In November 2001, Empire Entertainment once again produced 80's and 90's superstar act Huey Lewis & The News at the Mark Etess Arena in the Trump Taj Mahal Resort & Casino, Atlantic City, New Jersey. This fabulous 75-minute headline performance was sponsored by Commerce Bank for The League of Municipalities. The band played a greatest hits concert which included songs such as "Power of Love," "Heart of Rock N Roll," "Hip to Be Square," and "If This Is It" among many others. The event was a huge success for the audience of over 5,000 who were dancing and singing along before the first few songs were over. Empire was responsible for contracting the talent, and handling all logistics and production including image magnification via giant video projection screens. The event concluded with an enormous balloon and beach ball drop organized by the client.

In November 2001, Empire presented Grammy Award-winning artists, The Wallflowers featuring Jakob Dylan to entertain 1,000 attendees at the conclusion of a three-day business conference for a European Investment Bank. This spectacular show was held at The Pavillion at The Arizona Biltmore Resort & Spa, Phoenix Arizona. The Wallflowers, an awesome roots-rock band fronted by Bob Dylan's song, Jakob, performed for over 75 minutes, playing many of their hits from their album One Headlight Missing and several cover songs. This amazing performance was very audience interactive as Dylan brought an attendee up on stage to sing David Bowie's "Heroes" alongside him. The event was produced in collaboration with Susan B. Green Associates.

When Microsoft founder & CEO Bill Gates - one of the world's most innovative entrepreneurs - launched his book, Business @ The Speed of Thought, Empire Entertainment was contracted to produce his keynote presentation at New York's Ziegfeld Theater.Business @ The Speed of Thought focuses on how business and technology – specifically digital infrastructures and information networks - are interconnected. On March 24, 1999, Gates spoke to more than 1,000 Columbia University and New York University business students at the Ziegfeld Theater. The students warmly received Bill Gates’ inspiring & engaging keynote remarks, and moderated question & answer session. He followed his speech on the future of technology with an oft-shown gag video featuring Jay Leno and his long-time friend, Microsoft President Steve Ballmer.

The event was a complete success and Empire helped to plan and implement all aspects ibncluding venue selection and contracting, production desigm, creative develiopment, staging, lighting, audio, video and graphics projection, secdurity, logistics, press integration and decor. Empire Co-President J. B. Miller also worked creatively with Bill Gates to develop the presentation for the audience.Empire is a leading provider of keynote speakers from every walk of life and is also deeply experienced in producing individual speakers in theatrical presentations. Whether you require a motivator, an inspirational speaker, an expert speaker or just someone to engage the audience, Empire is the ideal one-stop-shop for every type of keynote speaker.

When Twentieth Century Fox held their International Rental Summit, which brought together over 140 Fox clients from 17 countries, Empire Entertainment was chosen to be the producer of the entire conference. The three day, multi-function program was held in mid-December and included general sessions that explored emerging trends in the international distribution of filmed entertainment, and previewed forthcoming video releases such as "X-Men," "Me, Myself & Irene," "Bedazzled" and "Big Momma's House" among others. The presentations required simultaneous translation into 7 languages. Empire Entertainment provided full-service management of this program including site selection, contracting the Four Seasons Hotel, destination management, banquet supervision, theme attendee activities such as helicopter tours and "Cosmic Bowling" and all aspects of the design, staging and production of the business sessions as well as all entertainment. The challenge: To excite, inspire and entertain top customers from around the world in the entertainment industry who have seen and done everything. The result: in the words of Fox senior management, Empire's work created "The best Summit yet!"

Empire produced two nights of headline entertainment at this spectacular resort setting on Mexico's Pacific Coast for a top international beverage company's senior management and most-valued clients. Complimenting the stunning environment with perfectly-suited entertainment, Empire produced internationally renowned Flamenco artist Ottmar Liebert under the moon & stars in a mission-style courtyard. On the second evening, Glenn Frey of The Eagles closed the conference with a 75 minute performance on the Pacific beach with with a 9 piece 'unplugged' band. To meet the challenges of providing world-class production value in the middle of the Mexican jungle, Empire Entertainment transported all staging, sound, lighting and crew from the United States, handling all logistics of cross-border shipping and permits and communications. Call Empire if you are planning a program in Mexico and take advantage of our experience in this country.

It's not often that corporate concerts are reviewed in major publications like The New York Times, but when Empire produced Grammy-award winning singer, Sheryl Crow, the business editor couldn't resist including a story entitled, "A Technology Crowd is Soothed by Song." The piece, which appeared in the business section of the Sunday New York Times, included... "There is a challenge to cheering up a bunch of downtrodden technology investors...but [Empire's client] may have found a way." ... "Ms. Crow ...belted hits like "Leaving Las Vegas" and "My Favorite Mistake." She and her band clearly brightened the mood of 1000 ... attendees from Palo Alto to Wall Street." The New York Times, 12/3/00. Sheryl Crow's rocking set and band not only brightened the mood but will be remembered as one of the most dynamic and hard rocking parties of the Internet boom years.

Empire constantly identifies and secures new, unexpected and often ground-breaking entertainment to fulfill our client's ever changing needs. At a conference for an international investor group, Empire produced another rare moment in corporate entertainment with British headline concert act Squeeze for an enthusiastic and responsive audience of over 400 executives. The appreciative attendees danced throughout the show and gave Squeeze multiple standing ovations after their 75 minute performance which included many of their biggest hits such as "Tempted," "Black Coffee In Bed" & "Pulling Mussels (from the Shell)." Finding and securing artists that pinpoint the needs of demographically mixed group is one of Empire's greatest strengths. The program also included a variety of other elements including a rousing motivational speech by baseball legend Tommy Lasorda.

In November 2000, Empire produced an extremely successful emerging technology conference / expo for one of the world's largest financial services firms.The two day event was held at Bridgewaters, at the South Street Seaport, New York City, and featured next generation technologies from nearly 70 high-tech firms & organizations including Microsoft, MIT Media Lab, Mercedes-Benz, TiVo and others. The participating companies showcased the latest wireless, voice-activated and internet appliance products in a unique, comfortable & multi-functional environment designed and produced by Empire Entertainment.Top Internet and technology speakers were also on hand to share their technological predictions and strategies in several general sessions, some of which were broadcast to international locations via satellite. The event was instrumental in helping to position this financial services client as a leader in emerging technologies.

For a client dinner event held for a high level Japanese and American audience at the Four Seasons Chinzan-So in Tokyo, Empire conceptualized, designed and produced a series of traditional Japanese entertainment vignettes that were performed between courses. The evening's 'Four Seasons' theme featured live entertainment, Ikebana (floral arrangements) and stage design that symbolized each of Japan's seasons. The Autumn segment featured Taiko drummers & dancers performing before an arrangement of harvest foliage. The Winter segment featured an ensemble of Koto & Shakuhachi, a dance by a solo performer in a sea of fog and a giant brush stroke painting backdrop that was created live by renowned suiboku-ga artist Tohun Kobayashi. The Spring vignette celebrated the cherry blossom (Sakura) festival and featured female dancers dressed in furisode kimono performing a traditional dance with fans & cherry blossom boughs. The Summer piece was based on the fireworks festivals that are held each Summer throughout Japan. This finale included a fiber optic simulation of fireflies, singing children with glowing lanterns, the renowned Tokyo Dagekidan Taiko Drum Troupe and a team of dancer / acrobats. The breathtaking performance concluded with simulated fireworks and a standing ovation.

When International Event Designer Colin Cowie Lifestyle sought a full service production & talent partner with international capabilities to partner with on a multi-million dollar wedding project in Florence, Italy, they chose Empire Entertainment to provide a broad range of services including production design, staging, sound, video projection & A/V support, labor, electrical power, stage management and talent booking & logistics.

The wedding program for 150 guests from around the world ran for a full weekend and included a Friday night event at the Castello di Vincigliata in the Tuscany Hills, a luncheon event in a Florence sculpture garden, a one-of-a-kind wedding ceremony and an unforgettable reception and after-party at the Palazzo Gerini in Florence.The spectacular wedding Ceremony was held in the Orsan Michele Church in central Florence. The ceremony featured, among other highlights, Steven Spielberg walking the bride down the aisle, a 14 member ensemble of Italian musicians playing ancient Italian musical instruments, an Italian children's choir, a choral group from Sweden and a gospel choir from the United States, Patti Austin and James Ingram working under the direction of Quincy Jones, The Poem of Rumi read by Deepak Chopra, an aria sung by opera legend Andrea Bocelli and a ceremony led by none other than the Reverend Jesse Jackson.

To stage this extraordinary event Empire utilized its extensive network of contacts throughout Europe to deliver the very best production technicians and craft people. Empire planned, organized and led the efforts of this multinational team of experts to execute a large series of incredibly demanding events in a very short period of time in a locale that presented many unique challenges in addition to the customary language & cultural barriers, communications difficulties, time zone response time lags, customs hassles, work permit & visa issues and archaic music licensing statutes.Empire delivered flawlessly under these adverse conditions and was able to integrate and orchestrate its efforts perfectly with the dozens experts on the Colin Cowie design team.The resulting weekend and wedding was one of the most extraordinary weddings ever staged.