Red Bull recently called on Empire to design an experience to help launch their latest drink, “THE BLUE EDITION” Ocean Blast, during the summer heat of Japan.

A refreshing lychee-flavored energy drink with a summery feel, the launch experience was produced at one of Tokyo’s newest and most popular clubs, BAIA. Empire transformed the venue, drenching it in blue and combining both real and digital elements including sand, trees, and animated waves and fireworks, allowing guests to be transported into this BLUE EDITION world.

Empire, handling all aspects of production, design, construction, and operations, is proud to work with Red Bull once again.

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The Roger Dubuis and Hajime Sorayama collaboration event held in Omotesando, Tokyo, was a spectacular and memorable occasion that showcased the fusion of art, innovation, and luxury craftsmanship. The event attracted a select audience of watch enthusiasts, journalists, and notable individuals.

The event was dedicated to celebrating the creative partnership between Swiss luxury watchmaker Roger Dubuis and renowned Japanese artist Hajime Sorayama. Sorayama is widely acclaimed for his distinctive style, which blends elements of retro-futurism and the robotic with a touch of sensuality. This collaboration aimed to combine Sorayama's artistic vision with Roger Dubuis' exceptional watchmaking expertise.

The event kicked off with an exclusive press conference attended by 40 journalists. During the press conference, a captivating presentation showcased the Roger Dubuis timepieces born from this collaboration. Hajime Sorayama himself took the stage to share his creative vision, inspirations, and the unique story behind the creation of the watch collection. He elaborated on how he integrated his artistry into the design and concept of the watches, offering insights into the fusion of mechanical precision and artistic expression.

After the press conference, a private party was held, graced by the presence of Japanese influencers and notables from the world of fashion, art, and entertainment. This exclusive gathering provided the opportunity to appreciate the watch collection up close, engage in meaningful conversations, and celebrate the success of the collaboration in a convivial atmosphere. The event's elegant ambiance was enhanced by artistic displays and interactive installations inspired by Sorayama's unique style.

Empire Entertainment Japan provided an enormous scope of work for this event including venue search, contracts and negotiations, decor, AV, sound and lighting, casting for DJ and entertainment, catering, and logistics.

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For the first time in three years, Interstate Waste Services brought their reception back to Las Vegas—this time treating over 900 partners, clients, and guests to an evening event at the XS Nightclub in Wynn Las Vegas.

Guests enjoyed the spring weather outdoors with drinks, bites, and seafood based on a classic Italian menu, while listening to classic covers performed by the Christina Amato Band and sets by the XS Nightclub’s DJ. Guests were also entertained by sleight-of-hand magicians and had the opportunity to sample cigars.

By activating a deck with lounge furniture and highboys over the famed XS pool, guests were immersed in the outdoor space, experiencing 360-views including the Vegas nighttime sky, Wynn/Encore hotels, and lavish interior of XS. With lines of eager attendees throughout the evening, there was no better place to celebrate and end the experience at Waste Expo 2022!

​Empire was proud to partner with the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) once again, this time to produce their Connection 2022 staff retreat at the Hilton in Atlanta, Georgia and online.

The hybrid event convened approximately 600 in-person and 250+ virtual attendees from across the globe. For those opting to attend in person, it also marked EDF’s first staff retreat physically together again since before the Covid-19 pandemic.

Early arrivals and leadership meetings were held over the course of two days prior to the official start of the retreat. By day three, a robust program of plenaries, breakouts, concurrent meetings/workshops, and EDF social events were in full swing.

Highlights included all-staff and team meetings; a fireside chat and Q&A with EDF President, Fred Krupp, and Executive Director, Amanda Leland; a dinner keynote with bestselling business author and EDF 2020 Staff Retreat speaker, Dan Heath; the EDF Staff Awards Ceremony; Q&A breakouts on the topic of global operations; karaoke; a dance party; and much more.

Applicable meeting rooms at the Atlanta Hilton were equipped with technology and meeting operators to enable and facilitate interactivity between in-room and online participants so that sessions were inclusive and engaged everyone attending in real time.

All sessions were made available on the event website/app developed for Connection 2022, allowing virtual attendees to join live, watch session recordings on demand at a later time, and schedule 1:1 meetings with others. Similarly, in-person attendees utilized the app and website to reference the agenda, schedule meetings, and watch sessions on demand that they missed.

Empire worked closely with EDF to deliver this incredible retreat for all their employees. Empire’s scope of work included overall project management, consulting on run-of-show development and technical production, speaker advancement, Cvent event website/app development and design, stage scenic design, environmental wayfinding design, stage management, Covid-19 safety protocol management, and overall logistics.

Empire is honored to have worked with EDF to create a truly memorable staff retreat. To learn more about the Environmental Defense Fund and to support their mission visit: https://www.edf.org/

After 10 years in the making, the first-ever list of North America’s 50 Best Bars, sponsored by Perrier, was debuted on June 7th, 2022. Empire was proud to partner with 50 Best to produce this inaugural event, live at New York City’s iconic venue, Capitale.

More than 600 cocktail aficionados from across the continent came to New York City for the event, which counted down the 50 finest drinking destinations from Canada, US, Mexico, and the Caribbean, judged by the leading experts in the North American Bar community.

Guests arrived in style to a red carpet and step and repeat, and the bar nominees were given signature red scarves to wear throughout the evening. There were 17 various sponsor activation bars, each serving 3 or 4 signature cocktails made by the finest bartenders showcasing their craft.

From Perrier, Naked Malt, Torres, Altos, Matusalem, Michters, Remy Martin to Asahi, Roku, Nikka, Scappys and Campari to name a few, it was a cocktail heartland for beautifully crafted libations. DJ Leni kept the party going all night with the hottest beats so guests could party the night away.

Then the ceremony, the moment everyone had been waiting for, began. Hosted by emcee Ms. Franky Marshall, an New York City Bar legend, she took us from No. 50 down to No. 1 fiercely and elegantly, also announcing some very special awards in between. It was New York City’s own Attaboy (@attaboy134) which took the No. 1 spot. Nestled in the Lower East behind an unmarked door, this small but mighty boxcar bar known for their Prohibition-era cocktails won the coveted Best Bar in North America Award.

The entire ceremony was live streamed on 50 Best’s Facebook page and 50 Best Bars TV YouTube channel so viewers could witness the official list to the hottest bars on the continent.

Empire  worked very closely with 50 Best, Twist London, and other partners to deliver this remarkable night of celebration. Empire’s scope of work included overall management, screen content and graphics creation, technical design and management, livestream, sponsor fulfillment and activation, stage management, talent booking, and overall logistics.

Empire was incredibly proud to partner with 50 Best and bring the awards celebration for the first time to North America, shining a light on the best in hospitality.

To learn more about 50 Best Bars and their awards, visit https://www.worlds50bestbars.com/northamerica/ or 50 Best Bars TV YouTube channel to view the ceremony https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcfVWlNK-F5k3hnA3qLLrOg .​

The Summit of the Americas is an annual gathering of Western Hemisphere heads of state and government leaders to discuss common policy issues, affirm shared values, and commit to concerted actions to address challenges faced in the Americas.

The Ninth Annual Summit of the Americas, held in Los Angeles, hosted President Joseph Biden and many other leaders with a focus on “Building a Sustainable, Resilient, and Equitable Future” in the Western Hemisphere.

At this year’s Summit, the Global Methane Hub, a nonprofit that supports The Global Methane Pledge, hosted a side reception at the Grammy Museum Rooftop Terrace to bring together leaders from across the Americas to showcase collective efforts to accelerate methane mitigation towards meeting the Global Methane Pledge.

In addition to ministers and high-level officials from Argentina, Barbados, Canada, and Uruguay, the event featured keynote remarks by Special Presidential Envoy for Climate, John Kerry, and California Governor, Gavin Newsom.

The reception was livestreamed and covered by global media facilitated by SKDK, a leading progressive communications and political consulting firm.

Empire was proud to support this important event.

To learn more about the Global Methane Pledge and the work of the Global Methane Hub, visit https://globalmethanehub.org

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​Empire was proud to partner with Outright Action International to produce their “Celebration of Courage Gala” at the Tribeca Rooftop in New York City.

Outright Action International works to combat the systemic violence, persecution, and discrimination that LGBTIQ people face around the world. Outright is the only global LGBTIQ organization with consultative status and a permanent presence at the United Nations Headquarters, where they advocate for human rights and equality for LGBTIQ people worldwide.

The gala hosted 380 guests and began with a rooftop cocktail reception overlooking the city and the Hudson River. The guests enjoyed drinks and passed hors d’oeuvres while listening to positive, queer-centric music via DJ Robi D Light.

Guests were then seated in the 12th-floor dining space, decorated in an elegant rainbow color palette. During dinner, the stage program recognized three distinguished honorees: Feminist Lesbian & Academic Activist, Gloria Careaga; Proctor & Gambles’s Senior Director of Global LGBTQ + Equality, Brent Miller; and Artist & Activist and Co-Founder of Pussy Riot, Nadya Tolokonnikova (who received her award remotely). Outright board members also participated in the stage program.

The evening also featured a live and silent auction where over $800,000 was raised! The night was capped by continuing the party on the rooftop, a suitable close to the festive evening.

Empire is honored to have worked with Outright Action International and its featured guests and honorees to create a truly memorable gala.

Empire looks forward to partnering with Outright for many years to come. To learn more about Outright Action International and to support their mission, visit https://outrightinternational.org

Empire recently presented and produced three headline concerts in three cities. In May 2022, we produced a performance by the legendary Ms. Lauryn Hill in New York City for a very lucky private art gallery audience of 300 people. Ms. Hill was dressed to kill in a space-age themed outfit and floored the crowd with hits like “Lost Ones", "Doo Wop (That Thing)”, and her iconic cover of “Killing Me Softly”. That same month we also presented Pitbull for an electrifying show at Club LIV at the Fontainebleau Hotel in Miami. “Mr. Worldwide” and his dancers had the private venture capital crowd jumping along to chart-toppers such as “International Love” and “Feel This Moment.” And finally, in early June, Empire presented pop sensation Andy Grammer for an insurance company’s private conference in Santa Barbara. The outdoor show at the Fess Parker Winery was a spectacular setting for Andy’s feel-good performance with platinum-selling songs including “Honey I’m Good” and “Good To Be Alive”.

Empire has been a leading resource for headline entertainment since our inception in 1993. Artists we have presented and/or produced for our clients include Adele, Justin Timberlake, P!nk, Jerry Seinfeld, John Mulaney, John Legend, Sebastian Maniscalco, Seth Meyers, Andrea Bocelli, David Copperfield, David Blaine, Elton John, Stevie Wonder, Alicia Keys, Rihanna, Taylor Swift, and hundreds more.

Nextdoor, the neighborhood social network, recognized some of their super amazing, never-not-there-when-you-need-them neighbors from across the country with a nationwide awards program called “The Nextdoor 100”.  

After almost 50,000 nominations were submitted, a panel of celebrity judges selected 100 winners from across the country. Judges included singer Tim McGraw, FIFA Women's World Cup champion, Brandi Chastain, comedian, Cedric the Entertainer, President of Gannett Maribel, Perez Wadsworth, Editor-in-Chief of Woman's Day, Meaghan Murphy, Founder of Operation HOPE, John Hope Bryant, and CEO at URL Media S., Mitra Kalita. To celebrate the initiative and bring neighbors together in real life to promote kindness, Nextdoor partnered with Empire to produce three, simultaneous Nextdoor 100 Block Parties across America—in Atlanta, GA, Indianapolis, IN, and Sacramento, CA.

Each free and open-to-the-public event featured hyper-local hosts, multiple vendors and small businesses, food trucks, arts & crafts, family-friendly activities, live music, and award ceremonies to honor finalists in each market for their acts of kindness.

In Atlanta, the stage program was led by Heather Catlin, local host and reporter from WSB-TV, and featured performances by Atlanta native and American Idol contestant, Andrew Weaver, hip-hop artist, Svnday, an all-female a cappella group, Octave Atlanta, and music spun by Atlanta-based DJ, Wally Sparks.

In Sacramento, the host was Mark S. Allen, a local celebrity and anchor at ABC10, and the DJ throughout the day was Eddie Z, the former in-game DJ for the Sacramento Kings. There were also performances by Ryan Hernandez & Friends, a rock band whose members are all Sacramento natives; Consci8us, a rapper and youth educator; and The Gold Souls, a soul & funk band based in Sacramento.

In Indianapolis, the day was led by local host, reporter Rashika Jaipuriar from IndyStar. Throughout the day, Indianapolis-based DJ B-Rad spun hits that got the crowd dancing. There were also performances from Indianapolis natives including soul artist, Bashiri Asad, and soulful singer/songwriter, The Girl Called BOOKS.

Empire worked closely with the Nextdoor team as well as other creative and production partners from the initial phases of concept development through final execution. Among other roles, Empire was responsible for site selection and contracting, tenting, staging and technical production, signage and branding, staffing, security, talent contracting, stage management, and the creation of media and promotional content.

Empire is extremely thankful to have been a part of these celebrations and congratulates all the Super Amazing neighbors who were honored.

Visit https://thenextdoor100.com to learn more.

Empire, working alongside the many teams at Dartmouth College, produced the historic opening and celebration of Dartmouth’s newly-transformed West End of campus with an unprecedented festival of ideas, the Dartmouth Innovation & Technology Festival, which highlighted the intersection of science, technology, business, engineering, energy, and entrepreneurship.

The multi-day festival welcomed over 1,000 attendees including Dartmouth alumni from around the world, students, faculty, senior leadership, and members of the public. Guests toured the state-of the-art educational infrastructure and collaborative learning spaces of the new Class of 1982 Engineering and Computer Science Center, The Arthur L. Irving Institute for Energy and Society, the Magnuson Center for Entrepreneurship, and the DALI Lab—all now strategically neighboring the Thayer School of Engineering and the Tuck School of Business.

The festival featured various events and activities including the Magnuson Startup Competition Semi-finals and Finals, Academic Sessions, building tours, community cookouts and entertainment, food trucks, a light show, and other interactive experiences and installations.

On the main evening, following the building dedication of the Class of 1982 Engineering and Computer Science Center, guests made their way to an elegant gala dinner in a clear roofed tent that celebrated Dartmouth’s Tradition of Innovation, its real-world impact, and its visionary future—a new era of innovation and technology underpinned by liberal arts scholarship and supercharged in part by the co-location of these new synergistic institutions.

The Gala dinner was hosted by Laurel Richie, Former Chair of the Dartmouth Board of Trustees and co-chair of The Call to Lead campaign for Dartmouth, and included remarks by Dartmouth President, Philip J. Hanlon. Among the many high points of this evening were a presentation of the McGuire Prize for Social Impact to Prof. Jason McLellan, a researcher whose work at Dartmouth’s Geisel School of Medicine was instrumental in the development of the MRNA Covid-19 vaccine. The Gala dinner concluded with presentations by several students sharing their visions for how their academic work will change the world and concluded with the guests joining a student celebration and DJ party that featured a spectacular light show that illuminated the entire West End that was co-created by Dartmouth student DJs and a world-class lighting team.  

Two days of special Academic Sessions included keynotes, panel discussions, fireside chats, and compelling conversations with technology, business and innovation leaders—mostly Dartmouth alumni—on topics ranging from artificial intelligence and cryptocurrency, to wearable technology, electric vehicles, and health care. Speakers included: John Burnett, Co-Founder of Omniex (acquired by Gemini Trust Company); Christine Kim, Research Associate, Galaxy Digital; Akin Sawyer, Managing Director, Feleman Limited; Matt Slaughter; Paul Danos, Dean of the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth; Richard Barth MD, Geisel School of Medicine, Co-Founder of Cairn Surgical Inc.; Kaitlin Maier, Co-Founder & CEO, Reia; Amogha Tadimety, Co-Founder & CEO, Nanopath; Samantha Truex, CEO, Upstream Bio; Sherri Oberg, President and CEO, Particles for Humanity; Keith Dunleavy, Founder and CEO, Inovalon, Inc.; Andrea Reisman Johnson, Co-Founder and CEO, Rally Reader; John Sargent, Founding Partner, BroadReach Group; Eugene Santos, Professor of Engineering, Dartmouth; Daniel Rockmore, William H. Neukom 1964 Distinguished Professor of Computational Science; Kevin Hand, Astrobiologist, NASA Jet Propulsion Lab; Colin Meyer, Assistant Professor of Engineering, Dartmouth; Laura Ray, Myron Tribus Professor of Engineering Innovation, Dartmouth; Tracy Wolstencroft, former Partner, Goldman Sachs, Former CEO, National Geographic; Justice Amoh, Co-Founder, Clairways, Smart Lung Monitoring; Jeff Bemowski, Co-Founder, Clairways, Smart Lung Monitoring; George Boateng, Co-Founder and CEO, SuaCode.ai; David Kotz, Provost, the Pat and John Rosenwald Professor in the Department of Computer Science, and the Director of Emerging Technologies and Data Analytics in the Center for Technology and Behavioral Health; Maria Nyamukuru, PhD candidate; Annie McLane Kuster, United States Representative; Abby Hopper, President and CEO, Solar Energy Industries Association; Aly Jeddy, Senior Partner and Consultant, McKinsey & Company; and Dan Reicher, former US Assistant Secretary of Energy, among others.

Keynote speakers included Dave Girouard, Founder and CEO, Upstart; Freeman A. Hrabowski III, President, University of Maryland Baltimore County; Kristen Morrow Johnson, Business Operations & Implementation Manager, Ford Pro Charging, Ford Motor Company; and Rob Portman, United States Senator, U.S. Senate, who appeared live virtually.

Highlights of the One Dartmouth Start-Up Competition Finals presented by the Magnuson Center for Entrepreneurship included the final three startup finalists presentations to a judges panel that included Errik Anderson, Ulysses Diversified Holdings, Caroline Hribar, COO, Bionic, and Geoff Ralston, President, Y Combinator. Closing Remarks and Announcing of the One Dartmouth Startup Finalist Winners was by Jeff Crowe, Senior Managing Partner, Norwest Venture Partners.

Empire worked with the Dartmouth teams in advancement, marketing and communications, facilities and operations, and leadership for months to design, refine, and ultimately deliver the entire Dartmouth Technology & Innovation Festival.

Empire was thrilled to once again support Dartmouth College for this historical milestone and we are excited to support Dartmouth in the years ahead to revolutionize how we think, teach, learn, and lead.