When this Major Financial Services Company sought to create a special evening for approximately 200 VIP guests attending the firm's 2nd annual Investors Conference in Japan, it called on Empire Entertainment's Tokyo office to help it create a dinner reception for it's mainly non-Japanese guests. The client's directives were that the dinner be both unique and memorable and that it effectively fuse both Eastern and Western influences, a major theme the conference.Working to the client's brief, Empire quickly outlined and began producing an extraordinary event. Empire was able to secure space at the Mitsui Club in Tokyo, a grand historical facility originally built and owned by the powerful Mitsui family of Japan. The building is now an exclusive members-only club. The club and its grounds are perhaps one of the earliest examples of East/West fusion in architecture in Japan. Built during the Meiji era, under the direction of renowned British Architect Josiah Conder, the compound consists of a large western style main hall located just inside the front gate, leading to a large 4.9 acre Japanese Garden accessible from the back terrace of the main hall.The fusion theme continued through the rest of the evening as guests were treated to a combination of Japanese and International cuisine and live dinner entertainment which successfully fused various western and eastern artistic and cultural elements in interesting and non-conventional ways.

The evening's entertainment opened and closed with energetic sword fighting performances by a group who are known for their work choreographing the fight scenes in Quentin Tarantino's motion picture Kill Bill, Vol. 1 and playing the Crazy 88 characters in the movie. The guests were also treated to a unique dance performance, during the mid point intermission, by an accomplished Japanese tap dancer tapping to the sounds of a traditional Japanese Biwa string musician. The heart of the evening's entertainment though was a live painting exhibition by talented calligrapher-painter, Toun Kobayashi, who created impromptu a large Japanese landscape painting covering the length and height of the main stage. Kobayashi sensei was assisted throughout his performance by the inspirational sounds of a musical fusion ensemble consisting of an Australian didgeridoo musician and traditional Japanese musicians playing the shamisen and the Shakuhachi flute. By the end of the program, Kobayshi sensei's performance finally culminated in a striking work of art that was traditional in its style, but also relevant to the client and the guests attending the evening's event.

The event was a huge success, thoroughly enjoyed by both the client and the guests. The only regret was that the evening had to end - at least the scripted part of the program. As those who are familiar with Tokyo know, the evening rarely ends with only one party. So Empire's staff stayed to help each guest to secure transportation and give directions to get to their next stop for the evening. Empire Entertainment's Asia-Pacific office, located in Tokyo Japan, enables Empire to better serve the needs of its clients in Japan and Asia. Empire Entertainment Japan adds to Empire's international reach by providing a high level of local expertise and on the ground support for its clients in the Asia Pacific region.

Whether you are a Japanese or Asian client planning an event locally within the region, whether you are a Japanese or Asian client planning an event somewhere else in the world, or whether you are an international organization from another region planning an event in Asia-Pacific, Empire Entertainment Japan is the ideal, full-service event production and entertainment booking partner for events in the Asia-Pacific region and throughout the world.

When CBS Television Network needed an exciting and creative way to promote the premiere of "Survivor: Guatemala", they partnered with Empire Entertainment to create and produce a unique street marketing program in the heart of New York City.As the Mayan Pyramids are one of the defining icons of Guatemala, Empire and CBS collaborated on the creation of a twenty-five foot high Mayan pyramid on Fence Island in Times Square within which members of the public would be invited to participate in a number of "Survivor" style challenges to win DVD sets and other promotional items.The Pyramid structure was open on three sides so that the activities could take place on a stage platform that would be highly visible to the public. Empire designed the stage to mimic the appearance of the famed "Tribal Councils" on the tremendously successful "Survivor" series.A stone-encircled working faux-fire pit was surrounded by actual tree-stumps that participants used as stools as well as tiki-torches, palm trees, and boulders. A ramp leading up to the stage and the surrounding area was covered with sod to give the area a more authentic Guatemalan appearance.

Hundreds of "Survivor" fans from around the country lined up to participate in the onstage challenges which included trivia contests based on previous seasons of the program, as well as other games inspired by the hit show. As on the show, participants were "voted off" of the councils based on theirperformance, until only one "Survivor" was left standing.The mock councils were hosted by Eddie Brill of "The Late Show With David Letterman" as well as a number of the most popular cast members from previous seasons of "Survivor" including "Boston" Rob Mariano and Ethan Zohn. "Survivor" host Jeff Probst was on-hand to sign autographs and mingle with fans, as were previous cast members including Rupert Boneham, Tom Westman, and Jenna Morasca.

It was an exciting day for Survivor fans, as is Thursday, September 15th when "Survivor: Guatemala" premieres on CBS at 8:00PM. Empire and CBS will partner together again on a speed-dating event at Vanderbilt Hall in New York City on September 29th to promote the new sitcom "How I Met Your Mother", which premiers on CBS on Monday, September 19th at 8:30PM.

Empire Entertainment is a leading street marketing / promotional / press event production company with unparalleled experience in designing and managing experiential marketing events worldwide.

When a major international electronics company wanted to celebrate their 50th Anniversary and kickoff an annual product expo in New York, their production company, MJM Creative Services, turned to Empire Entertainment to secure and produce the right entertainment for their dinner event.Empire worked with MJM's producers to identify and select various candidates that would appeal to their large, international audience which encompassed salespersons, customers and the company's global CEO. In the end, it was decided that the Grammy Award-winning jazz artist Diana Krall held all of the right attributes to make her the ideal choice for the engagement.

Talented, young, attractive and the top of her craft, Diana Krall was the right candidate for the job. To open the dinner event with just the right walk-in dinner music Empire delivered New York based group Paul Tillotson & The Love Trio who kept the audience of over 1000 entertained with their lively jazz background standards.Following the dinner, Diana Krall and her jazz trio took the stage and were introduced by none other than musical legend and husband to Diana Krall, Elvis Costello.Foe the next 60 minutes Diana delivered a set up sultry ballads and jazz standards that slowly warmed up the guests and overcame the size of the room with the intimate charm of a jazz club. At the end of the performance with an upbeat rendition of "I'm Walkin'", guests gave Diana Krall a standing ovation.

Empire is a leading producer of headline talent in New York and around the world and works closely with world class production companies like MJM Creative Services to accommodate the entertainment needs of their clients.

When FOX Broadcasting sought to generate public awareness and media buzz for their new series Prison Break, touted by critics as Fall 2005's top new drama series, they teamed up with Empire Entertainment to produce and execute a promotional stunt with street marketing teams in three cities across the nation.On August 25, Empire created a prison yard set of metal fencing and barbed wire on the plaza of the News Corporation Building at 1211 Avenue of the Americas. Inside this faux prison yard, a professional tattoo artist tattooed the body of a young man for the public to view, while thousands of passersby were invited to receive free buzzcuts and temporary henna and airbrush tattoos. On nearby street corners, a team of 10 young and energetic male models in orange prison jumpsuits and chrome manacles handed out Prison Break-branded nail files and water-transfer tattoos.

In addition to the promotional stunt and street marketing team in New York, Empire managed similar street teams in both Chicago and Los Angeles on the same day. Outfitted in their orange jumpsuits stenciled in black paint with "FOX Prison Break" on the back and the "082505" show premiere date on the front, the Chicago team promoted the new drama series along downtown's popular Wacker Avenue and even made an appearance on FOX's morning news show. The Los Angeles team worked the high-traffic tourist destination in front of Mann's Chinese Theatre in Hollywood.At the end of the day, 75,000 branded giveaways were handed out and hundreds of thousands of impressions were made with the public both on the street and through media coverage on television and in print.

Empire Entertainment was responsible for staffing, costuming, set design, talent wrangling, logistics and onsite management for the promotional stunt and street marketing teams in New York, Chicago and Los Angeles.

When Accent on Cincinnati, a top meeting & special event management company, wanted headline talent for a premier insurance company's annual conference, it once again turned to Empire Entertainment to secure, book, and help produce the talent.Always the highlight of the client's conference, the headline concert is traditionally kept top secret until the the moment the curtain rises. This year the audience cheered loudly the moment the curtain rose to reveal Hall & Oates playing their hit "Maneater."Over the course of the next 90 minutes, Hall & Oates delivered a superior performance to the excited crowd.

The Twenty-two hundred excited employees that filled Cincinnati's Aronoff Center sang along to favorites like "She's Gone," "You've lost that Lovin' feeling," and "Sara Smile" among others. After receiving a standing ovation, Hall & Oates returned to the stage for an incredible three-song encore including "Rich Girl," "Kiss on my List," and closed the show with "So Close."With over 19 gold & platinum records to their credit, Hall & Oates used their vast repertoire of chart topping hits to bring the crowd to its feet, where they danced in the aisles throughout the performance.

On the following evening, Empire Entertainment showcased comedian Vic Henley for the closing party. Vic's slow Southern charm and smooth drawl had the crowd in stitches.The client was thrilled with both performances, proving once again that a little rock and roll and lots of laughter can be an inspiration to everyone.

Empire is a leading booker and producer of major concert acts, comedians, and speakers for corporate meetings and events the world over.

When the rich and powerful celebrate, they do it in legendary style and in the most beautiful places on earth. So it was when one of the world's leading business leaders and entrepreneurs wanted to celebrate his 70th birthday with family and friends in the fairy tale Kingdom of Monaco, located between the French and Italian Rivieras. For this anything-but-ordinary birthday party, the client chose superstar event designer Colin Cowie to create a legendary event in the Sporting Club in Monte Carlo. Colin Cowie, turned to Empire Entertainment to help coordinate and produce the massive entertainment components of the evening.The event began with cocktails in the luxurious gardens of the Sporting Club, overlooking the beach and Mediterranean. The 350 guests were serenaded by Los Paraguayos, a France-based ensemble whose music is reminiscent of that of the Gipsy Kings.

The guests then entered the stunning Sporting Club venue for dinner in which Colin Cowie had designed and installed sumptuous table settings, ringed by a series of five giant, floor-to-ceiling rear-projection video screens on which graphics and animation shifted and moved to enhance the setting. A jazz ensemble played from the stage.After the appetizer course and a speech, the curtains opened to reveal a cast of 14 stunning French showgirls in specially-made feather costumes and headdresses, who performed an original, high energy Moulin Rouge-style dance number to a track of 'Copacabana' for which Empire had recorded custom vocals written in collaboration by the birthday boy's wife and recording artist Corey Hart.

After dinner, toasts and speeches, a giant cake was wheeled onto the dance floor and Bebe Winans led the audience in a special rendition of 'Happy Birthday.' While this happened and the guests of honor prepared to cut the cake, the entire roof of the Sporting Club was opened and, just as the cake was cut, an incredible fireworks display began with fireworks embedded in table centerpieces, spreading to fireworks on architectural elements and then revealed to the guests directly overhead as a massive pyrotechnic display was launched from barges in the Monte Carlo harbor.No sooner did the last fireworks of the finalé fade then the guests turned around just in time to see Bebe Winans introduce the incomparable Dame Shirley Bassey who then performed her hits "Diamonds Are Forever," "Big Spender" and "Goldfinger" in front of an orchestra led by keyboard legend and musical director Greg Phillinganes. As Shirley Bassey performed, images of falling diamonds and gold were projected onto the screens surrounding the room.

Next Natalie Cole stepped into the spotlight to perform "This Will Be" and "Unforgettable" to the awestruck audience.Bebe Winans then performed two songs including "It All Comes Down to Love" and the "Legends Theme" which he had first performed for Oprah Winfrey's Legends Weekend in Santa Barbara 4 months earlier.Then pianist Billy Stritch began the telltale piano intro to "New York, New York" as a skyline images came up on the screens and the great Liza Minnelli stepped into the spotlight - bringing to their feet an audience that included U2's Bono and REM's Michael Stipe among many others. Liza looked and sounded fantastic as she performed "New York, New York" and "Cabaret" before turning over the mic to the host to address the audience.

As the host thanked his family and friends and reminisced about his extraordinary fortunate life, an army of workers scrambled behind the curtains to reset the stage for the the next phase of the event - moving an entire orchestra and band set offstage and setting up a huge new stage set for the next performers. Just as the host concluded his remarks, he introduced his musically-talented grandson who stood onstage as the curtains parted with Wyclef Jean and his band. They performed a reggae version of "Hotel California" as the guests took to the dance floor and then Wycl

For the 2nd consecutive year, Empire Entertainment booked and produced another stellar music lineup for the Rochester MusicFest. The MusicFest is a City of Rochester-sponsored event and thus has a limited budget. Each year it is an enormous challenge to bring national level talent to this festival within the budget that is allocated while also trying to position the festival as an important part of the Summer tours for these artists. Through Empire's relationships with artists and their agents, we were able to produce the best possible lineup for the best possible price across the board.

This year, under the direction of Empire, the bookings concentrated on the younger genre of R&B acts, which resulted in national media attention by MTV.com & Radio, Vibe Magazine and BET. This lineup put The Rochester MusicFest on the map as one of the 3 major R&B festivals in the US, representing the North East completely.

THE LINEUPSaturday July 17

Black August (local Rochester BOB winners)Nina SkyJagged Edge112CiaraJohn LegendBoyz II Men

Sunday July 18

Statiq (local Buffalo BOB winners)Fatty KooRaheem DevaughnLyfe JenningsCommonFaith EvansBrian McKnight

Empire is constantly looking for more ways to promote the festival and help in the overall effort of its success, so we conceptualized and spearheaded a Battle of the Bands competition in both Rochester and neighboring city Buffalo with local radio stations WDKX (Rochester) & WBLK (Buffalo). These competitions were held to determine the best possible local talent to open both days of the festival. This resulted in an enormous amount of local radio publicity and live performances by finalists that generated great audience interest and attendance in both cities.

This year Empire also booked BET reality series group Fatty Koo, who ensured presence from BET and The John Lennon Educational Tour Bus. This tour bus is a mobile recording studio where the band was discovered. With the addition of this group, the MusicFest was ensured great national press.

Empire made an additional effort in promotion and arrange for local ‘Step' winners and runner ups, perform between artists on both days. This allowed for cross-promotion at their annual Step Off competition which draws over 6,500 attendees just a few short week before the festival. These performances added to the color of the festival and served to bring additional thrills to the audience.

To add to the excitement, Empire arranged for the inclusion of a ringtone company that made music of all artists on the lineup available for attendees to purchase either prior to or during the festival at very reasonable prices. This added some hi-tech coolness to the festival and brought together companies that collaborated to help promote the festival.

Empire was also responsible to manage all talent logistics, dressing rooms and backstage design and management. Unfortunately on both days of the festival, we had to evacuate due to extremely dangerous lightening storms. On Saturday the concert was stopped midway during John Legend's set and also prevented the headliner, Boyz II Men from performing. On Sunday, the same thing happened and both Faith Evans and Brian McKnight were unable to perform. During both days, Empire was responsible for evacuating approximately 200 people (talent and crew) from the backstage area in flooded and pouring conditions. The evacuation was performed quickly, professionally and the job that Empire did was highly commended by the local officials and client.

Empire Entertainment pays attention to up-and-coming (pre-Grammy) R&B artists and leverages its relationships with multi-platinum and Grammy Award-winning artists and their agents. Empire prides itself that we are quickly becoming one of the leaders in the industry of festival bookings in the US.

This Summer, at one of the largest annual corporate events held in America, Empire had the privilege to book, contract & manage several elements of entertainment & content for one of the world's largest global corporations. These included a spectacular opening meeting sequence staged by director Andy Bew and featuring aerialist/acrobatic troupe Antigravity with Classical Crossover superstars, Bond, Olympic gold medalist and the fastest human alive, Michael Johnson, DJ / Model Sky Nellor, House Band The Rupert's Orchestra and host / emcee Rodney Sherwood among others.But the entertainment highlight of the multi-day conference was an outdoor concert by Australian hard rock group, Jet. This band, led by brothers Nic & Chris Cester, are best known for their U. S. breakout hit "Are you Gonna Be My Girl" which was featured in the original Apple iPod commercials and was the first season theme song for HBO's series, "Entourage."

Empire was able to negotiate a deal with Jet that allowed them to fly from Los Angeles, where they were in the studio recording at the time, to Atlanta to perform for a young business audience, thousands strong, from around the globe.The band performed in an outdoor amphitheater at the Six Flags amusement Park. Although it was a hot Atlanta night where the temperature reached into the 90's, the heat didn't begin until the band tore into their high energy set which was a combination of AC/DC, the Rolling Stones and the Ramones.The band delivered a powerful performance that included their hits "Are you Gonna Be My Girl," "Get What You Need" and "Cold Heart Bitch" and also a first time-ever live performance of a new song from their forthcoming album. At one point during the show, One of the band members climbed atop the speaker stacks Johnny Ramones-style to play a blistering guitar solo. The audience went wild.The band blew away the audience who responded with cheers long after the band had left the stage for their ovenight flight on a chartered Jet, back to the studio on LA for the following day.

Empire is the leader in securing contemporary musical talent for business meetings and events.

When a well-known figure in the financial services world chose to get married in picturesque Sundance, Utah, Empire Entertainment was called to plan, design, manage and execute the concerts and production for a spectacular three day extravaganza with approximately 200 guests. The Salt Lake City Tribune dubbed the affair "Wedding of the Year".

On the first evening, Empire delivered and produced contemporary rock act Maroon 5 (winner of the 2005 Grammy for Best New Artist), who performed an upbeat set that included all of their hits just hours before they flew to Philadelphia to perform at the global Rockfest Live 8. Maroon 5's set was customized for the bride & groom to include a romantic cover of the Beatles song, "If I Fell". Maroon 5's performance took place at sunset in an open meadow surrounded by soaring mountains and 40 foot pine trees. Empire's lighting designers added drama to the surroundings by adding smartly placed lighting instruments with colored gels to, and beneath, the Pine Trees and meadow circumference, and the managing power connections and distribution for the accompanying barbeque, dinner band and mechanical bull ride.

Following the outdoor wedding ceremony on the next day, Rockin' Dopsie, the New Orleans Zydeco band, performed while the guests sipped cocktails outside the Screening Room at Sundance Resort. The party continued as guests moved to the reception hall and boogied between courses to a 15-piece dance orchestra, flown in from New York. The band performed on a custom deck builtover a flowing stream, outfitted with a dance floor including western style décor, such as leather sofas, native American tapestries and coffee tables.Following dinner the guests were again treated to special concert, this time by Hootie and the Blowfish, who performed on a custom stage built over a flowing waterfall. Empire's lighting designers again transformed the environment by adding strategically placed colored gels and up-lightingsurrounding the waterfall, as the guests danced and sang while enjoying wine, champagne and spirits.Following Hootie's performance, the guests went into a dance frenzy into the wee hours of the morning, as DJ David Chang mixed together a masterful play list, ideally suited for the the audience demographic.

On the following morning Empire helped wrap the weekends' festivities by producing the Soul Rebels at a Cajun Brunch, as guests filled their bellies with Jambalaya, Crawfish Etouffee and Bread Pudding.For this unique wedding celebration, Empire's Private Client Services division provided entertainment booking & contracting, logistics management, power distribution, lighting design, staging, sound, labor, generators and power distribution. Empire met and overcame all unforseeable challenges to ensure that this event ran smoothly and came off without a hitch.

Empire's Private Client Services division is a leading producer of high-end events for the most discerning of clients. Whether it be a wedding, anniversary, special birthday, bar mitzvah or a personal celebration of any kind, Empire can transform a mere party into a legendary production thatwill be remembered for a lifetime.

When Reader's Digest wanted to commemorate the publication of its 1,000th Issue, it called on Empire Entertainment to bring the landmark publication to life in a gala celebration. The order was tall: not only did Reader's Digest want the party to look as though it was torn from the very pages of the 1,000th Issue itself, they wanted the party to be an unforgettable excursion into the future.

Empire, well schooled in the art of magazine parties, quickly assembled its team of experts and designed a party that inspired this note from our client: "I just wanted to thank you for making my event so spectacular! It even surpassed my own imagination. You guys are amazing!"

The centerpiece of the party, thrown at Skylight Studios in downtown Manhattan, was an airy House of the Future delicately suggested by a stainless steel frame and windows that appeared to be floating in mid-air. The "house" looked out over a virtual backyard created w/video projection and suspended birch trees. Inside the house, caterers served bizarre and delicious "meals that heal". The outdoor Carport of the Future contained two Mercedes Benz concept cars/conversation pieces. In a special area deemed Life on an Asteroid, attendees subjected themselves to virtual reality rides, snorted oxygen, and swilled pomegranate juice-and-lavender martinis. State-of-the-art, humanoid robot "Millennia" greeted guests, sweeping many off their feet (literally!). Christian Slater, Alan Alda, actress Maggie Gyllenhaal and Reader's covergirl Alicia Keys all stopped in to sample the sights, sounds, and flavors of tomorrow.

Empire is a leading producer of cutting-edge business events for media & communications clients the world over.