Subaru made an appearance at the 84th Annual Geneva International Auto Show in Geneva Switzerland to unveil three new vehicles including a futuristic concept car, the “Subaru VIZIV 2 Concept” and the latest “WRX STi”. The Japanese auto manufacturer wanted to include something a little unexpected to help showcase their new concept at the Subaru Press Conference to better feature Subaru’s unique character and craftsmanship.

With the help of our Tokyo office, Subaru was able to present their new auto concepts in an innovative way by integrating famed Japanese tap dancer, Hideboh in the unveiling. Hideboh is best known for his famed dance sequence in Zatoichi, a movie directed by Takeshi Kitano.

Working under the direction of our Tokyo team, Hideboh worked with the tap dancing group LiBLAZE to create a custom performance designed for maximum impact. The performance integrated various energetic dance elements characterizing the new Subaru concept car, “VIZIV 2.”

The unconventional press conference was a big hit for Subaru, garnering media attention from all over the world.

To learn more about the new vehicles showcased and see Hideboh in action at the Subaru Press Conference, please visit: http://youtu.be/Gp50YLAzO5Y.

Empire is a leading supplier of creative talent solutions for international product launches, trade shows and exhibits.

In 2013, Empire worked with AMC to create what would become one of the most innovative and talked-about events of the year for AMC’s first-ever Upfront.

In April 2014, AMC raised the bar again, challenging us to deliver an event that would wow their guests in a completely new way and deliver on AMC’s tag line of ‘Something More’. Working together with AMC over the course of many months, we reimagined the upfront as an epic, seated dinner that would allow the guests to experience the power of AMC’s programming in a group setting. The results were, in the words of advertising media, “eye-popping” and “an imaginative bar-raiser and sure-fire candidate for best event of 2014".

The evening began with guests boarding a series of luxury coaches to transport guests from their midtown offices to the downtown venue. Upon arriving at Pier 36, guests checked in quickly and passed through a sleek reception area and into a cocktail lounge while listening to remarks by AMC’s engaging President, Charlie Collier. As Collier wrapped up his remarks, a giant wall of curtains unexpectedly parted to reveal a stunningly beautiful 100' dining room with banquet tables and over 100 waiters in formal attire lining the aisles.

Guests were awestruck by the screens lining the perimeter of the room and were in for an even bigger surprise as they were seated next to the stars and creators of AMC’s shows. Among the celebrity attendees were Jon Hamm, Elisabeth Moss, John Slattery, Christina Hendricks and January Jones of Mad Men; Andrew Lincoln, Danai Gurira, Steven Yeun, and Lauren Cohan of The Walking Dead; Bob Odenkirk and Jonathan Banks of the highly-anticipated Better Call Saul.

To bring current and upcoming programs to life, custom-created wide screen trailers of AMC’s shows were shown on the surrounding screens while shock-and-awe theatrical experiences complemented each sequence. While guests enjoyed their amuse bouche, highlights of Mad Men ran on the screen to conclude with a reveal of the entire cast standing in spotlights at their tables. Next up, a series of live and projected legal incidents advertised the law practice and new series of the ever-scheming Saul Goodman of Better Call Saul. During the main course, a panoramic animation sequence turned the clock back on Manhattan from the present day to 1776. As the trailer for AMC’s newest series entitled Turn concluded, guests witnessed a full-scale Revolutionary War battle fought in the aisles by over 50 soldiers in costume amidst smoke effects and cannon and musket fire. A revolutionary war fife and drum corps conclude the battles sequence and provided a nice segue to a lone fiddle player whose music transported guests back to the old West of Hell on Wheels as expansive imagery of trains rolling across the Great Plains spread over the screens. In the final sequence, AMC executives’ closing remarks were cut short by a Walking Dead Zombie attack as over 40 authentic walkers invaded the dinner space and chased guests back into the reception area that had been transformed into an ‘80s-themed after party portraying Halt and Catch Fire - a new series about the birth of the personal computer.

MediaBizBlogger Simon Applebaum wrote that AMC’s Upfront was “An imaginative bar-raiser and sure-fire candidate for best event of 2014.” Another media executive quoted in Broadcasting & Cable was quoted as saying “Other companies will be hard pressed to beat this. They’ve raised the bar.”

For over 16 years, world-renowned event designer Colin Cowie and Empire have enjoyed a very special partnership creating experiences that define the very best moments in people’s lives. This partnership combines Colin Cowie’s unparalleled ability to design bespoke environments and celebrations, and Empire’s ability to animate those visions through top-tier talent acquisition, precision technical management and live event production of the highest caliber. The results of this partnership have been experienced first hand by a long list of royalty, heads of state, billionaires, and many of the leading celebrities of our age, at events across the globe from Dubai to Mexico, Monaco to the Bahamas. Our most recent collaboration brought our teams to the spectacular Bacara Resort in picturesque Santa Barbara. The occasion? A very special birthday party, hosted by the incomparable Oprah Winfrey, for one of her dearest friends. Working closely together, Colin and Oprah imagined a spectacular environment: a vision of red velvet, cut crystal, black sequins, a dozen giant mirror balls, 100’ of video walls, hidden lounges, a branded dance floor, and LED curtains, all together taking the form of a ballroom within the ballroom. The fabulous evening included an elegant cocktail reception featuring a live-electric violinist playing along with a pre-recorded electro track. When guests entered the ballroom, they gasped at the beauty of the room, and the elegant band on stage. Throughout the dinner, there were seamless transitions between the course service, live toasts, and musical accompaniment by the New York City-based Ikonix Band, led by Troy Curtis. Following dinner, Ms. Winfrey welcomed world-renowned Grammy Award-winning performer, Patti LaBelle to the stage to perform hits including: “You are my Friend,” “New Attitude,” Lady Marmalade” and “Over the Rainbow.” Immediately following her set, a huge birthday cake was rolled onto the dance floor, and Ms. LaBelle led the room full of well-wishers to sing “Happy Birthday.”When it was time to get the dance party started, giant curtains opened, revealing previously-hidden glittering lounge areas, as Ikonix and DJ Neza performed several musical mash ups punctuated by a series of special effects. The guests danced until the early hours of the morning, fueled by Espresso-laced shots and late-night snacks. The following morning, guests reappeared in the ballroom, which had been transformed overnight into a gorgeous theater for a very special Gospel performance curated by the great Bebe Winans. The Gospel performance featured a children’s choir from The Adderley School for the Performing Arts, some of the Los Angeles area’s best gospel soloists, and a rousing set by Bebe Winans, who got the entire audience on their feet and even managed to get guest Rob Lowe up to dance and sing along. Empire was honored to once again be chosen by Colin Cowie to join his team to create another extraordinary experience for one of the highest stature clients in the world.

On February 7, 2014, the Swatch Group Japan held an important event celebrating the 160th anniversary of Tissot Watches. The event entitled “TISSOT: INNOVATORS BY TRADITION” was presented at the Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo for an audience of VIPs, celebrities and top customers. As part of the celebration, Empire Entertainment Japan commissioned U.S.-based dance company “Le Ombré” to create an original performance to celebrate the company’s rich history. Swatch Group Executive Board member, Francois Thiébaud, together with Swatch Group Japan President, Christophe Savioz, gave the celebratory toast and opened the curtain on Le Ombré’s acrobatic silhouette performance, designed to reflect the spirit of challenge carried over Tissot’s 160 year history. The client described Le Ombré’s performance and the evening as “Unforgettable.” Empire is a leading producer of high-end events for luxury brands throughout the world.

When the Super Bowl came to the New York area in February 2014, many major corporations and brands marked the occasion with top-tier parties in Manhattan filled with celebrities, athletes and VIPs. As one of the world’s leading sports media companies, the Sports Illustrated party would necessarily need to stand out from all others and Empire was tapped to help ensure this.

Sports Illustrated chose to present a large-scale event on the night before the big game at one of New York’s newest venues, Skylight Modern. Located in the heart of the chic Chelsea Gallery district, this contemporary space accommodates over 600 guests with room to spare for large-scale staging, sponsor activations and kitchen facilities. Joining Sports Illustrated as co-sponsors of the Super Bowl event were several blue chip companies from the automotive, technology and liquor industries. The space was elegantly constructed into a main concert area with raised VIP areas, several bars, elegant sponsor activations and marketing installations for the participating partners.

DJ Kiss kicked off the party as VIPs arrived via Jaguar automobiles and took their turns on the red carpet. Attending VIPs included John Legend, Fantasia and several of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit models. As the crowd filled the room and began dancing, multiple Grammy Award winning musician, artist and producer Wyclef Jean arrived to take the stage with his full band and DJ. Wyclef proceeded to rock the house with a high-energy set as he alternated between guitar, keyboard and bongos. His electrifying set soon had everyone in the house on their feet, including the invitation to come onstage extended to 20 ladies to dance with him mid show. When the live set ended, Wyclef remained onstage to DJ for another hour, playing mash-ups of 1980s hits evocative of New Jersey where he spent part of his youth and where the Super Bowl would soon be played. The party was a sensational success and Sports Illustrated, the sponsors, advertisers and attendees all had a great time.

Empire secured and contracted Wyclef Jean and his band for this project and coordinated all related production and logistics, working closely with Sports Illustrated and its partners. Empire is a leading provider of headline talent for high-profile sports hospitality events.

Opening February 1 and running through May 6, 2014 at the Mori Art Museum in Tokyo, “Andy Warhol: 15 Minutes Eternal,” is the largest Asian exhibition of Andy Warhol’s work to date.

Empire was honored to produce the pre-opening night of this important exhibition with a massive reception for nearly 2,500 guests, all celebrating the legacy of this icon of pop art and to help open this important exhibit.

Sponsored by BMW, Christies, and Bloomberg, and with attendees including VIPs, celebrities, executives, art dealers and members of the press, the successful party was described as the “crowning glory” of the exhibit's Asia tour. After opening toasts, Empire’s Marilyn Monroe, Elvis Presley, Michael Jackson and Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis models entered the room to kick off the party. Guests were thrilled to have their photographs taken with these iconic subjects of some of Warhol’s best-known works and to capture their own 15 minutes of fame on social media posts.

Every year, MAXIM Magazine throws the biggest, most coveted Super Bowl Party around and this year did not disappoint. With the big game coming to the New York City area for the first time, they partnered with Talent Resources Sports to double down with a two-night party. Taking over one of the chicest event spaces in Midtown, Espace, DJ Dirty South spun EDM all night long Friday and Kendrick Lamar brought down the house with his performance Saturday night.

We worked closely with TR Sports to concept, design and produce an iconic New York centric event befitting MAXIM’s brand, bringing back the sexiness and grit of 1980’s NYC streets. We transformed the columns into graffiti-ridden fire escapes for Patron and MAXIM girls to dance upon, surrounded the VIPs with the infamous silhouette of the city’s skyline with the Brooklyn Bridge, and scattered various street elements throughout the space- traffic lights, street lights, classic “Post No Bills” walls, and chain link fences.

In contrast to the urban event space, we worked with party sponsor Heavenly Resorts in Lake Tahoe to create a ski-resort oasis in the foyer. Complete with snow covered Evergreens, “trail map” ice luge, shot skis and a snowboard bench, we also built a ski-lift chair-inspired photo booth for guests to share. Most of the other sponsors were incorporated into the NYC theme with an Empire State Building replicated from AQUAHydrate bottles, City Maps to pin your favorite place to drink Patron, and a chandelier of starlit Patron bottles. Other sponsorships included Wonderful Pistachio’s dedicated lounge, with delicious pistachios, Patron Bars, Touch giftbags and Redbull’s DJ rig and product.

On January 23, 2014, Empire Entertainment was proud to produce the 3rd annual TRANS4M Benefit Concert event on behalf of seven-time Grammy winner will.i.am and his charitable organization, the i.am.angel Foundation. i.am Angel supports trans4mation and revival in distressed communities like will.i.am’s hometown: the east Los Angeles neighborhood of Boyle Heights.

Held for the second year in a row at the AVALON Hollywood on the eve of the Grammy Awards, over 1,400 guests came out to support the i.am.angel Foundation including Kimberly Cole, Eddie Cibrian and LeAnn Rimes, Cuba Gooding, Jr., Taboo, MC Hammer, and Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti. Will.i.am is best known as a multi-platinum music artist, producer and front man for The Black Eyed Peas, though he is an innovator, entrepreneur and philanthropist as well. As the evening’s host, his message of trans4ming lives through education, opportunity and inspiration was driven home by an emotive program of speakers and videos.

Following the speaking program, will.i.am and an incredible band of backing players delivered a non-stop dance concert featuring guest performances by Busta Rhymes, Chaka Khan, Sergio Mendes, Bell Biv DeVoe, Biz Markie, Doug E. Fresh, Scarface, Slick Rick, Cody Wise, Leah McFall, and We Are The Future. Guests were welcome to explore the multi-level venue including the VIP artists lounge and an open-air club, Bardot.

This year, Empire Entertainment also produced the speaking portion at the VIP dinner held at the Redbury Hotel immediately before the concert. Speakers included Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, will.i.am, and David Silver, the CEO of College Track, all who spoke to the importance of educating America’s youth. All told, the event raised over $2.5 million to support the i.am.angel Foundation’s programs.

Empire Entertainment served as overall event producer for the i.am.angel Foundation TRANS4M Benefit Concert, managing all aspects of the event including venue contracting, registration, logistics, catering, décor, stage, production, staffing, parking, security and onsite management, collaborating with the i.am.angel Foundation, partners, and donors.To find out how you can get involved with i.am.angel Foundation and help trans4m communities around you, visit their website at iamangelfoundation.org

We recently partnered again with The Fragrance Foundation to produce their inaugural Foundation Talks, a series of lectures showcasing thought-provoking speakers from a variety of backgrounds.

Opening with remarks by Fragrance Foundation President Elizabeth Musmanno and Board Chair Jill Belasco, the program included several noteworthy speakers. Caryl Stern, President and CEO of the U.S. Fund for UNICEF, followed President Clinton with a passionate speech about her mission to eradicate hunger, disease and poverty among the world’s children. Stefan Sagmeister, Creative Director with Sagmeister & Walsh, gave a humorous and insightful talk on design and happiness. “As a designer I asked myself, is it actually possible to become happier in my field? And the easy answer is, of course. I should do more of the stuff I love to do and less of what I don’t like to do.”

Internationally recognized innovation and creativity expert, Sir Ken Robinson, ended the afternoon’s talks. His lively presentation covered the role of innovation and education in tackling economic and cultural challenges such as inequality, instability and environmental issues. He said, “The Key to the war against inequality is not aid programs but education programs.” This was the third project for which we were tapped by the Fragrance Foundation, again serving as overall event producer.

Empire is a leading producer of thought leadership forums for all industries and sectors, and is a key resource for keynotes speakers and celebrities of all types. For more information on The Fragrance Foundation, please visit their website at www.fragrance.org.

Leading music streaming service, Spotify, hosted a special event at the 2014 Consumer Electronics Show that showcased the influential and interpretational natures of both food and music. While music and food are recognized as creative disciplines and are omnipresent in our lives, rarely has their intersection been explored. For this ground-breaking event, Spotify chose to focus on how music harmoniously blends, and often enhances, the dining experience.

To bring the concept to life for key advertisers gathered in Las Vegas for the annual Consumer Electronics Show, we paired Momofuku’s superstar Chef David Chang with fast-rising musical artist Deltron 3030. This teaming was the perfect manifestation of the music & food fusion concept and Deltron 3030's defiant music perfectly echoed Momofuku's iconoclastic philosophy of revolutionizing fine dining.

Blurring the lines between a cocktail party and a seated dinner, guests were seated in 1Oak Nightclub’s club banquets where they were served nine courses of passed and plated family-style hors d'oeuvres. From Steamed Pork Buns to 48-hour Braised Short Rib & Kimchi, all of the renowned chef's greatest hits were on display, along with custom cocktails created for the evening: Mango Sriracha Old Fashioned, anyone?

Deltron 3030 member, and famed DJ Kid Koala, spun Chang's "prep" playlist until the stage program began. Spotify's VP of Sales, Brian Benedik, took to the stage to introduce the evening's host, David Chang, who intimately shared his enthusiasm for food and music with the gathered guests.

Chang then invited the band's frontman, Dan the Automator, to join him onstage, where he gave a nod to the pair’s long friendship and echoed the natural connections between food and music. The rest of the band quickly joined on stage to perform incredible renditions of "3030," "The Return," "Virus," and "Do You Remember." Momofuku Milk Bar's famous cookies & cake truffles made the rounds as a final treat to the guests before they exited. 1OAK at The Mirage served as the perfect venue for the event and strategically placed, illuminated Spotify branding was the perfect way to brand the evening and promote Spotify to the attendees.

Empire is a leading producer of innovative event marketing concepts at global expos like CES.