds of launch events around the world. New York City's Meatpacking District, the epicenter of collaborative and creative design, was the perfect locale for Microsoft to launch the tools that developers use for just that purpose.

From registration to keynote to cocktails, every element was custom designed to enhance individual guest experience through digital optimization. LED walls illuminated in a digital heat map depicting the size and location of the online audience and pre-programmed event apps on individual tablets served as guests' personal concierges throughout the day, providing event attendees with the most connected, creative and transformative experience of the year.

After months of designing and planning every detail in collaboration with the Microsoft team, we were thrilled to see all of the components come together—in their words—“flawlessly.”

Since 2004, Empire Entertainment has been proud to serve as producer to Keep a Child Alive for the annual Black Ball Gala that has grown to become one of New York’s largest, most noteworthy and coolest fundraising events.On November 7, 2013, Empire Entertainment served as producer for the tenth anniversary Black Ball Gala at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City. Generously sponsored by Givenchy and Jynwel Foundation, the Ball featured extraordinary performances by Alicia Keys, Pharrell Williams, Carole King, Kathleen Battle, British soul singer Laura Mvula, and R&B jazz fusion master Roy Ayers.

Hosted by KCA co-founder, global ambassador and Grammy Award-winning artist, Alicia Keys, the Black Ball has raised over $22.5 million since it’s humble beginnings in 2004. A decade later, a proud Keys spoke of the 300,000 children and family members that have benefitted from Keep a Child Alive’s care in Africa and India. A star-studded guest list of over 600 came to support Keys’ charity, including Clive Davis, Diane Von Furstenberg, Tommy Hilfiger, Swizz Beatz, Steve Van Zandt, Padma Lakshmi, and baseball stars Robinson Cano and CC Sabathia.

The Black Ball raised $4 million dollars through table/ticket sales, sponsorships, donations and a live auction that featured a rare Givenchy purse, a Parisian vacation to see the Givenchy show, a trip to Jamaica, a Belstaff fashion experience and a private serenade by Alicia Keys accompanied with a special dinner with wines by Sherry-Lehmann Wine & Spirits.

Alicia Keys and her band put on an exceptional performance that, true to Black Ball tradition, featured several musical guests. The first of the evening was a beautiful collaboration with soul singer Laura Mvula, singing She. Followed by her breathtaking duet with Kathleen Battle singing Not Even The King and the classic, Ave Maria. Her next duet with R&B artist Claude Kelly, was an awe-inspiring song he wrote exclusively for Keep a Child Alive’s upcoming campaign. Carole King took the stage, Keys and King put on a phenomenal show when they sang a blended version of Superwoman vs. Natural Woman, creating an intense performance with their dueling pianos. Roy Ayers also performed alongside Alicia Keys, bringing his special brand of jazz and funk to the stage. Her last duet of the evening was with Pharrell Williams, as they sang Robin Thicke’s Blurred Lines and Daft Punk’s Get Lucky. The concert concluded with a stunning confetti blast that filled the cavernous interior of the century-old Hammerstein Ballroom with a glittering cascade of gold. Moments later, Swizz Beatz appeared on stage to DJ the after party, having all guests dance into the early hours of the morning.

Empire has been proud to partner with and serve Keep a Child Alive for the past decade, creating the Black Ball together and growing it into one of New York’s most anticipated annual fundraising events. To learn more about Keep a Child Alive, please go to www.keepachildalive.org

Lincoln Center, a beacon of New York City’s musical and performing arts culture, has recently added fashion to its famed programming repertoire with Fashion Week, industry events, and an annual conversation series honoring the industry’s biggest icons. Kicking off the inaugural conversation, The Lincoln Center Corporate Fund presented legendary Chanel and Fendi Creative Director, Karl Lagerfeld, on the Adrienne Arsht Stage of Alice Tully Hall.

The format for the presentation was an interview of Lagerfeld led by Academy Award nominee Jessica Chastain. Chastain led the audience through a revealing, deeply personal conversation about the life, career, and philosophy of this most enigmatic artist in the field of Fashion. The glamorous evening began with a "white-on-white" champagne reception in the Morgan Stanley lobby of Alice Tully Hall, just feet away from the red carpet glittering with nonstop flashes of photographers’ cameras. Once guests moved into the theater for the program, the same space was transformed into a "black-on-black" dining room for a black tie dinner. This stark, minimalist approach to the decor, punctuated by the contrast, created a high-impact and truly "Karl” experience, while minimizing costs and maximizing net funds raised.

In addition to continuing fashion programming in the Lincoln Center slate of events, this evening also marked the Lincoln Center Corporate Fund’s first gala fundraiser. All proceeds from the evening will benefit the Fund, which provides unrestricted support to 10 performing arts organizations at Lincoln Center including The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, Film Society of Lincoln Center, Jazz at Lincoln Center, Lincoln Center Theater, The Metropolitan Opera, New York City Ballet, New York Philharmonic, The School of American Ballet, Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, and The Juilliard School, Jessica Chastain’s alma mater. To learn more about the Corporate Fund and to donate please visit http://www.lccorporatefund.org

We were honored to be involved in another program at Lincoln Center in support of the arts.

Founded 25 years ago, New York's Robin Hood is one of the most ambitious, progressive, and effective not-for-profit organizations working to eradicate poverty in New York City. When Robin Hood and key members of its board decided to create a new event to expand its already impressive reach within the investor and financial community, they engaged Empire to serve as producer for the project: the inaugural Robin Hood Investors Conference.

As with everything Robin Hood does, the Investors Conference would be innovative, bold and utterly unique. The two-day event took place at the Sheraton New York, home to the Clinton Global Initiative. The conference played host to over 750 influential investors representing virtually every major firm on Wall Street, as well as key hedge fund and private equity firms. The Conference featured an unprecedented lineup of financial leaders, presented in a series of carefully crafted keynotes, fireside chats and panel discussions. Among the many noteworthy speakers and participants were U. S. Secretaries of the Treasury; Tim Geithner, Henry Paulson, and Larry Summers, Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Ray Dalio, Howard Marks, David Einhorn, Daniel Loeb, Richard Chilton, Alan Schwartz, Mary Callahan Erdoes, Juan Enriquez, Lee Ainslee, David Tepper, Rob Citrone, John Griffin, Philippe Laffont, Laurence Fink, Barry Sternlicht, Bill Ackman, Julian Robertson, Mary Meeker, Jamie Dimon, and Jeff Bewkes. The final panel of the conference featured a conversation among two legendary investors, Stanley Druckenmiller and Robin Hood founder, Paul Tudor Jones.The conference sessions were emceed by Robin Hood's David Saltzman and Deborah Winshel.

To create a distinctive visual look unlike any other investor conference, a 100’ wide projection mapping installation that combined high resolution LED screen elements with HD front screen projection was installed in the ballroom and animated with images throughout the conference. At the end of each day, live data visualizations furnished by media partner, Bloomberg, were projected to the screens as wrap-up segments. The Investor Conference was underwritten by JPMorgan Chase so that every dollar of the tickets sold went to fund Robin Hood poverty programs. Other supporting sponsors included PepsiCo, and media partners Bloomberg and CNBC, both of whom broadcast live from the conference in temporary studios set up onsite.

This inaugural Robin Hood Investors Conference vastly exceeded its goal, raising over $5.5 million to fight poverty in New York City. Empire Entertainment was extremely proud to be chosen to serve as producer for this project, working hand-in-hand with Robin Hood's executive, creative and event teams, along with event partners First Protocol, Diversified Production Services, Performance Environment Design, Brian Oakes, Sheraton New York, and Elite Investigations. As producer, Empire was responsible for overseeing design and execution of the overall conference creative, including agenda and program content, visual design, scenic design, screen content, scripting, music, staging, branding, partners and event logistics. Additionally, Empire was responsible for all speaker coordination, communications and logistics for 50 program participants. Empire is a leading producer of innovative not-for-profit events, summits, and unique thought-leadership programs. To learn more about Robin Hood please visit www.RobinHood.org.

When the niece of one of Empire’s clients wanted to celebrate her Sweet 16 Birthday in New York City during Halloween weekend, Empire was asked to create an extraordinary costume party unlike any other Sweet 16.

To achieve the client’s vision of a Halloween Sweet 16, Empire quickly secured the Plaza Hotel’s spectacular Grand Ballroom and began working to transform the ornate space into a spooky, yet elegant lounge for 150 teenage guests.

The richly decorated ballroom was filled with large dripping candelabras of varying sizes that stood amidst groupings of tufted Victorian lounge furniture, all surrounding a giant central bar, complete with a Mocktail station with non-alcoholic juice concoctions.

Throughout the night, DJ Soul and a group of dancers in ever-changing Halloween costumes kept the crowd dancing. At one point, Thrill the World, a flash-mob zombie dance group, appeared and performed Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” with uncanny precision. To add to the magic of the night, illusionist Elliot Zimet engaged guests in unforgettable sleight-of-hand experiences. Additional activities included a make-up booth where artists were available to gross-ify, gore-ify and amplify guests' costumes, and a social media photo booth where they could instantaneously post party photos or leave with a hard copy.

The evening’s high point came when Pharrell Williams made a special birthday appearance. The famous singer-songwriter and producer serenaded the dancing crowd with his hits including “Beautiful” and “Get Lucky". His smooth voice and undeniable charisma had guests flooding the stage and dancing alongside him. He then led the crowd in singing “Happy Birthday” followed by an intimate meet and greet with the birthday girl and her closest friends and family.

Empire was proud to be a part of the evening and to help make the birthday girl’s Sweet 16 the most memorable night of her life.

On November 4, 2013, EBONY Magazine presented the 2nd annual EBONY Power 100 Gala, honoring the nation’s 100 most influential African-Americans. The invitation-only affair took place in New York City and Empire was honored to serve as event producer.

The gala took place at Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Frederick P. Rose Hall and was hosted by the magazine’s Chairman, Linda Johnson Rice, and CEO Desirée Rogers of Johnson Publishing Company. The red carpet saw the likes of A-listers Earvin “Magic” Johnson, Harry Belafonte, La La Anthony, Reverend Al Sharpton Jr., Victor Cruz, Chef Marcus Samuelsson, Cynthia Rowley, Lee Daniels, and Tyson Chandler.

The dinner program was emceed by Power 100 Honoree, Nick Cannon, who introduced a wide range of Motown-themed performances from talent including: jazz pianist ELEW, DJ Kiss, 10-year old piano virtuoso Joshua Mhoon, and 12-year old vocal prodigy MaeYa Carter Ryan. The evening also featured a lively number from the cast of the Broadway’s “Motown: The Musical.” To finish off the evening, the legendary Jacksons, featuring Jackie, Jermaine, Marlon and Tito, performed their greatest hits including a medley of Jackson 5 songs.

This year’s gala honored the legendary founder of Motown Records, Berry Gordy Jr., with a Lifetime Achievement Award. The 2013 Power 100 list also honored President Obama, actress Kerry Washington, Earvin "Magic" Johnson, actor Michael B. Jordan, film director Lee Daniels, chefs Marcus Samuelsson and Roblé Ali and activists Harry Belafonte and Marian Wright Edelman.

After the dinner program, guests filed into the Atrium where they were treated to an after party with a sponsored lounge by Nationwide Insurance, and music by DJ Nick Cannon. Empire responsibilities ranged from securing performing talent, overall design & décor, coordinating with the venue and catering (provided by Great Performances), branding and sponsor fulfillment, staging, sound, lighting, video projection, video documentation, talent and presenter coordination, stage management, staffing, and security.

Empire Entertainment is a leading producer of high-profile events and is proud to have been chosen to support this remarkable program for EBONY Magazine and The Johnson Publishing Company.

To celebrate Halloween, AMC once again called upon Empire to produce their first ever Ad Sales event at the eerily lit Gotham Hall in Manhattan on October 30, 2013. As the most popular cable network, AMC always delivers on their motto “Something More.”

Donning their best Halloween costumes, guests first walked through a glowing blood red room and were then directed into the grand ballroom that was full of fog, large golden candelabras, and hand carved AMC branded pumpkins. Several Walter Whites, surrounded, of course, by his meth-making minions, sipped on hot apple cider as a clique of AMC cheerleaders and Three Little Pigs wandered by. Guests indulged in hot and cold apple cider, steak frites, tuna tartare, baby back ribs, white chocolate dipped ghost strawberries and more.

Throughout the evening, living statues painted in shades of teal, blue and silver danced the night away while guests had their fortunes told and minds blown by a slick slight-of-hand magician. Guests quickly took to the dance floor to enjoy spooky music curated by Donna D’Cruz. by Prior to announcing the best costume winners, guests were treated to a surprise flash mob performance of Michael Jackson’s Halloween classic “Thriller” by a slew of zombies. After all of the ghoulish fun and dancing came to an end, guests did some trick-or-treating at AMC’s candy bar full of lots of sweets and treats.

The Lowline has been rapidly gaining popularity for their effort to convert a former early 20th century underground trolley terminal on Manhattan’s Lower East Side into the world’s first underground public park. It will be a new kind of public space, using solar technology for natural illumination, and cutting-edge design to capture and highlight a very special industrial space. In order to help raise crucial funding for this incredibly innovative project, the Lowline team entrusted Empire to produce their second annual Anti-Gala Benefit Dinner and Speakeasy After Party at the historic lower east side venue, the Angel Orensanz Foundation.

Empire worked closely with Lowline to create a speakeasy theme for the event, highlighting the era in which the trolley terminal was in use. When guests arrived, they were led upstairs to the balcony where they were transported back to the early 1900s with gorgeous antique décor and design including an elaborate, miniature vintage trolley re-creation. A secret entrance was provided for VIP quests where they were greeted by a costumed trolley conductor and taken on a journey back in time with the performance of a vintage barbershop quartet.

A cocktail reception for 300 guests included a three-piece banjo band, costumed performers and contortionists. Guests were then taken downstairs for the seated dinner provided by Neuman’s Kitchen and renowned chef Gabrielle Hamilton from Prune Restaurant. A spectacular menu inspired by the early 1900s included turtle soup, consommé, fresh cherrystone clams, broiled mackerel, poached stuffed chicken breasts, French peas, Duchess potatoes, thinned white asparagus, and crème de menthe parfaits for dessert.

After dinner, Lowline co-founders Dan Barasch and James Ramsey spoke and introduced a live auction that raised over $300,000 for the exciting new project. A finale performance of entertainers emerged from the crowd and led the audience into an after party speakeasy. LCD Soundsystem Phil Mossman and Pat Mahoney DJ’ed, where guests such as Diane Von Furstenberg, Lena Dunham, Mark Ruffalo, Spike Jonze and Ed Norton grooved into the night.

Empire is a leading creative producer for innovative new projects and ideas worldwide. To learn more about the effort to build the world’s first underground park, the Lowline, visit www.thelowline.org.

Each year, one of the world’s top food and beverage companies, PepsiCo, flies its highest sales achievers and their spouses from around the world to New York to celebrate them and recognize their accomplishments.

The trip includes sightseeing, business programs and an evening at Ellis Island. The highlight of the annual trip is the awards dinner called the Circle of Champions, held at the spectacular Milstein Hall of Ocean Life at the American Museum of Natural History. For the past several years, this company has consistently turned to Empire Entertainment to deliver a program of interstitial performances and post-awards ceremony entertainment.

This year, Empire was charged with creating a program of entertainment that translated amongst the multinational attendees and that could segue naturally into a night of dancing and celebration. Empire presented three different international dance groups: Mystic India, performing a dramatic Bollywood dance routine, the Mariachi Bustamante, with the traditional sounds of Mexico accompanied with Jalisco dancers, and Barynya, who showed the crowd how exciting traditional Russian dance can be.

For the after party, Empire booked The Eturnity Band, New York City’s best R&B, Funk & Motown dance band, who kept the audience dancing to all the best oldies and the latest pop hits until the end of the night.

Empire Entertainment is the leading producer of talent and performers for corporate events.

The Coalition for the Homeless is the oldest advocacy and direct service organization helping homeless men, women and children in the United States. More than 3,500 homeless and at-risk New Yorkers receive assistance each day through the Coalition’s initiatives, which provide housing, job training, emergency food, crisis intervention and youth programs.

Empire Entertainment once again served as producer of the Coalition for the Homeless 19th annual ARTWALK NY, New York's premier contemporary art auction event. More than 800 Coalition supporters, artists, art collectors, and celebrities gathered in 82 Mercer’s expansive Soho loft for a night of festivities, including a live and silent auction. Artist Roxy Paine was honored for his contribution to contemporary art, and Kim & Michael McCarty were honored for their continuous philanthropic support of the Coalition over the years.

Sotheby’s Aileen Agopian auctioned off over 115 works of contemporary art, donated by some of the world’s most celebrated artists, including Chuck Close, Jenny Holzer, Wade Guyton, Christo, Roxy Paine, Kim McCarty, Chuck Close, Israel Lund, Jenny Holzer, Pat Steir, Ed Ruscha, Alex Katz, Wade Guyton, McDermott & McGough, Adam McEwen and Ryan McGinness. The evening’s program also featured an impromptu and celebratory Irish Jig, danced by co-hosts Alec Baldwin and Coco Rocha after raising $100,000 for the Coalition's Camp Homeward Bound, a summer sleep-away camp for homeless youth.

The evening, generously sponsored by Dolce & Gabbana and Vogue, began with hors d’oeuvres by Pinch Food Design and cocktails graciously provided by Absolut Vodka, Peroni and City Winery. Several of New York’s best restaurants, including Michael’s, The National, Indochine, The Odeon, Crown Hospitality Group and David Burke Kitchen provided tasting stations.

The rest of 82 Mercer's multi-room space served as a gallery for the silent auction and featured vignettes of 18th century French and Italian style furniture, kindly donated through Dolce & Gabbana’s relationship with Newel. Throughout the night, guests bid on and purchased works from established and emerging artists while grooving to tunes spun by DJ Chelsea Leyland.

Working closely with Coalition for the Homeless’ events team and title sponsor Dolce & Gabbana, Empire Entertainment served as overall producer of the event and was responsible for aspects ranging from event design, layout, production and logistics to décor and restaurant coordination.

ARTWALK NY raised over $1 million to benefit the Coalition’s programs. Empire Entertainment is honored to have worked in collaboration with the Coalition for the Homeless and its many supporters, to make this year’s ARTWALK NY event the most successful one yet.

To learn more about the Coalition for the Homeless or to get involved and donate, visit www.coalitionforthehomeless.org