EBONY Magazine presented the 5th annual EBONY Power 100 Gala, honoring the nation’s 100 most powerful and influential African Americans, along with Lifetime Achievement recipients, Earth, Wind and Fire and Cicely Tyson, and Ebony Icon Award recipient, Nile Rodgers.

This year’s Ebony Power 100 took place at the historic Beverly Hilton's International Ballroom and was hosted by the CEO of Ebony Media Group, Cheryl Mayberry McKissack, the Chairman Emeritus, Ebony Media Operations, Linda Johnson Rice, Editor-In-Chief of Ebony, Kyra Kyles, The Chairman of Ebony Media Operations, Michael Gibson, and The Vice Chairman of Ebony Media Operations, Willard Jackson.

Following red carpet arrivals and an elegant cocktail reception, the approximately 600 guests were seated for a dinner program emceed by actor, comedian, and director, Cedric the Entertainer. Attendees were entertained by a wide array of musical and dance performances. Performers included child dance phenom and star of Black-ish, Miles Brown, neo-soul duo, Lion Babe, and a rousing finalé performance by Nile Rodgers and Chic, which included a livestream to Facebook Live for the world to see.

DJ D-Nice performed throughout the event and spun at the post-reception in the International Foyer and Terrace.

Celebrities and A-listers in attendance and showcased on the stage included Jimmy Jam, Skai Jackson, Regina King, Issa Rae, The Preachers, and Craig Robinson.  Additional attendees included Simone Biles (who graced one of the four covers of the annual issue), as well as Holly Robinson Peete, Kelly Rowland, Kathy Ireland, Pam Grier, and Matthew Knowles, and more.

First Lady Michelle Obama (who along with the rest of the Obama family appear on this year’s Ebony Power 100 list) also sent a heartfelt video tribute for the occasion.

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

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, livestream, videography, event logistics, and onsite management.​

To capitalize on Empire's expansion in Asia, Empire opened a Hong Kong office to focus on the fast-growing Hong Kong, Macao, and China markets. Among this office's first projects was the production of a special incentive program in Hong Kong to reward over 1,100 top distributors from Japan.

The massive program held in the The Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre consisted of an award ceremony and gala dinner followed by a memorable Boyz II Men concert.

Hong Kong-themed videos created by Empire dynamically opened the ceremony, and over 80 guests made speeches on the stage throughout the program. At the finalé of the gala diner, Boyz II Men took the stage to perform a 60-minute show that included their hit “End of the Road”, “I’ll Make Love”, and “Water Runs Dry”. After this unforgettable experience, the international guests left the venue full of excitement.

Empire’s Hong Kong office provided turnkey event production services including the venue scout and coordination, design, logistics, catering, stage management, and international artist coordination to ensure a smooth experience for the client and to promote the best possible experience for the attendees.

With the opening of Empire's Hong Kong office, Empire builds upon it's existing presence in the Asia region and expands our ability to support major projects for clients-based both in Asia and around the world. Please contact us for your next projects in Hong Kong and China.  

​

Empire delivered Daughtry as the surprise performer for Samsung Hope for Children’s annual Holiday Appreciation Mixer. In addition to hors d’oeuvres, drinks, and the opportunity to preview virtual reality and other technology installations at Samsung 837, Samsung’s not-for-profit foundation partners were treated to an intimate acoustic duo performance by American Idol star, Daughtry. Daughtry performed popular songs such as “Home", “Crawling Back to You”, and “Life After You” before ending with a touching rendition of “Silent Night” to celebrate the holiday season. During the set, Chris Daughtry engaged the audience in a fun 360-degree photo using the Samsung Gear 360 camera.

Empire is a leading provider of top tier musical entertainment and talent for corporate clients, production companies and private interests, and was proud to partner again with Daughtry on another successful event.

Our favorite online mattress retailer, Casper, opened their first-ever New York City storefront at 106 Spring Street in Soho, just in time for the holidays to offer curious customers the opportunity to try out the brand’s innovative line of sleep products. The innovative pop-up shop, dubbed the Casper House, is the third iteration of the concept, following successful runs in Los Angeles and London.

Conceived as an illustrated house that “fell” from the sky to “land” inside a brick and mortar store, this playful store showcased Casper’s whimsical nature and provided practical and cozy areas – in the form of bedrooms - for guests to try out the Casper product line. A mammoth undertaking, we designed and built the four-bedroom house in just three weeks!

Upon opening, shoppers were invited inside to peruse the brand’s wares and schedule 15-minute “trials”, and wander through the house to discover its hidden gems as they queued for naps in one of the four bedrooms. From the mouse hole in the hallway, to the “secret room” accessed through the bookcase, visitors were greeted with playful surprises around each corner, allowing for a creative and fun shopping experience.

Casper House was open from November 2016 through February 2017.

See more on Casper's blog here.

​

Since 1981, the Coalition for the Homeless has developed and implemented humane, cost-effective strategies to end mass homelessness in New York City. Every day, the Coalition works to ameliorate the suffering of more than 3,500 men, women, and children by providing housing, emergency food and clothing, crisis services, job training and special programs for kids such as CampHomeward Bound.

The Coalition for the Homeless hosted their 22nd annual ARTWALK NY, bringing together more than 700 Coalition supporters, artists, collectors, art-lovers, and celebrities in the Flatiron’s Metropolitan Pavilion for an evening of festivities including a live and silent auction of more than 100 pieces of donated contemporary art.

For the seventh consecutive year, Empire served as overall producer of ARTWALK NY. This year, artist Kenny Scharf was honored for his contribution to contemporary art, and Mike De Paola was honored for his continuous philanthropic support of the Coalition over the years.

Aileen Agopian auctioned off a magnificent selection of art pieces donated by some of the world’s most celebrated artists, including Jenny Holzer, Wade Guyton, Louise Fishman, Ed Ruscha, and honoree Kenny Scharf.

The evening, generously presented by Italian fashion house Max Mara, began with hors d’oeuvres by Pinch Food Design and cocktails graciously provided by VDKA 6100, Morris Kitchen, Peroni, Illegal Mezcal, and Perrier. A selection of New York’s best restaurants, including Indochine, DB Bistro Moderne, Wildair, Sessanta, Rouge Tomate, The Odeon, Bar Bolonat, and Momofuku Nishi provided tasting stations. Mah-Ze-Dahr Bakery, Morgenstern’s Finest IceCream, and Kreuther Handcrafted Chocolate offered luscious sweets, and CounterCulture poured espressos and lattes.

Throughout the night, guests bid on and purchased works from established and emerging artists while grooving to tunes spun by DJ Mia Moretti.

Working closely with Coalition for the Homeless’ events team and title sponsor Max Mara, Empire served as executive producer of the event and was responsible for aspects ranging from event design, layout, production, and logistics to décor and restaurant coordination.

To learn more about the Coalition for the Homeless or to get involved and donate, visit www.coalitionforthehomeless.org

​

Microsoft hosted its premier event for worldwide developers at Spring Studios in New York City with a simultaneous live broadcast online, reaching over a million viewers. A platform for announcements about the future of its tools and services in the area of Application Innovation, Microsoft unveiled a series of products and partnerships that strengthen the company's Azure cloud platform for building intelligent, cross-platform apps and services. Led by Microsoft Cloud and Enterprise Group EVP, Scott Guthrie, among the day’s many press-worthy announcements was Microsoft’s move to open source development by joining the Linux Foundation.

Spring Studios and Spring Place, a photo studio / private membership club and recent addition to New York City’s trendy TriBeCa neighborhood, provided the perfect setting for an event dedicated to collaboration and intelligence. To balance the sun-filled space with the need to beautifully illustrate data-driven content, three large-scale, high-resolution LED screens were custom-built to fit within the existing window frames. This view was then “extended” along the sides of the room with large-scale scrim-covered walls to help communicate Microsoft’s themes of openness and flexibility.

The visual aesthetic and brand messaging were integrated into every aspect of the event. Guests received their first taste of technological innovation at registration, where they walked through an immersive animated LED light-strand “forest” before check in. The lunch space décor included custom-built suspended scrim partitions, echoing the keynote walls, to create intimate restaurant-style spaces. Bursts of color brought Microsoft‘s brand to life against the clean white surfaces. Afternoon breakout sessions offered custom content tracked to attendees’ varied interests, and customer images displayed throughout the venue showcased real-life applications of their products.

Every element of this program—from registration, breakfast, and keynote, to lunch and evening cocktails—was custom-designed to communicate exacting brand messaging and to deliver a high-touch guest experience.

Empire is proud to collaborate with Microsoft to create and execute this top-tier business communication event.

To view excerpts of Microsoft Connect(); // 2016, visit https://connectevent.microsoft.com

Click here for a time-lapse video of the event: https://vimeo.com/201861428​

Empire partnered with Reel Works again to produce their 2016 Benefit Gala, Celebrating Women in Media. Reel Works is one of the leading digital media educators in the United States and the only filmmaking program that matches teens 1:1 with professional filmmaker-mentors to tell their stories and have their voices heard. It’s a powerful combination that changes young New Yorkers' lives by allowing them to present their unfiltered voices.

This year's gala began with a VIP reception in the historic Capitale—adorned with Corinthian columns, Venetian glass, marble mosaic floors, and 65-foot ceiling. Honorees Dr. Stacy Smith, Director of the Media, Diversity, and Social Change Initiative at USC’s Annenberg School, Karen Horne, Senior Vice President of Programming Talent Development and Inclusion for NBC Entertainment and Universal Television Studios, and Mona-Scott Young, CEO and Founder of Monami Entertainment, mingled with guests and all were invited to enjoy cocktails and passed hors d’oeuvres before to making their way into the ballroom for the program and dinner.

Empire managed the stage program working with New York City-based actor, stand-up comedian, and writer, Naomi Ekperigin. Ekperigin has been listed as one of "7 Reasons Why SNL Should Hire a Black Woman"on Buzzfeed.com and one of "8 Black Comediennes Who are Ready forn SNL" by Essence Magazine. Together we were able to highlight the work of honorees, chair members, and students.

As the evening progressed, the enthusiastic Charles Antin took the stage as the live auctioneer, helping to raise a record $480,000. The evening wrapped with the F. John Outcalt Award for Outstanding Filmmaking winner announcement and special musical performance by Diana Gordon, the songwriter named “the mind behind one of 2016’s most memorable lyrics”: “He better call Becky with the good hair” from Beyoncé’s “Sorry”.

Event sponsors included Empire Entertainment, NBC Universal, Annenberg Foundation, Samsung Hope for Children, BBDO, HBO, Comedy Central, VH1, and Viacom.

Empire is proud of the continued partnership with the Reel Works organization and our contribution to making the evening the most successful benefit dinner to date.

If you are interested in learning more about Reel Works please visit: http://www.reelworks.org/​

To kick off the fifth season of hit docuseries Vanderpump Rules, Bravo Media wielded the power of the sexy series and social media to draw huge crowds of loyal fans to a one-night-only bar crawl in New York City, attended by eight of the show’s cast members. Empire was thrilled to partner with Bravo Media to plan and execute this experiential consumer event.

Vanderpump Rules follows the sexy aspiring actor/model waitstaff of Los Angeles restaurant SUR through the drama at work and off-hours. The bar crawl event, aptly-named VanderCrawl, attracted close to a thousand fans to the Meatpacking District, eagerly queueing up on the sidewalk hours in advance for their chance to meet the Bravolebs and to sip drinks prepared by them.

VanderCrawl kicked off at newly-opened restaurant/club, Kola House, and featured Tom Sandoval as guest bartender, mixing his SUR-inspired cocktail “Hot Pink”, a peach vodka and grapefruit elixir, while DJ Lily Vanili spun tunes for the crowd. Fellow cast members including Stassi, Scheana, Kristen, Tom Schwartz, and Katie chatted with fans and VIPs including latest Bachelorette, Jojo Fletcher, and her fiancé, Jordan Rodgers.

Fans followed the Bravolebs down the street to The Tippler, the second stop on VanderCrawl, for more revelry, as well as the chance to try bartender Ariana Madix’s cocktail, “Pinky’s Lemonade,” also inspired by SUR. DJ Jon Blak mixed upbeat pop hits as the Bravolebs snapped countless selfies with fans and handed out purple #PumpRules shades and branded t-shirts.

The escalating party continued around the corner at the third and final destination, No. 8, the latest hotspot by nightlife maven Amy Sacco of Bungalow 8 fame. Vanderpump Rules’ bad boy Jax Taylor was on full display as he served his SUR-inspired cocktail “Cape Fizz” from the head of the horseshoe-shaped bar.

Fans and Bravolebs had a blast that night with fans asking for a VanderCrawl 2.0 and Vanderpump Rules cast member Scheana tweeting, “I cannot get over how EPIC the #VanderCrawl was last night”. (More fan/Bravoleb photos and tweets can be viewed at #VanderCrawl)

In addition to the fans that joined the VanderCrawl, press including the New York Times, E! News, and PageSix came along for the ride, publishing play-by-play rundowns of the epic evening.

Empire is a leading producer of experiential events and innovative event marketing in New York City and across the country.

​

Bulgari Japan launched the BVLGARI AVRORA AWARDS in order to recognize and celebrate women who have made an exceptional contribution to Japanese society. Named for Aurora, the Roman goddess of dawn, the Awards aim to inspire all women in Japan by drawing attention to Japanese women of intelligence, talent, creativity, and generosity who naturally bring out the radiant qualities of those around them, and shine a fresh light on society as a whole.

From initial concept through to the star-studded inaugural Awards event in Tokyo, Empire assisted Bulgari by facilitating the planning, creation, and execution of every facet of the Aurora Awards. Launched on International Women’s Day, a series of print and film interviews with the participants were published throughout the year to promote each Awardee's inspiring message to women throughout Japan.

The culmination of the year was the dazzling BVLGARI AVRORA AWARDS ceremony hosted by Bulgari Global CEO, Jean-Christophe Babin, and produced by Empire at Tokyo Midtown and the Ritz Carlton. The 10 Inspiring Women and their Recommenders, together with over 100 top celebrities and media, walked the Golden Carpet and later participated in a gala party where Awardees shared their stories in diverse fields from charity and business, through to music, cinema, and the arts. The highlight of the evening was a private concert from acclaimed guitarist, Tomoyasu Hotei, staged in tandem with a stunning Bulgari jewelry show.

Empire was honored to be intimately involved in the successful planning and launch of the BVLGARI AVRORA AWARDS, once again proving its expertise in producing high-profile events around the world. With their success, the Awards are set to become an annual event, and we look forward to more inspiring women and their stories.

For the 4^th consecutive year, Empire produced the Lowline Anti-Gala at the Lowline Lab in the Lower East Side. The Lowline Lab is a long-term laboratory and exhibit open to the public that showcases the solar technology to sustain a variety of plant life. Over 100,000 visitors have come to experience the preview of the urban underground park since its opening.

New York City officials approved plans this past summer to build the world’s first underground park in the Lower East Side. This is a huge step forward for the Lowline to convert a historic underground trolley terminal into a subterranean public space. The Lowline is targeting to open in 2021, and in order to get there they threw their annual Anti Gala fundraiser to help raise crucial funds for the project.

Approximately 225 guests were greeted into the loosely-themed Wonderland event by peculiar characters dressed as a flirtatious Cheshire Cat, slick Mad Hatter, tap dancing Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum, sleight-of-hand magician White Rabbit, and Playing Cards painting the roses red while walking through the mysterious fog-enchanted surroundings.

Guests made their way into a seated dinner where they enjoyed a delicious meal by Pinch followed by a performance by Hammerstep—a hip hop, beatboxing, tap-dancing duo—and a burlesque performance.

The program featured speeches by Lowline Co-Founders, Dan Barasch and James Ramsey, and Board Member Jolie Hunt, who hosted the pledge, garnering over $50,000 in proceeds that directly benefitted the building of the Lowline.

DJ JD Samson closed out the event with her cool beats that kept the party dancing into the night.

Empire is honored to serve as the Lowline’s event producers since 2013 and proud to support the creation of the world’s first cutting-edge, underground park. To learn more about the Lowline, visit http://thelowline.org/

​