Our Work

As part of the 2018 United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), UN Women presented their annual HeForShe IMPACT Summit in New York City which convened world leaders, global CEOs, activists and celebrities to introduce the latest groundbreaking solutions to achieve gender equality around the world.

Her Majesty Queen Rania, Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan; President of Iceland Guðni Th. Jóhannesson; President of Malawi Arthur Peter Mutharika; President of Finland Sauli Niinistö; award-winning actress and UN Women’s Global Goodwill Ambassador, Anne Hathaway; and actor and activist, Winston Duke, were among those participants who issued a global call to action for gender equality during the daytime program. Musical Artist MILCK also performed.

During this fourth annual event, hosted by Under-Secretary-General of the UN and the Executive Director of UN Women, Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, and emceed by Senior Advisor to the Under-Secretary-General & Executive Director of UN Women Elizabeth Nyamayaro, HeForShe focused on three distinct initiatives based on the work of its HeForShe Champions:

• The HeForShe Proven Solution on How to Achieve Parity in Global Leadership: Emerging from the work of HeForShe IMPACT Champion PwC Network, which has moved from 18% female representation on its Global Leadership team to 47% in just 15 months, the solution sets out a roadmap for other organizations to follow.

• The HeForShe Emerging Solutions for Gender Equality Report, containing 34 emerging solutions on how to achieve gender equality. These concrete solutions address a wide range of issues, including closing the gender pay gap, ending gender-based and sexual violence, and achieving parity across society.

• The HeForShe Male Allies Guide for Gender Equality–Tips for Understanding and Managing Your Emotions, built on a program pioneered by the Government of Finland, a HeForShe IMPACT Champion, to enlist army conscripts to prevent violence against women.

One of the highlights of the event was the official announcement of the newest HeForShe Champions, including Chief Executive Standard Bank Group, Sim Tshabalala, and Secretary-General of the World Organization of the Scout Movement, Ahmad Alhendawi.  

In the lead-up to the event, HeForShe launched #MorePowerfulTogether, inviting landmarks around the world to turn off half their lights to demonstrate the power lost when women are underrepresented. The IMPACT Summit underlined this message by bringing together champions from all corners of society to demonstrate that we are truly more powerful together.

Empire was once again proud to serve as the overall event producer overseeing and handling the event venue, guest experience, event layout, video and audio, livestreaming, staging, scenic aspects, and stage management of the program.

Created by UN Women in 2014, the HeForShe solidarity movement has so far mobilized 1.7 million men as advocates for gender equality.

For more information and to view the livestream visit http://heforshe.org

UBER announced in the Uber Elevate Asia Pacific Expo on 30th August that Japan is one of the five markets being considered for the launch of a very exciting form of urban transportation in the foreseeable future–Flying Taxi, in 2023.

By 2023, UBER will be testing the on-demand platform for flying cars!

Empire Japan was proud to be produced the two-day summit and Expo, partnering with Uber's in-house creative team which outlined exciting plans involving policy makers in and outside Japan, business partners, and media from Asia Pacific area.

The meeting was kickstarted by Mr. Barney Harford, COO of UBER, and continued with participation from the Tokyo Governor, Ms. Yuriko Koike. She expressed her excitement with cars crossing the sky soon becoming a reality. Back-to-back presentations were then provided by the Uber Elevate team. There were also various exhibitions demonstrating the newest ideas and products available, one of them being a virtual flying taxi simulator, shown by VR glass and provided by Jaunt.

The evening was wrapped up with a cocktail reception and VIP dinner. Empire is involved in the planning, construction, AV, show calling, registration management, operational staff management, photography, as well as video documenting this future milestone of urban transportation history.

Empire was recently engaged to deliver a very special musical performance for a private anniversary celebration in the rooftop ballroom at the St. Regis Hotel in New York City.

For this intimate event for approximately 100 guests, Empire secured Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award-winner and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame member Diana Ross to perform a 50-minute set of her greatest hits to track with three backing vocalists.  

From the first song, "Coming Out", guests were on their feet and spent the entire performance dancing to hits like “Ease on Down the Road,” “Do You Know,” “Upside Down,” “Can’t Hurry Love” and “Stop”.

With her voice and performance in perfect form, the hosts and guests were delighted with the performance and Ms. Ross even welcomed the hosts onstage at the end for a unique musical photo opportunity.

Empire is one of the world’s leading sources of headline entertainment for private events and celebrations.

TBA has formed a strategic alliance with Empire. This strategic alliance fuses the strengths and resources of TBA and Empire, creating a powerful synergistic offering for brands seeking to activate brand strategies in Japan and around the world, with particular emphasis on opportunities relating to the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.

The alliance takes TBA’s rich sports mega-event activation experience, renowned logistics abilities, and the resources and network of the Pico Group, and combines them with Empire’s deep expertise in live and broadcast events, experience design, creative-driven activations, talent management, and innovative event technologies. This alliance will offer customers the collective strengths of these highly successful organizations.

TBA and Empire will collaborate closely to create, design, and deliver exceptional inbound and outbound brand activations in Japan, China, the U.S., and other international markets. The alliance will apply a focused approach to experience design which will be based on seven core fields of expertise: activations, interactive, spaces, social, film, entertainment, and hospitality. Additionally it will enable alliance clients to deliver outstanding brand experiences through powerful storytelling, creating broader and deeper engagements and memorable brand interactions with their customers.

From early in the bid process, the Tokyo Organizing Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (TOCOG) stated that their aim was to use the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games as a showcase for Japanese technology, with many sponsors investing in innovation in the lead up to 2020. The TBA-Empire alliance is poised to help Olympic-related sponsors and corporations realize this aim through the combined power of its unique, sophisticated, and exciting hospitality-and technology-based services, which will include recognition technologies and data intelligence. These will deliver customized content experiences and post-games engagement.

Gregory Crandall, Director of Brand Engagement, Pico+ and TBA Hong Kong commented, “Since 2000, at eight Olympic Games, Pico has provided infrastructure, sponsorship and hospitality, torch relay logistics and other event management services. Working closely with Empire will allow us to deliver optimal services for both Japanese clients and clients seeking to activate in Japan through Empire’s deep understanding of Japanese culture, intimate local knowledge, and access to locations and resources.”

Ted Miller, President and CEO, Empire Japan, said: “Tokyo has already eclipsed all previous Olympic Games in terms of sponsor support, with reports of almost USD three billion committed and more partners expected. The people, expertise and resources of the Empire-TBA alliance position us to support Olympic sponsors, from Worldwide Partners to Local Official Supporters; helping them to make the most of their investments during the Olympic Games and beyond as they ride the wave of interest in the Games with engaging and memorable brand experiences.”

About TBA

TBA is part of the Pico Group. A Pico+ company, this full-service creative brand activation agency specializes in below-the-line engagements for events, exhibitions, and experiential marketing, delivering results from strategy through to execution. TBA uses an insight-based approach to inspire their clients’ target audiences, create interest in brands, and deliver innovative solutions to maximize returns.

Pico+ addresses the challenges arising from a constantly shifting marketing landscape. Through integrated engagement methodologies, Pico+ seamlessly blends digital, mobile, gaming, social media, and other technology-based modes of engagement with real-life experiences to deliver impressive ROI.

www.pico-plus.com

http://www.tbacreative.net

About Pico

Pico is a global leader in Total Brand Activation specializing in engaging people, creating experiences and activating brands. Innovative, insightful, and inspired, Pico brings brands to life and creates experiences–from strategy to execution. Leveraging a track record in experience design that spans half a century, Pico creates immersive audience engagements which harness the power of technology, content, and many production services, delivering extraordinary experiences to millions of people around the world.

The Pico Group was named Asia Pacific’s Best Event Agency at the 2018 CEI Readers’ Choice Awards. The Pico Group won the Bronze award in the B2B Agency category and Bronze in the Event Agency category at Marketing Magazine’s Agency of the Year Awards 2018 in Hong Kong. The Group was the Best Marketing Website winner at the WebAwards 2017, organized by the US-based Web Marketing Association. In North America, the Pico Group has been listed as one of Special Events magazine’s 50 Top Event Companies since 2012.

Pico Far East Holdings Limited has been listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange since 1992 (HKEx Stock Code: 752). Our associate company, Pico (Thailand) Public Company Limited was listed on Thailand’s MAI in 2004 (Stock Code: PICO).

www.pico.com

​When the Paul and Daisy Soros Fellowships for New Americans decided to bring together their community of scholars for the 20th anniversary, their leadership and Board of Trustees called on Empire to serve as their production partner for this important milestone.

The 20 Year Reunion would host over 500 Fellows, family members, and trustees, and was strategically designed as a multi-day retreat consisting of social, educational, and conversational sessions and activities. Its goals included recognizing and honoring the contributions of immigrants and children of immigrants to the United States, paying tribute to the founders, Paul and Daisy Soros, and fostering the sense of community and direct connections between fellows. Creating this sense of community would be a challenge given the attendees separation by class year, schools attended, geographical residency distribution, national background and areas of professional interest. To accomplish this cohesion, event programming was built around common themes of immigration, leadership, innovation, and excellence, and targeted to sophisticated guests across multiple cohorts and disciplines within various age ranges and professions.

After an expansive search across the U.S., The Broadmoor in Colorado Springs was chosen as the venue. The Broadmoor provided a central U. S. location that made travel accessible for each guest, a location free of outside distractions and an abundance of facilities to achieve the objectives of the program.

In the middle of Immigrant Heritage Month, the weekend kicked off on Friday with Fellow arrivals and registration, followed by a welcome reception and dinner.  The reception took place at Cheyenne Lodge, a remote mountainside location with a warm ambiance and breathtaking views of the Rocky Mountains and City of Colorado Springs. This quintessential Colorado environment allowed guests to be fully immersed in their surroundings and partake in an interactive dinner experience with intimate “campfire” conversations on the cozy outdoor patio surrounding fire pits. The setting provided guests the opportunity to truly enjoy a retreat away from their everyday lives and even provided an ideal platform for a drone-shot class photo at sunset.

Saturday began with morning elective activities including yoga, a nature walk, and a guided run through The Broadmoor’s impeccable property.  Guests enjoyed breakfast prior to attending the opening keynote session by Viet Thanh Nguyen, a Vietnamese-American novelist, followed by a discussion with 2007 Paul and Daisy Soros Fellow, Michelle Kuo. The keynote session was followed by a series of programmed breakout sessions led by members of the Fellowship community; topics covered academic, social, scientific, and political topics, and more. In the afternoon, guests enjoyed some free time and took advantage of the reunion’s awe-inspiring location by engaging in outdoor activities such as hiking and excursions to iconic Colorado Springs landmarks.

Saturday evening’s highly-anticipated recognition dinner honored the founders, Paul and Daisy Soros, The Soros Family, and celebrated the legacy of the Fellowship community. The cocktail reception was dedicated to the Directors Emeritus of the organization, Warren Ilchman and Stanley Heginbotham, where guests sipped specialty cocktails such as the ‘Stanhattan’ and the ‘Warren Sparkler’.  The dinner tribute program was hosted by Alex Iftimie (2009 Fellow) and Dena Simmons (2010 Fellow) and featured a 20th Anniversary Highlight video, musical performances by David Adewumi (2017 Fellow), Paul Kwak (2006 Fellow), and Elizabeth Joy Roe (2005 Fellow). The pinnacle of the evening was the closing remarks given by Mrs. Daisy M. Soros, whose heartfelt remarks created the shared moment for the Fellowship and instilled its legacy in each attendee. The evening closed with an epic dance party with cocktails, a Paul and Daisy Soros Fellowship photo booth, and live performance by Flare Band.

To complete the weekend, Sunday offered a causal brunch and closing remarks and a weekend highlights video produced in collaboration between Empire and HutchNYC. After brunch, Fellows engaged in Sunday morning’s ‘unconference sessions’.  These sessions allowed Fellows to generate and lead discussions on the topics of their choosing like ‘How to be an Instagram Expert’ prior to guests departing on Sunday afternoon.

The Paul and Daisy Soros Fellowships for New Americans 20th Anniversary Reunion was a celebration of diverse cultures and the incredible achievements of the past 20 years and the event was a touchstone to the approximately 625 Fellows that make up the growing Fellowship community.  

Paul and Daisy Soros Fellows themselves played a large role to ensure the reunion’s events were engaging and open to all Fellows and spouses. The event featured a stand-alone app (Attendify) that allowed guests to view the event schedule and served as a social media platform for attendees to share moments, post photos, and directly communicate with each other throughout the weekend.  

Empire worked closely with the Soros family, The Paul and Daisy Soros Fellowships team, the Fellows, and the various departments at The Broadmoor, for almost a year to plan and execute each component of the weekend and its individual events and components. Empire managed every detail of this momentous occasion, which included concept development, programming, venue acquisition, budgeting, registration, script writing, screen content production, technical production, catering, décor, guest travel and accommodations, and overall guest experience. In addition to the live events, Empire and Hutch NYC partnered to create the 20th Anniversary video and weekend highlights video to promote engagement by the Fellowship community in extending the brand value of the Fellowship.

Empire is proud to have partnered with The Paul and Daisy Soros Fellowships for New Americans to produce their 20 Year Reunion to celebrate the Fellows, the tremendous accomplishments of these New Americans to achieve leadership in their chosen fields, and to partake of the American dream. Empire is also honored to have had the opportunity to recognize the legacy of Mr. Paul Soros, Mrs. Daisy Soros, and their family.

Empire is a leading producer of high-level events for many of the world’s leading educational institutions, associations, and foundations.

To learn more about the Paul & Daisy Soros Fellowship for New Americans visit https://www.pdsoros.org.

For the sixth consecutive year, Empire served as the producer of the Fragrance Foundation Awards, the fragrance industry’s premier event celebrating outstanding achievement and creativity.

Held at Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall, the evening began with guest arrivals and an elegant cocktail reception in the hall’s outdoor sunken plaza and soaring glass atrium. Amidst a series of freestanding walls printed with this year’s design motif, guests mingled and sipped champagne while attending celebrities walked the red carpet and posed for photographers.

Once seated in Alice Tully Hall, the evening’s host, award winning actress Jane Krakowski, kicked off the star-studded award program in her signature style. Her humorous opening monologue covered the fragrance industry and this year’s nominee achievements.

Notable program participants included Hall of Fame Honoree and renowned perfumer, Ann Gottlieb, Lifetime Achievement Perfumer, Olivier Cresp, and Fragrance Industry Gamechanger, Frédéric Malle.

Celebrity presenters and attendees included Denis Ferenc, Josephine Skriver, Jay Fielden, Nina Dobrev, Jerry Vittoria, Jason Wu, Derek Hough, Nina Garcia, Rita Ora, Naomi Campbell, Leonard Lauder, Olivia Palermo, and Chanel Iman.

Following the seated awards program, guests returned to the Alice Tully Hall atrium which had been transformed during the program into an elegant, seated dinner–the perfect summer evening dining experience.

The evening ended with an afterparty held at the Lincoln Ristorante where guests danced to music by fashion-favorite DJ Coleman.

The Fragrance Foundation Awards bring together virtually every luxury and consumer brand in the fragrance industry including  Estée Lauder, Atelier Cologne, Dior, Coach, Coty, Ralph Lauren, Tom Ford,  Giorgio Armani, Tory Burch, Marc Jacobs, Jo Malone, Maison Margiela, Victoria’s Secret, Michael Kors, Givenchy, Elizabeth Arden, LVMH, Puig, Dolce & Gabbana, Chanel, Cartier, Hermès, Lancôme, diptyque Paris, Revlon, NEST, Frédéric Malle, Cire Trudon, YSL and Gucci.

Empire is a leading producer of events, award shows, and programs for the luxury brand, fragrance, cosmetics, and fashion industries. ​

Playworks celebrated their fourth annual New York Get in theGame Gala recognizing the Most Valuable Principal, Atiba Buckman of Newark Public Schools’ Speedway Academies. This school year, acclaimed non-profit Playworks will provide safe, healthy, and inclusive play for nearly 900,000 children in more than 1,800 elementary schools nationwide, which reduces bullying, increases physical activity, improves learning, and promotes social and emotional skills.

The evening featured remarks from Executive Director of Playworks, Kim McCall, Founder and CEO, Jill Vialet, a live auction led by CK Swett raising an all-time high of $225,000, entertainment from musician, actress, and social media influencer, Rebecca Black, recess games, a friendly game of Ro Sham Bo, plus great food and drink. Funds raised support the expanding efforts of Playworks to bring the power of play to every girl and boy in New York City and beyond.

To help make this event a success, Empire produced the fundraiser once again at the elegant Tribeca Rooftop, where we transported guests from the ballroom to the playground on the transformed rooftop space. Attendees enjoyed stunning Manhattan views and experienced play through sophisticated and immersive activations of traditional recess games like FourSquare and Switch, along with life-sized installations of Checkers, Jenga, and Connect 4.

Working closely with Playworks, Empire served as the event producer, managing elements including venue, décor, technical production, and performing talent. Empire is a leading producer of fundraising events and we are honored that Playworks continues to work with us to produce successful galas.

To support or learn more about Playworks, please visit www.playworks.org

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When MVD Inc, an innovative boutique experiential marketing production company, contacted Empire asking what we were doing three days later, and whether we could help launch an album for a world-renowned musical artist, we couldn’t wait to find out more info!

Fast forward three days later, 300+ journalists, celebrities, music industry executives, and local Wyoming residents convened on a ranch in Jackson Hole, WY, to take in a musical experience they’d never forget.

Beginning in New York City and Los Angeles, Empire and MVD worked with travel partners to get 300+ guests on multiple private aircraft. Once in Wyoming, guests were shuttled to multiple properties and then to the Diamond Cross Ranch.

As horses roamed around the majestic property, surrounded by snow-capped mountains, guests were treated to BBQ and drinks to keep them warm throughout the night ahead.

When it was time for the Listening Event to begin, guests were asked to head towards the bonfire, where Chris Rock kicked off the festivities. Following his remarks, the artist's 24-min album played as the world-renowned artist and guests, including Nas, Big Sean, 2 Chainz, Lil Yachty, Desiigner, Teyana Taylor, Pusha T, Kid Cudi, Luka Sabbat, Scooter Braun, Peter Rosenberg, DJ Clue, Ty Dolla $ign, and Jonah Hill, danced and celebrated the release.  

The next morning, guests were transferred back to the airport, where awaiting jets returned them home while coverage of the event saturated the news and digital channels worldwide.

For this event, Empire and the MVD Inc team worked with many other partners to pull off an unforgettable event within 72 hours.

Empire is a leading producer of music industry events and performances and has produced album launches for artists including Alicia Keys, Carlos Santana, Wyclef Jean, Barry Manilow, and more.

When Dartmouth College launched its $3 billion capital campaign entitled The Call to Lead, the most ambitious in its 250 year history, their leadership and Board of Trustees chose Empire as their creative and production partner.  

The Call to Lead was launched as part of a comprehensive, multi-platform communications strategy which included a series of highly experiential events for generations of alumni in New York City, Hanover, NH, and San Francisco. These events would need to both inspire emotional responses to renew the connections among the alumni and their ambitions for their alma mater, but they would also need to appeal on a rational basis by illustrating its far-reaching plans to advance Dartmouth’s distinctive liberal arts experience, fuel research discoveries that improve the human condition around the globe, and prepare students—across disciplines and programs—for lives of leadership in a complex, interconnected world.

On April 27, over 500 Dartmouth alumni, parents, and friends gathered for the first of the campaign launch events at the Duggal Greenhouse in the Brooklyn Navy Yard, with spectacular views of New York Harbor and the New York City skyline. Arriving by ferry as well as by vehicles, guests were greeted by a boisterous musical welcome performed by an ensemble of Dartmouth musicians and dancers.  

Passing through an efficient check-in, guests then made their way down a reception corridor lined with hedges hung with placards featuring quotes by celebrated alumni, including Daniel Webster and Shonda Rhimes. At the end of the corridor, guests emerged into an expansive representation of Dartmouth’s Green with pathways running between elegant, scale model replicas of iconic Dartmouth buildings like Baker Tower and Dartmouth Hall. In the center of the Green stood a soaring wooden bar, built to resemble the bonfire that is part of every Fall Homecoming. Guests enjoyed a Dartmouth-inspired menu of appetizers and wines produced by Dartmouth alumni-owned wineries.  

At the conclusion of the cocktail hour, a spontaneous, flash mob-style musical performance by a 20-person student and alumni ensemble led guests to a giant traveler curtain which opened to reveal a massive dining hall set with banquet tables for 500. Surrounding the room was a monumental, 270 degree projection system that created an immersive environment, placing attendees at the center of Dartmouth Green.

Once guests took their seats, a powerfully-evocative March of Time video counted down 249 years of Dartmouth’s illustrious history and established the theme of leadership, setting the stage for President Philip J. Hanlon’s outline of the vision for the future of Dartmouth and the formal announcement of The Call to Lead.  

Journalist Susan Dentzer and actress Connie Britton, both Dartmouth alumnae, hosted the events in Brooklyn and San Francisco, respectively. Students and faculty shared stories of collaboration spanning disciplines, generations, and geographies that have led to world-changing impact. The evenings were also filled with surprise moments, stunning announcements of substantial support, and donations by many generous alumni.

Between stage segments, meals were served with precision timing as guests were treated to a visual extravaganza of HD footage and high resolution imagery of the Dartmouth campus through the seasons.  

Both events culminated with Laurel Richie, Board of Trustees Chair, recapping Dartmouth’s strategic priorities and energizing the crowd to act and answer The Call to Lead. At the conclusion of Richie’s remarks, the musical performers appeared once again for a finalé performance, inspired by the Dartmouth Bonfire tradition and enhanced with surround visuals of the burning bonfire through the generations. This performance led guests back to the reception area, which had been transformed during dinner into a future-forward afterparty with young alumni DJs, green screen photo booths, and a variety of themed activities.

Following the immensely successful New York City event, Empire transported the entire event across the country by truck and restaged everything at San Francisco’s Fort Mason Festival Pavilion just five days later–an ambitious and precision undertaking.

Empire worked closely with several Dartmouth departments and teams, students and volunteers, as well as creative, communications, production, and event partners to plan and execute the events. Empire oversaw every detail including concept development, messaging, venue acquisition, budgeting, registration, scripting, screen content production, technical production, catering, permitting, security, scenic, décor, staffing, and guest logistics and experience.  

In addition to the live events, Empire and Dartmouth jointly created an extensive body of visual assets for display at the events to promote social media sharing and engagement by alumni, for repackaging and deployment in a concise 10-city road show and for web and email marketing to be used over the extended campaign.

Empire is proud to have partnered with Dartmouth to produce these campaign events which helped to motivate over $100 million in commitments during the five days between the New York City and San Francisco events.

Empire is a leading producer of high-level events, both on and off campus, for Ivy League schools and many of the world’s leading educational institutions.

For more information on Dartmouth’s Campaign, visit https://calltolead.dartmouth.edu/

​

​The 22^nd Annual Webby Awards were held at Cipriani Wall Street, with winners and presenters including David Letterman, FKA twigs, Adam Sandler, Liam Neeson, Laura Linney, Mitchell Baker, Kara Swisher, and David Harbour. Honoring the best of the internet, the Webby Awards is renowned for limiting award recipients’ speeches to five words or less. This year’s Awards was once again a star-studded affair and for the 14^th consecutive year, Empire served as producer.

Host Amber Ruffin, from Late Night With Seth Meyers, set the tone with a fantastic internet-centric monologue before introducing presenters and winners to the stage. In addition to those above, these included Dominique Fishback, Silicon Valley’s Jimmy O. Yang, Vicente Fox, Jesse Williams, David Chang, Steven Soderbergh, NBA all-star Isiah Thomas, an NFL Super Bowl Champion, CNN’s Laurie Segall, Jennifer Ferrin, and Webby Person of the Year Award recipient, Susan Fowler.

Winners’ five-word speeches alternated from poignant (FKA twigs “Treat people kindly. Start now.”) to protest (“Net Neutrality, you greedy motherfu*X#ers!” by David Harbour), to spur of the moment irreverence (Adam Sandler’s rave about Cipriani’s dinner, “How about that fu*#ing chicken??!!”).

The most memorable acceptance of the night arguably came from Late Night legend, David Letterman, who after saying “Thank you”, created a theatrically dramatic pause, removing his glasses, seeming to cry, before finally adding “tears of joy” to describe his emotions about winning a Webby award.

But the most memorable moment of the night wasn’t an award at all. The Webbys recognized the March For Our Lives movement, and three of the student survivors of recent school shootings were introduced to the stage. The students chose not to receive the traditional trophy, spurring the Webbys to also break tradition—allowing them to speak as much as they wanted. Their brave and insightful remarks were a call for change in gun laws, and they walked off the stage to a roaring standing ovation from the crowd.

Attendees were mesmerized by a spectacular set designed by David Korins Design (scenic designer of Broadway’s “Hamilton”) as they ate a sumptuous meal served to perfection to the maximum capacity audience that filled Cipriani Wall Street.

Empire is proud of our longstanding relationships with the Webby Awards and are honored to have served as their producing partner since 2005.

The 22^nd Annual Webby Awards can be viewed in full here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jiq-n3lopZw

The Smart Cities New York is North America’s leading global conference on Smart Cities and explores the intersection of technology and urban life while bringing together businesses and institutions to discuss the pioneering urban solutions that are defining and transforming cities around the world.

SCNY18 focused specifically on the power of cities and the importance of citizen participation in making cities ‘smart.’ SCNY18: Powered by People covered a broad range of important topics including AI, cybersecurity, cloud computing, autonomous vehicles, technology for the disabled, drones, rooftop urban agriculture, shared housing, transportation, renewable energy, and infrastructure.

For this year’s second edition, Smart Cities New York hosted over 200 speakers, 32 panels, 30 workshops, 12 keynotes, 16 Lightning Rounds, 6 tours, and numerous networking events and receptions throughout New York City.

SCNY18 also welcomed Mayors from around the world. This year’s event was opened by New York Cities’ very own Mayor Bill de Blasio and Chicago Mayor, Rahm Emanuel, who discussed everything from intelligent streetlights to smarter education with author Bruce Katz. Other participants included the Mayors of Atlanta, Denver, Vancouver, Rotterdam, Director of the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network, Jeffrey Sachs, and Gudni Johannesson, President of the Republic of Iceland.  

The multi-day event also featured a cutting edge exposition, workshops, panels, parties, and a multitude of public events drawing attendees from around the world. An actioned-packed day of workshops, meet ups, and discussions was held at the Brooklyn Navy Yard and NYU Tandon. With more than 600 attendees, the Smart Cities New York workshop day featured outstanding sessions from The Nordics, The Consulate Kingdom of the Netherlands, C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group, NYC Mayor's Office of the Chief Technology Officer, Civ:Lab, Oracle, and others.

The main events at Pier 36 featured four keynote and panel discussion stages running non-stop. Some of the highlights included:

• A Conversation with Global Mayors on Resilience, featuring Gregor Robertson, Mayor of Vancouver; Ahmed Aboutaleb, Mayor of Rotterdam; Keisha Lance-Bottoms, Mayor of Atlanta; and Michael Berkowitz, President of 100 Resilient Cities, pioneered by The Rockefeller Foundation.
• City Possible: A New Model for Urban Development, with Hany Fam, EVP of Enterprise Partnerships at Mastercard.
• Mayor Rahm Emanuel in Conversation with Bruce Katz, Co-Founder of New Localism Advisors.
• In Conversation with President Guðni Th. Jóhannesson, President of the Republic of Iceland, and Ann Davlin, Origination Manager at True Green Capital Management.
• The Future of Cities, a highly anticipated discussion by Jeffrey Sachs and Mayor Steve Benjamin.

Simultaneously, an exhibit hall and B2B trade show took place which included interactive demonstrations and participation from sponsors ranging from Mastercard, Verizon, Panasonic, Hitachi, Diakin, Shimiz Corporation (TEAM JAPAN), Microsoft, Citi, Esri, Engie, AECom, Urban X, The Consulate General of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, The Consulate General of Norway, and the Consulate General of Sweden, among many others. At the expo, lead sponsor Mastercard showcased its Cities Possible program with consumer insights and real-time digital content, allowing visitors to interact with its Priceless station and VR experience.

Other partners included Politico, LYFT, NYC & Co., The Brooklyn Navy Yard, Citibike, NewLab, and Newsym among many others.

Empire served as overall producer and production company of Smart Cities New York and was responsible for project management, production design, technical production, staging, production of digital media content (with reelworks.org), liaison with all exhibiting sponsors, staffing, catering ,and café area, and the Brella Networking Area.

Additionally, Empire’s team worked closely with Global Futures Group, Emergence Creative, Mastercard, Hitachi, Diakin, Panasonic, Shimizu Corporation, Verizon, Citi, and other partners, including many international groups and Consulate Generals, to facilitate each partner’s activation and to supervise the overall guest experience.

Empire is proud to have served once as producer of Smart Cities New York and to have supported this important thought leadership platform.

Smart Cities New York is presented by the Global Futures Group, Emergence Creative, and Smart World Productions LLC.

To learn more about Smart Cities New York and to explore participation in 2019 visit https://smartcitiesny.com/

Screenvision Media, a national leader in cinema advertising, pitched the real impact of cinema’s reach to CMOs, planners, buyers, and brands at the company’s upfront event at the PlayStation Theater in New York City. The upfront demonstrated how Screenvision Media connects brands to every part of the moviegoer’s journey, driven by data and technology, interactivity, and integration.

To bring the “Real Impact” theme to life, Empire developed a design and concept, working closely with Screenvision Media, to transform New York City’s PlayStation Theater into a fully-immersive theater and afterparty experience for its high-level attendees. The event would include an arrival experience, a main stage presentation, and an experiential afterparty featuring activations based on forthcoming major motion picture releases.

During the main presentation, Screenvision Media executives, including CEO John Partilla, CRO Katy Loria, and EVP of National Ad Sales, Christine Martino, provided proof of the strength of their storytelling platform and established why cinema is an essential element in a brand’s media mix in an age of increasing media fragmentation. The presentation also highlighted the growing strength of cinema as evidenced by recent record-breaking box office successes of “Black Panther” and “Avengers: Infinity Wars”, as well as providing a preview of the strong outlook for 2018 and 2019.

The carefully scripted stage presentation, delivered in front of a cinema-sized screen, featured substantial motion graphics as well as three humorous videos inspired by iconic scenes from “Forrest Gump”, “It”, and “When Harry Met Sally”. The videos were created by Screenvision Media’s in-house branded content agency, 40 Foot Solutions.

At the conclusion of the presentation came a dramatic reveal to the afterparty. Guests were welcomed to a large, inviting space featuring a central bar, innovative catering stations by Creative Edge, AR and VR activations, interactive photo booths, arcade games, and immersive, experiential activations featuring five of the largest motion picture blockbusters scheduled to be released in the coming year.

On the existing concert stage was an animated cityscape environment representing SONY’s “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” . SONY’s “Venom”, starring Tom Hardy and Michelle Williams, was represented with a vignette that enabled guests to climb aboard the actual motorcycle featured in the film and share an animated photo of themselves. Marvel Studios’ “Captain Marvel” had its own super hero lounge, while Warner Brothers’ “Aquaman”, starring Jason Momoa, had its own Aquaman-themed bar and tattoo station. Finally, Fox Studio’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” featured a lip sync booth where guests could don ’80s wigs and sing the operatic portion of Bohemian Rhapsody. Vignettes also included custom guest activities, signature cocktails, and custom t-shirt and bag screen printing.

Empire is proud to have worked closely with Screenvision Media’s team to reach their advertisers with a creative, experiential upfront that provided a memorable experience for the media influencers in attendance.

Empire was responsible for all event details including concept, venue acquisition, layout and scenic design, catering, staging, sound, lighting, video projection, graphics, furnishings, staffing and partner/studio coordination.

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Celebrating its 10^th anniversary, the Shorty Awards continue to honor the best influencers, celebrities, brands, and agencies on social media across Snapchat, Instagram, YouTube, Twitter, and other platforms. The show returned to PlayStation Theater in the heart of Times Square in New York City for the ceremony, amplified by the sponsorship of DIRECTV NOW.

Over 800 influencers, brands, agencies, and guests packed the theater for the ceremony, which featured a cocktail reception, a seated dinner, and an afterparty at the Moxy Hotel. The staged event streamed live on YouTube and DIRECTV NOW’s Twitter feed to over 9 million viewers (and counting!) internationally, as fans all over the globe tuned in to watch their favorite social media stars.

Kicking off the festivities, Queer Eye’s Fab 5 hosted the teal carpet, interviewing the social media royalty as they arrived at the event.

Singer, songwriter, and actress Keke Palmer hosted the show and kept the audience entertained, while presenters including Casey Neistat, Olympic gold medalist Laurie Hernandez, Ronny Cheing, and Roy Wood Jr. of the Daily Show, gave out awards.

This was the most competitive show to date, as over 7 million votes poured in from fans all over the world, a record for participation. Winners of the signature Whale-Tail Trophy included MKBHD, Backpack Kid, Spencer Pratt, Fuck Jerry, Vlog Squad, and Topher Brophy. JJ Watt was honored with the Shorty Phenom Award for his philanthropic work for hurricane victims, and Erica Garner received an award posthumously for the Best in Activism category.  

Rising star musical artist Betty Who amazed the crowd with energetic performances of her songs “Mama Say”, “Ignore Me”, and an energizing cover of Donna Lewis’ song “I Love You Always Forever”.

Empire is proud to partner with The Shorty Awards for our fourth year and we congratulate all the 2018 winners, as well as an even larger congratulations to TEN successful years of the Shorty Awards!

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Empire was proud to once again serve as the producer of the TIME 100 Gala, which took place at the Frederick P. Rose Hall, Home of Jazz at Lincoln Center. Each year, TIME publishes the TIME 100: a list of the most influential people in the world. To celebrate this highly anticipated release, TIME hosts an exclusive gala event in New York City attended by current and past TIME 100 honorees. With its extraordinary mix of world leaders, innovators, and celebrities, the TIME 100 Gala is globally recognized as one of the most prestigious annual events.

As in past years, the TIME 100 was attended by a who’s who of global icons from industry, culture, sports, fashion, and politics.

Participants and performers at this year’s Gala included Jennifer Lopez, Shawn Mendes, Sterling K. Brown, Adam Rippon, Tarana Burke, Nice Nailante Leng'ete, and Deepika Padukone, as well as Editor-in-Chief of Time, Edward Felsenthal, Time's Director of Enterprise, Mia Tramz, and Editorial Director at Time Magazine, Dan Macsai.

Among the notable attendees this year were Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban, John Krasinski and Emily Blunt, Millie Bobby Brown, Kesha, Ben Platt, Trevor Noah, RuPaul, Leslie Jones, Christian Siriano, Megyn Kelly, Ali Raisman, Lindsey Vonn, Carmen Yulín Cruz, Senator Rand Paul, Congresswoman Maxine Waters, Lena Waithe, Kehinde Wiley, Preet Bharara, Martha Stewart, Arianna Huffington, and Parkland Activists Alex Wind, Cameron Kasky, Emma Gonzalez, Jaclyn Corin, and David Hogg.

The gala featured an extensive red carpet on two floors, an elegant cocktail reception over which was flown a ‘photo chandelier’ of Time 100 honorees, a seated dinner and program that combined remarks, musical performances, toasts by some of the evening’s honorees, and an afterparty with DJ Mick. This year’s gala event was sponsored by Citi, Jane Walker by Johnnie Walker, Airtable, and Fly Victor.

As one of the world’s most high-stature events, the TIME 100 draws extensive global media coverage which this year included NBC’s Today Show, CBS This Morning, FOX, Entertainment Tonight, E! News, and Access Hollywood. Additionally, the TIME 100 generates extraordinary digital reach through TIME.com, online bloggers, and social media from the attendees themselves.

With the world watching through such extensive coverage, the production of the TIME 100 requires the highest caliber of precision planning and flawless execution. Empire was proud to work closely with the TIME team to once again deliver a flawless and extraordinary evening.

As producer, Empire’s responsibilities included event design, talent booking and coordination, staging and technical production, venue and catering logistics coordination (catering provided by Great Performances), broadcast facilities, stage management, staffing, front of house logistics, security and sponsorship activations.

Empire is proud to continue our nine year history with the Time 100.

Link: http://time.com/5248950/time-100-gala-best-moments/

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Empire was proud to work with Samsung who hosted some of the brightest young minds for the final round of their annual Samsung Solve for Tomorrow Contest. The nationwide competition encourages students to use STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics) to address real-world problems in their local communities. Students from the top ten schools flew in to New York City from all over the country to pitch their innovations to a panel of esteemed judges.  

After a nine-month journey through various phases of the contest, the final event kicked off at Samsung 837, a cultural destination and digital playground. Hosting the event were Michele Mosa, Senior Manager of Corporate Citizenship at Samsung Electronics America, and Kyle Hill, a science editor/YouTube educator. They introduced the Co-Founder of the program, David Steel, Executive Vice President and Head of Corporate Affairs at Samsung Electronics America, to welcome contestants and their supporters. Students then presented their project ideas and prototypes to a panel of esteemed judges. The themes of kindness and empathy, health and safety, and environmental solutions led the winning ideas for the finalists, including an app-based outdoor home fire extinguishing sprinkler system to contain wildfires and a device that allows first responders to safely collect hazardous needles left behind by opioid and other drug users. These student inventions show how STEAM learning can take a simple idea to the next level, empowering students to reach a new potential and make a difference.

The event was also livestreamed so friends and families were able to watch from their home states. To wrap up a great day of presentations, Samsung surprised the students with a video announcement from Tim Baxter, President and CEO of Samsung Electronics North America, informing them they would be featured on Good Morning America to announce the winners. Following the big reveal, students boarded "The Ride" for a personalized bus tour around Manhattan, followed by a celebratory dinner at a top Italian restaurant in New York City.

On Tuesday evening, the students and teachers were invited to unwind and mingle at a Samsung loft location. Students took photos in the Samsung low-light photo booth and journeyed into space using the new Samsung Virtual Reality Headsets, all while sipping on custom mocktails. Each of the ten national finalist schools were awarded with $50,000 in Samsung technology, and the top three winners each won a total of $150,000 in Samsung technology for their schools.

Empire was thrilled to collaborate with Samsung Solve for Tomorrow by helping coordinate the final event at Samsung 837 and fun evening at the loft. For most students, it was their first visit to the Big Apple and an experience they will never forget. The future sure looks bright to us!  

To learn more about the student's innovations, click the links below: https://news.samsung.com/us/2018-samsung-solve-pitch-event-live-streaming-video/Good Morning America Winners Reveal: https://news.samsung.com/us/2018-Samsung-Solve-for-Tomorrow-National-Winner-Announcement/

Since 1967, Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) has worked tirelessly to solve the world’s biggest environmental problems. To celebrate 50 years of “finding the ways that work”, EDF gathered longtime supporters, partners, and associates to thank them and outline the pivotal steps on the path ahead.

On the heels of the success of the first celebration in San Francisco in the fall of 2017, the second installment of 50^th Anniversary celebrations occurred at the newly re-designed and re-opened Ziegfeld Ballroom in New York City.

Over 300 guests enjoyed mingling during a cocktail hour, complete with a full bar, hors d’oeuvres, and a live jazz trio.

Guests then moved into the ballroom for the stage program and seated dinner. Following the over-arching theme of the “Four Waves” of environmentalism, host Margaret Hoover (author, activist, and CNN analyst) introduced two original videos generated specifically for the occasion: the first documenting the growth of the environmental movement and EDF’s role in it, and the second focusing on EDF’s work harnessing the power of partnerships to achieve environmental progress.

To further drive home the message of impact, EDF welcomed a rancher, farmer, and fisherman to share stories on how EDF programs have directly benefited them and their industries, while advancing conservation for species and ecosystems. As a surprise unveiling, the fisherman (Buddy Guindon, announced to the crowd that the entrée they had just enjoyed was from his very own catch from the Gulf of Mexico.

The keynote speech was given by former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who discussed his partnership with EDF during his tenure as mayor and since he left office.

EDF President, Fred Krupp, who has led the organization for the past 34 years, rounded out the night with an impactful speech. His message acknowledged the challenges ahead, but offered hope that EDF – with the help of people in the room and others like them – could continue to make progress on the most pressing environmental problems facing the world.

Empire is proud to have produced this anniversary event and supports the work and mission of the EDF.

To learn more about the Environmental Defense Fund, please visit www.edf.org.

During the past several years AMC and Empire have partnered to create large-scale, ground-breaking upfront events worthy of their extraordinary programming. This year, AMC opted to host a series of intimate, bespoke culinary events in New York City and Chicago designed to present a "tasting menu" of AMC Networks’ award-winning programming. Each event was intimate, elegant and created the perfect environment for conversations between the guests, the programming and the network hosts.

Six of the upfronts took place at Chefs Club, a trendy SoHo restaurant that welcomes culinary masterminds into their state-of-the-art chef’s kitchen. AMC Networks took full advantage of this unique space to provide guests a once-in-a-lifetime culinary experience, with menus curated and prepared by some of the world’s best-known chefs including: Chris Santos, executive chef and owner of The Stanton Social, Beauty & Essex and Vandal; Scott Conant, James Beard Award Winner and co-owner of Fusco; Alex Guarnaschelli, executive chef at Butter Midtown and author ofO ld-School Comfort Food; Tyler Florence, owner of Wayfare Tavern; and Tom Colicchio, recipient of five James Beard Awards and owner of Gramercy Tavern, Craft, and Colicchio & Sons.

Each event began with a cocktail hour and passed hors d’oeuvres during which AMC Networks executives and ad sales teams mingled with advertisers and agency personnel. Following cocktails, guests were seated for welcome remarks from Josh Sapan, President and CEO of AMC Networks, and Ed Carroll, COO of AMC Networks. Charlie Collier, President and GM of AMC, Sundance TV and AMC Studios, and Scott Collins, President of National Ad Sales, AMC Networks, teased new programming coming to AMC, BBC America, Sundance, IFC, and WeTV. Guests also had the opportunity to preview new shows on screens positioned throughout the dining room. As dessert was served, each chef gave a personalized introduction to the course.

In addition to AMC Network execs and celebrity chefs, show talent from across all five networks also attended the various events, giving clients the opportunity to mingle with the stars. Attendees included Norman Reedus, Julianna Margulies, Paul Giamatti, Kevin Smith, Danay Garcia, and Eli Roth.

In addition to the six upfronts at Chefs Club, another event was held at Boka Resturant in Chicago.

Empire was proud to work closely with AMC Networks to create these exclusive culinary experiences. Empire served as overall producer of the event series, secured the venues, contracted and worked with each chef on menu and logistics, provided technical production and décor, and executed all needs for the programs.

Empire is a leading producer of standout upfront events and key business-to-business presentations.

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When KIRIN, Japan’s beverage giant, wanted to find ways to increase awareness and popularity of their green tea line, Namacha, Empire Japan was there to help.

During this first seasonal campaign, held at the Ocha No Iroha building, guests were instantly engulfed in a sea of cherry blossom trees after entering the space. The fitting theme of the evening was “Hanami by Namacha”, or "cherry blossom viewing by Namacha".

KIRIN and Empire created an experience where one could relax and enjoy “Namacha” because of careful space design and eye for detail. Once guests made their way through the beautiful cherry blossoms, they were invited to enjoy original Namacha-inspired cherry blossom sweets. Building this installation at a prime location garnered multiple interactions and brand impressions over the course of the four day campaign.

Empire is a proven leader of executing innovative, consumer-face brand marketing projects in worldwide markets.​

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Since the late 1800s, this top watchmaker company has written some of the finest chapters in the history of haute horlogerie, including a number of world firsts. To continue their rich legacy, it was a natural choice for this luxury brand to have Empire Japan lead all aspects of their three-day event.

With the theme "Spring of Le Brasch", held at the beautiful G735 Gallery in Tokyo, Empire transformed this modern luxury car gallery to the lush Vallée de Joux. With over 200 brand guests in attendance, all were instantly transported from Tokyo to the beautiful greenery of the Vallée de Joux, Switzerland.

The highlights of the evening were an original menu by acclaimed French restaurant Joel Robuchon and an original live performance by Empire Artist's very own juggling extraordinaire, Yuusaku Mochizuki.

Empire is a leading producer of events and programs for luxury brands throughout the world. ​

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​All Hands and Hearts, Co-Founded by philanthropist and supermodel Petra Nemcova, called on Empire once again to produce their Third Fight for Education gala in the renowned Cipriani Wall Street.

On February 15, leaders from finance, sports, and fashion gathered to support the All Hands and Hearts mission to address immediate and long-term needs of communities impacted by natural disasters by engaging and leveraging volunteers, partner organizations, and local communities.

The action-packed evening was kicked off by internationally-acclaimed tenor James Valenti singing the National Anthem. After the moving performance, Petra invited All Hands and Hearts volunteer, former NFL star, and Good Morning America anchor Michael Strahan to speak about his recent experiences with the foundation as they worked to rebuild Houston after the devastation ofHurricane Harvey.

After his moving remarks, All Hands and Hearts co-chair Tina Lindstrom took to the ring to introduce their new partnership with Equinox and thank guests for their attendance. Then, veteran sports announcer Mark Fratto stepped into the ring to begin announcing the night’s roster of bouts.

The evening proceeded with six fights featuring amateurs in finance representing JP Morgan Chase, Goldman Sachs, and Siris Capital Cantor Fitzgerald, among others. The highlight of the night was the last fight between All Hands and Hearts Co-Chairs, Tina “TNT” Lindstrom and Kathleen “Kitty” Kelly, and showcased the women’s fierceness as well as their dedication to the cause.

In between the action, Sotheby’s auctioneer Ben Doller led the live auction of eight lots, including a trip to Mexico City to experience the famous Formula 1 on the Mexico City Grand Prix F1 track, and a special VIP package to NYFW.

Throughout the elevated evening, the nearly 400 guests were treated to a three-course meal of spring salad, entrée choices of world-famous Cipriani pasta, short rib or sea bass, and family-style desserts for a sweet finish.

Empire was proud to be a part of this creative fundraising event, having been the producer of All Hands and Hearts’ annual events for the last eight years, and is a leading producer of not-for-profit events globally.

To learn more about All Hands and Hearts, please visit https://www.allhandsandhearts.org/

Empire presented nine-time Grammy Award-winning artist, Sheryl Crow, and her full band for a corporate audience in Las Vegas. Approximately 500 guests of all ages packed the Palazzo Ballroom at the Venetian Hotel and Casino for the private performance.

The audience flocked to the stage as Sheryl Crow performed all of her greatest hits including, "All I Wanna Do", "Everyday is a Winding Road", "My Favorite Mistake", "Soak Up the Sun", and of course, "Leaving Las Vegas."

Empire was responsible for proposing, negotiating, contracting, and advancing all logistical and production elements for Sheryl Crow’s performance.

Empire is a leading provider of talent for corporate events and celebrations around the world.

For the seventh year, Empire teamed up with visionary artist, entrepreneur, and philanthropist will.i.am to produce the annual TRANS4M Gala, benefiting his i.am angel Foundation.

This year’s gala honored Sean Parker, Chairman of the Parker Institute, for Cancer Immunotherapy, which is responsible for uniting laboratory and clinical efforts that will lead to the immunological treatment, control and prevention of cancer. The evening was co-hosted by Marc and Lynne Benioff, Ron Conway, Dean Kamen, Laurene Powell-Jobs, Van Jones, Ken and Teri Hertz and The Anneberg Foundation.

The i.am angel foundation supports charitable activities and programs providing college scholarships (i.am scholarship), college preparation (i.amCollege Track), and opportunities in STEAM education (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math), and remains committed to TRANS4M-ing will.i.am’s hometown neighborhood of Boyle Heights in East Los Angeles.

350 supporters gathered at Milk Studios for an intimate evening that showcased the foundation’s programs and students. i.am angel’s donors enjoyed cocktails and hors d'oeuvres as they engaged with students in a variety of demonstrations related to i.am angel’s STEAM programs.

After cocktails, guests made their way to The Hangar, which was transformed into an elegant dining room with long rustic wooden tables juxtaposed with the venue’s steel and urban vibe. Flourishes including hanging greenery, pin-spotted tabletop florals, and flickering candlelight for a warm yet forward-looking style.

The program was emceed by the Roast Master General, Jeff Ross. As the evening progressed, guests listened to heartwarming student testimonials and a fireside chat between will.i.am and honoree, Sean Parker. Later in the night, auctioneer Zack Krone took the stage with special guest auctioneer and comedian, Chris Tucker.  Together they led guests to bid on VIP experiences that ranged from a VIP U2concert experience to a vegan dinner and lifestyle experiences with Moby and will.i.am. The evening raised more than $1.6 million that will support ongoing STEAM education programs..

The evening finished with a high-energy double-bill performance by Black Eyed Peas and Earth Wind & Fire.

Empire is honored to continue our long-term partnership with the i.am angel Foundation and to serve as producer of this exclusive event.

For more information on this innovative foundation, please visit www.iamangelfoundation.org

Empire was proud to work with CoreMedia Systems to produce their 25^th Anniversary benefiting the Good Tidings Foundation. The high-profile charity concert featured celebrity talent with the goal of raising funds for the Good Tidings Foundation, a children’s charity that looks to equally support arts, education, athletics, and dreams for youth from communities in need all over the country.

Guests were welcomed to Gotham Hall, meticulously decorated in jewel-toned hues of blue and green velvet with gold accents to complement the golden dome of the 19^th century building. Empire transformed the historic former bank into a sleek and modern lounge with a smoking room luxe atmosphere. Over 700 attendees enjoyed passed hors d’oeuvres, food stations, and specialty cocktails along with a photo booth activation, silent auction, and an interactive digital graffiti wall.

The concert featured upbeat music from DJ Natasha Diggs, a main stage performance from Marc Roberge of O.A.R. and friends, and guests danced the remainder of the night away to tunes from famed DJ Questlove.

The host of the event, CoreMedia Systems, Inc. develops and supports CoreDirect, the advertising industry’s most widely used direct-response media management software. The system is used by more than 100 direct response agencies and marketers to plan, buy, manage, measure, and optimize direct response media campaigns.

Glenn DeKraker, the company’s founder and CEO, addressed the crowd along with Larry Harper, the founder o fGood Tidings, who invited famed New York Yankees pitcher, CC Sabathia to the stage to say a few words about the Good Tidings Foundation and announce their latest project in the Bronx to refurbish a Boys and Girls Club. During the evening, CoreMedia graciously presented a check of $334,000 as a donation to the Good Tidings Foundation, raised through the generous contributions of clients and friends in the direct response industry.

Empire served as the overall event producer, coordinated all logistics, catering, décor, talent acquisition and coordination, technical production, program, staffing and onsite management. Empire was proud to partner with CoreMedia Systems (www.coremedia-systems.com) to support the Good Tidings Foundation. To learn more and donate to the Good Tidings Foundation, please visit www.goodtidings.com.

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EBONY Magazine presented the 6th annual EBONY Power 100 Gala honoring the nation’s 100 most powerful and influential African Americans, along with Ebony Icon Award recipient, Maxine Waters, and the inaugural John H. Johnson Award recipient, Robert F. Smith, at the iconic Beverly Hilton's International Ballroom.

The event was hosted by the CEO of Ebony Media Operations, Linda Johnson Rice, The Chairman of Ebony Media Operations, Michael Gibson, and The Vice Chairman of Ebony Media Operations, Willard Jackson.

Following red carpet arrivals, media room activations, and an elegant cocktail reception, approximately 600 guests were seated for a dinner program emceed by Blackish star, actor and comedian, Deon Cole.

Over the course of the evening, attendees were entertained by musical and dance performances, including tap dancers from the Debbie Allen Dance Academy, an acoustic performance by Willow Smith, and a rousing finalé performance by Bell Biv Devoe.

DJ Cipha Sounds performed throughout the event and spun at the post-reception in the International Foyer and Terrace where guests also enjoyed a variety of activities and sponsored social sharing stations.

Celebrities and A-listers in attendance and featured on stage included Pastor Michael Walrond Jr., Essence Atkins, Tristan Mack Wilds, and Angela Rye.   Additional attendees included Magic and Cookie Johnson, Sugar Ray Leonard, Laila Ali, Anthony Anderson, and many more.

The Ebony Power 100 was presented by Nationwide Insurance, with other noteworthy sponsors and partners including United Airlines, Cadillac, Hilton Worldwide, Shea Moisturizer, and Diageo.

Empire was honored to once again serve as event producer for the Ebony Power 100, responsible for venue logistics, décor, production, talent booking and coordination, registration, videography, event logistics, and onsite management.

The Howard Hughes Corporation partnered with Empire to present a holiday event to showcase the brand-new Pier 17 rooftop, located at the Seaport District NYC. Before a panorama of nighttime views overlooking lower Manhattan, the East River, and iconic Brooklyn Bridge, esteemed clients, employees, and friends christened the rooftop, opening the newest chapter in this historic location.  

This was the first event held at the new Pier 17 building, which began construction in 2014 after the previous building was damaged in Hurricane Sandy. Guests to this special event were invited to preview the new building and its one-of-a kind rooftop space, which was partially-tented for the event.

Guests arriving at the pier were greeted by a candlelit walkway leading them up to check-in. Upon disembarking on the rooftop, guests stepped into an elegant, all-black main space glowing with blue Astera light tubes designed to maximize the views of the skyline. Onstage, Vargas Productions and the BSKI Band kept the energy high with alternating sets of DJ-spun tunes and popular dance hits.

The interior space was flanked by two clear navi-trac tent structures, allowing guests to enjoy the breathtaking views while they enjoyed built-out lounge spaces featuring a towering Champagne Bar and Bourbon Bar, signature cocktails prepared at the 16’ diamond-cut ice bar by Okamoto Studio, and an eclectic menu of delicious foods provided by Olivier Cheng Catering.

Large French doors and a lighted path of LED tubes beckoned guests outside to the viewing deck to take in the gorgeous views and a live carving of an ice sculpture, while sitting by inviting fire pits overlooking the East River, wrapped in warm blankets and sipping hot apple cider toddys.

Sponsors for the night included Lincoln, who featured a fully-loaded Navigator on the roof, and Heineken.

The night was filled with holiday spirit as attendees danced the night away atop of Pier 17.

Empire is honored to have produced this milestone event in this historic and vibrant new location.

To learn more about Pier 17 and Seaport District visit www.seaportdistictnyc.com

Since 1967, Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) has worked tirelessly to solve the world’s biggest environmental problems. To celebrate 50 years of “finding the ways that work”, EDF wanted to gather longtime supporters, partners, and associates to thank them and outline the pivotal steps on the path ahead.

To match the magnitude of the accomplishment, EDF hosted an event in San Francisco. Working with EDF from the beginning of the process, Empire helped source and secure the perfect venue and backdrop for the event, Terra Gallery.

More than 225 attendees enjoyed mingling during a cocktail hour, complete with a full bar, hors d’oeuvres, and a live jazz guitarist.

Guests then moved upstairs for the stage program and seated dinner. Following the over-arching theme of the “Four Waves” of environmentalism, host Margaret Hoover (author, activist, and CNN analyst) introduced two original videos generated specifically for the event: the first documenting the growth of the environmental movement and EDF’s role in it, and the second focusing on EDF’s work harnessing the power of partnerships to achieve environmental progress.

Kathleen McLaughlin, SVP, Chief Sustainability Officer, Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., sat in conversation with host Margaret Hoover to discuss how the EDF/Walmart partnership has helped the retailer eliminate several chemicals of concern from consumer product on their shelves, and significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions from their global supply chain had on company-wide sustainability at a corporate level.

To further drive home the message of impact, EDF welcomed a rancher, farmer, and fisherman to share stories on how EDF programs have directly benefited them and their industries, while advancing conservation for species and ecosystems.

The keynote speech was provided by former Secretary of the Navy, Ray Mabus, who discussed the importance of partnering with EDF during his tenure, which helped the Navy and Marine Corps substantially reduce fuel consumption and improve energy security.

EDF President, Fred Krupp, who has led the organization for the past 33 years, rounded out the night with an impactful speech. His message acknowledged the challenges ahead, but offered hope that EDF – with the help of people in the room and others like them – could continue to make progress on the most pressing environmental problems facing the world.

Empire is proud to have produced this anniversary event and supports the work and mission of the EDF.

To learn more about the Environmental Defense Fund, please visit www.edf.org.