Once again, Endeavor held their annual Gala at Glasshouse, which features floor-to-ceiling views of New York City and the Hudson River. Guests first entered into the Drinks & Experiences space, where they enjoyed innovative hors d'oeuvres by Pinch Food Design and specialty cocktail & mocktail bars provided by Los Amantes, Drought, Rabbit Hole, NotCo and Thrive Farmers. After cocktails guests proceeded through an experiential hallway into the main area for the seated dinner in the massive, designed space where table centerpieces, screen content, flown lighting and printed collateral all mirrored Endeavor’s colorful, visual event theme.

The dinner program included keynote remarks by Endeavor Co-Founder and CEO, Linda Rottenberg, and Managing Partner of West, Joanna Rees. There was also a fireside chat between Martin Escobari and David Vélez. Endeavor celebrated the achievements of Gibran Huzaifah, Karim Beguir, and Sergio Fogel by presenting them with The Lindas award. The program was then brought to a close with an invitation to the High-Impact Party hosted by Hannah Bronfman. Of course, this spectacular dinner segment was catered and serviced by Pinch Food Design.

After dinner, guests moved through a neon-lit tunnel to the High-Impact Party in the cocktail space, which had been transformed into an upscale lounge featuring music by MICK, a Plinko Board to win prizes consisting of products from Endeavor Entrepreneurs, a secluded space with mental health murals, and an immersive art gallery highlighting key high-impact entrepreneurs.

Empire is a leading producer of innovative not-for-profit galas and is proud to support Endeavor Global’s work.

Empire was thrilled to again work with The Eurasia Group and GZero Media to produce the 2023 GZero Summit in Tokyo.

Hosted by Ian Bremmer, the event featured esteemed speakers including Japan’s Prime Minister, Fumio Kishida, Trade Minister, Yasutoshi Nishimura, Digital Minister, Taro Kono, and U. S. Ambassador to Japan, Rahm Emanuel, among others.

Ian Bremmer, President and Founder of Eurasia Group and GZERO Media, also delivered his landmark State of the World speech from the Summit. He presented his vision for where the world is headed in 2024 and outlined the major themes and forces shaping the geopolitical landscape.

The GZero Summit is one of Asia’s most significant geopolitical risk and opportunity thought leadership forums. Empire is a leading producer of global thought leadership events.

To learn more visit https://www.gzeromedia.com/events/past-events/state-of-the-world-with-ian-bremmer-december-2023

Hanwha, one of South Korea’s leading corporations, launched LIFEPLUS NY, an event designed to connect Korean college and graduate students from top U.S. universities. The goal was to support emerging talent and create a unique, creative experience. Hanwha partnered with Empire to bring this vision to life, blending career development with celebration.

Empire collaborated closely with Hanwha to craft a high-impact conference featuring speakers from finance, technology, and the arts. After dinner and networking, attendees moved to an afterparty hosted by Jaeki Cho, social media star and founder of Righteous Eats. The night’s entertainment included a concert with AOMG artists Simon Dominic, GRAY, Loco, and LeeHi, followed by a dance party with DJ Dillon Francis.

The event successfully fused inspiration and fun, leading to an ongoing partnership with Hanwha for future innovative experiences.

Empire Entertainment was thrilled to help produce the 2023 New York Public Radio Gala at The Plaza Hotel on November 14th. This gala serves as New York City's flagship public radio station’s biggest fundraising event of the year.

The program featured actor and comedian Roy Wood Jr. as Gala Host, with remarks by LaFontaine E. Oliver, CEO and President, NYPR; Timothy A. Wilkins, Board Chair, NYPR; Ed Yim, Chief Content Officer and SVP, WQXR; George Bodarky, Community Partnerships & Training Editor, WNYC; Jodi-Ann Malarbe, Community Partnerships Fellow, WNYC; and Emily Tow, President, The Tow Foundation.

Guests were also treated to musical performances by J’Nai Bridges, the Brooklyn College Opera Theater, and the High and Mighty Brass Band.

Empire Entertainment's role encompassed the comprehensive development of the program run of show, technical production management, and the creative design of screen graphics. In addition, Empire undertook the production and editing of three feature videos, along with the post-gala video assets, including a captivating gala sizzle reel.

Empire was honored to partner again with New Heights, a non-profit sports-based youth development and educational organization, to produce their 7th annual GameChangers Ball on Thursday, October 26, 2023. The gala took place at the home of New Heights, Major R. Owens Health & Wellness Community Center in Crown Heights, Brooklyn. The venue features a variety of sports facilities, classrooms, offices, and community spaces.

The gala kicked off with a cocktail reception and live DJ set by Jon Blak, the official DJ for NY Jets. Upon arrival, guests were treated to signature cocktails sponsored by Farmer’s Organic Gin and Michter’s and were invited to pose with friends at a custom built 3D photo booth.

At the close of the reception, attendees were ushered by New Heights volunteers into the basketball court which transformed into a ballroom for a seated dinner. To highlight the basketball hoops and New Height’s mission in helping student-athletes to grow, Empire presented a new stage design featuring a floral arrangement growing out of the basketball hoops.

The program started with an opening performance on the balcony by Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter, J. Hoard, who sang a cover of Billy Joel’s “New York State of Mind.” Following the show, Chairman of the Board Mark Patricof and New Heights Executive Director Ted Smith greeted attendees from the stage and invited speakers, alumni, and award recipients to join them in sharing how New Heights has positively impacted their lives, the community, and beyond. After a successful live auction led by Auctioneer Pat Tully, the program concluded with honoring Mark Attanasio, the Chairman of the Milwaukee Brewers, with the GameChanger Award.

Working closely with New Heights, Empire served as the overall event producer, managing elements including venue, catering, décor, programming, and technical production. Empire is a leading producer of fundraising events and has been proud to serve leading not-for-profit organizations and foundations for over three decades.

Presented in Dakar, Senegal this year, the 19th Grand Challenges Annual Meeting hosted over 60 sessions across 2 venues, and over 4 days, with over 1,400 attendees, promoting the sharing of information across global health verticals. This year’s Grand Challenges Annual Meeting was the largest to date. During daily plenary sessions, delegates heard from the likes of Bill Gates, Senegalese President Macky Sall, Comoros President Azali Assourmani, U. S. Ambassador to Kenya Meg Whitman, and a wide range of scientific leaders representing various fields of research.  Added to this year’s event were several musical and artistic elements, including an evening concert by Senegalese musical superstar and health advocate Youssou N’dour and a performance by the Kanjele Gospel Choir. It was a privilege to be involved in another meaningful and impactful Grand Challenges Annual Meeting.

To learn more and view the sessions visit https://www.grandchallenges.org/annual-meeting​

Everyone loves a villain, including Empire, who was tapped by E! to produce the premiere party for their new reality competition series House of Villains. The new hit show, hosted by Joel McHale, brings together 10 of the most iconic villains in reality TV history to live in a mansion, while out-scheming each other through a series of challenges in order to win a cash prize and the title of “America’s Ultimate Supervillain."

Held in the West Hollywood restaurant Ysabel, the premiere party was attended by HOV cast, and dozens of social media influencers and press.

To maximize social media buzz, House of Villains show branding was seamlessly integrated throughout all of Ysabel, creating infinite instagrammable moments from the giant 8-ft snake-entwisted E! at entry, to the large projection over the 20-ft Step & Repeat, the vinyl-wrapped and plushed-out lounge steps, and the devil horn mirror clings in the bathroom.

Further amplifying HOV’s social spread, guests could step into either of 2 stylish, custom video activations where they could “Be the Villain,” accompanied by a menagerie of props representing the infamous cast (e.g. Fairplay’s RIP GRANDMA tombstone),or let everyone “Pick Their Villain Inspo,” while posturing for the camera amidst cast voice-overs like Bobby Lytes' line,“I’m going to be flat out honest. I AM a villain. But I’m a FUN villain.”

In between sips of specialty cocktails aptly dubbed “The Bad Apple” and “The Supervillain,” guests noshed on Ysabel’s delicious Contemporary American fare which included wagyu beef skewers, fried chicken sliders, and mushroom risotto. DJ Dazzler kept the energy high with her music stylings, and mixologists from Magic & Cocktails added plenty of flair in the form of smoke bubbles and fire effects while doling out drinks at the bars.

Empire is a leading producer of experiential events and premieres and managed elements including venue, design & decor, guest logistics, food & beverage, technical production, video activations, DJ, and permitting.

Empire Entertainment Japan is delighted to introduce its newest venture SOHO Live, an innovative live music company specializing in crafting unforgettable concerts inspired by beloved media franchises.

Collaborating with companies holding iconic IPs, SOHO Live is dedicated to curating live experiences that resonate with each IP's core values, offering fans an unprecedented opportunity to immerse themselves in their cherished franchises.

On October 10th, 2023, SOHO Live unveiled its first original production, "Stardew Valley: Festival of Seasons". It's the official live concert of the immensely popular video game Stardew Valley, which boasts a staggering 20 million copies sold worldwide and maintains a prominent presence atop the Steam charts. The trailer for the official Stardew Valley: Festival of Seasons concert can be found here.

Embarking on its first tour in 2024, SOHO Live will bring the game soundtrack to life in 19 spectacular shows spanning North America, Europe, Asia, and Australia. All 19 shows of SOHO Live’s first original production sold out in mere minutes. With the extraordinary demand and successful launch of its first original production, SOHO Live will be announcing additional dates and cities to the tour calendar in the near future.

Additional upcoming shows in the 2024 SOHO Live schedule include the official concert of Sonic the Hedgehog in Tokyo, and the official Final Fantasy concert in Rome.

SOHO Live is a collaborative endeavor between Empire Entertainment Japan and Gaetano Fazio, a Tokyo-based entertainment professional with a distinguished background in advertising and an unwavering passion for the worlds of gaming and music.

In our ongoing pursuit of delivering unparalleled experiences and harnessing the allure of some of the world's most captivating brands and franchises, Empire is thrilled to welcome SOHO Live into our family of companies.​

The theme for the 78th annual United Nations General Assembly was “Rebuilding trust and reigniting global solidarity: Accelerating action of the 2030 Agenda and its Sustainable Development Goals towards peace, prosperity, progress and sustainability for all.”

To reflect this theme and to answer the urgent need to put the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) back on track, a bold initiative took shape to create a purpose-built SDG Pavilion on the grounds of the United Nations during UN General Assembly week to bring together world leaders, business decision makers, NGOs, celebrities, and advocates.

The custom-built venue featured a large tent structure, encased by an interactive scenic installation by world-renowned designer Es Devlin, that represented the 17 SDGs. Each 16’-tall monolith represented one of the SDGs and contained a multimedia exhibit from different cultural collaborators that spoke to the Goals, from zero hunger and quality education to responsible consumption and production.

The Pavilion interior transported guests into a forest with over 100 living trees and plants. All fauna species were indigenous to New York and found a second life after the Pavilion with the New York Restoration Project, a local organization whose mission is to work collaboratively with communities across the five boroughs to renovate gardens, restore parks, and plant trees to transform the city’s landscape.

Programming at the Pavilion kicked off with a Half Time Show, a nod to reaching the halfway mark of the 2030 deadline initially set by the UN General Assembly in 2015 to achieved the SDGs. The Halftime Show commenced with a performance by Brooklyn United, a local youth music and arts program, and featured speakers such as Orlando Bloom, Sabrina Dhowre Elba, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Richard Curtis, and more. The evening ended on a high note with musical performances by Grammy Award-winning artists Yo-Yo Ma and Angelique Kidjo.

Throughout High Level Week, there were over 15 unique programming sessions at the SDG Pavilion including a Women’s Rise lunch which hosted guests such as actress Natalie Portman, Queen Rania of Jordan, designer Diane von Fürstenberg, and Queen Mathilde of Belgium. Invitees listened to a conversation onstage between former New Zealand Prime Minister, Jacinda Ardern, and philanthropist, Melinda Gates, before enjoying lunch. Other program highlights include the SDG Advocates Meeting with Secretary General António Guterres and Prime Minister of Barbados Mia Mottley; a screening of The Agreement, a film directed by Raeshem Nijhon; and Global Carbon Pricing Challenge, Driving Global Climate Action, which featured remarks by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

Empire was honored to collaborate with the United Nations Office of Partnerships, the United Nations Foundation, Project Everyone, and countless other partners to present the 2023 SDG Pavilion.

To learn view the programming from the 2023 SDG Pavilion including the Half Time Show visit https://media.un.org/en/asset/k1w/k1wrak7roa

Co-founded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Project Everyone, the Goalkeepers event takes place during the annual United Nations General Assembly in New York City and brings together Heads of State and international Sustainable Development Goals “Goalkeepers” (those spearheading various missions in their local communities). Among other themes, this year’s Goalkeepers focused on the challenge of fighting global inequality.

Kicking off the two-day event, the 2023 Goalkeepers Global Goals Awards were presented at the Frederick P. Rose Hall at Jazz at Lincoln Center on September 19, 2023. The Awards program included performances by the renowned Tamil dancer and choreographer, Usha Jey, Swedish singer, Zara Larsson, Tiwa Savage, and the Harlem Gospel Choir.

Award winners included Human Rights Activist, Eden Tadesse, maternal and newborn child health advocate, Ashu Martha Agbornyenty, and Farmlink Project—all recognized for their impactful efforts in combating food insufficiency and hunger.

Host Elaine Welteroth guided the program as global change-makers were honored for their work. Award presenters included Melinda French Gates, Zimbabwean-American actress, Danai Gurira, model and activist, Sabrina Elba, and Olympic swimmer and UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador, Yusra Mardini.

After the Goalkeepers Awards program, guests entered the Atrium space featuring the signature custom-build of the Goalkeeper wheel and a ceiling gallery installation overlooking Central Park to enjoy a networking reception with cocktails and food bars. Guests interacted with a ribbon photo backdrop and bespoke GK lettering as a backdrop to their festive photos, while enjoying the vibe set by Hot 8 Brass Band and DJ Belinda Becker.

The next morning, over 500 guests were welcomed back to the main Goalkeepers event, hosted by Canadian media personality, Lilly Singh, with an uplifting opening performance by Jon Batiste and Hot 8 Brass Band.

After the opening, programming began with keynote remarks by Melinda French Gates and Bill Gates presenting The 2023 Global Goalkeeper Award to Japan Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, followed by a seated conversation with Andrea Mitchell, President Ruto, Melinda French Gates, Prime Minister De Croo, and Bill Gates.

Throughout the day, other speakers delivered impactful messages, including a conversation between Phoebe Gates, Karlie Kloss, and Kathryn Finney.

Session moderators included Journalist Andrea Mitchell, Anchor and Political Correspondent, Abby Phillip, Newborn and Child Health expert, Dr. Rasa Izadnegahdar, and Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, Nicholas Kristof.

This year, there were performances by various artistic groups, including the Femme Fatale, and Grammy Award-winning artist, Cynthia Erivo.

Between and after content sessions and as breakfast, coffee breaks, and lunch were enjoyed, guests were invited to experience activations in the Atrium including the “Goalkeeper’s Library”, where the titles from the Goalkeepers community were available for the guests to take. After lunch, the guests networked and socialized to the music of DJ Belinda Becker.

Empire was proud to work again with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Project Everyone, and many other partners to present Goalkeepers 2023.