Every five years, this cutting-edge company hosts a multi-day event that includes a major product andinnovation exhibition at the Jacob Javits Center, keynote remarksfrom its worldwide Chairman & CEO, and a gala dinner for over 1,000 of itstop customers and business partners at the New York Marriott Marquis in the heart of Times Square.

This year, Empire was challenged to create a Gala evening based on the client's theme of new impossible innovations and to produce the keynote session justhours earlier in the Broadway Ballroom of the New York Marriott Marquis.

Empire’s solution, developedover the course of many months of collaboration, was to create an evening that fused performances andsurround projection technology to take the audience on an impossible journey: travelingthrough time to experience Times Square in the past, present and future. Eachera would be represented with a live performance segment that reflected itsculture, music, imagery, energy and technology.

Following the afternoon’sflawless keynote address by the company's Chairman & CEO, Empirequickly transformed the ballroom into an elegant gala environment, surroundingthe room with over 300 feet of HD projection surfaces and replacing the theaterseating with black dining tables adorned with a red glass cubes.

Following a welcome by host andemcee James Donahower, he introduced the concept of time travel through Times Square. Asurround projection environment of an animated Times Square of the 1920s, completewith sound effects, was dramatically revealed to the audience.

Then, as jazz music began toplay, a spotlight illuminated a single point on stage as a female jazzsaxophone player, Chelsea Baratz, soloed the sounds of Summertime as the billboards slowly flickeredaround her. Next the music shifted to anupbeat rendition of the Charleston and a cast of 1920s-attired flappers enteredto dance the steps of the jazz age. As the performance built in energy, thedynamic tap dance duo of Grimes & Fleming performed their fast-movingtandem tap routine as a finalé of film footage of dancers andwater fountains was projected on all screens. At the end of the1920s/1930s performance and as guests enjoyed their dinner, the animated skyscape of Times Square returned to thescreens and slowly evolved to 1950s to a soundtrack from those years.

After dinner, the emcee returned to set up thenext segment, highlighting some of the major technological and cultural changesof the 1950s and 1960s. As he finished his remarks, the sounds of the Drifter’s1964 hit Under the Boardwalk beganto play as doo wop a capella group the Tee Tones appeared on stage. Next up thescreens shifted to reflect the Broadway show marquees of the time as vocalistsand a cast of costumed dancers entered to perform selections from Pippin (Magic To Do) and Hair: the Musical (Age of Aquarius) as the screens projectedanimations of the 1960s Flower Power movement. In the finale for thissegment, a solo vocalist performed Louis Armstrong’s What a Wonderful World as the Times Square screens recreated thelive broadcast of the first manned lunar landing.

Following dessert service, the emcee took thestage one final time, setting up the Times Square of the future. Thisperformance began with vocalist Kelly Levesque singing an original compositionentitled Future Mood surrounded byan HD projection of the earthrise from space. Next up, violinist Sarina Sunoperformed a fast-paced classical electronica piece as the animated screencontent reacted to the sounds of her LED-lit, electronic violin. As a fittingconclusion to the evening, Levesque took the stage again to perform Love Can Move Mountains and Reach. This time, Kelly wore a floor-length gown covered with hundreds of mirror tiles as she was lit by a seriesof carefully placed lasers in a hazed room, creating the effect of a halo oflaser beams in all directions. Many of the audience members reached for theirphones to photograph the spectacular finalé.

The client was delighted with the outcome ofthe evening, and this original production entertained this highly critical audience.

To create this one-of-a-kind, once-in-a-lifetimejourney through performance, Empire worked with a wide variety of creative,scenic, talent, music and technical partners that included LIVE LAB and manyothers.

Empire is one of the world’s leading creatorsand producers of original live media and events on behalf of leading corporation andbrands.

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When one of the world's leading insurance companies hosted an incentive program in Crete in September 2015, they planned a fantastic evening outdoors, themed around the feel-good movie "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" and they came to Empire for the entertainment that would fit the theme. While ABBA has been defunct for decades, Empire recommended and contracted the next best thing: Bjorn Again, the ABBA tribute band. Dressed head-to-toe in costuming that helped define the original band, the group had the attendees on their feet performing classics such as "Dancing Queen" and "Waterloo". On a raised stage with the Mediterranean Sea and the stars as their backdrop, the band was a highlight of a fantastic event.

Empire is proud to consistently be able to recommend entertainers who fit our clients' event themes, as well as their budgets, and to have presented headline performers in over 40 countries around the globe.

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​Empire produced a business conference and farewell dinner for over 500 guests for a leading Japanese healthcare company in Dubai. The company was visiting Dubai to hold an incentive tour for top sales employees over a period of several days. Guests had a chance to enjoy a wide range of activities including a deep look into the local Arabian culture with camel tours into the desert.

Empire worked closely with a local agency to make this event happen over a two day period. During the first day a business conference was held where next year’s goals were announced and action plans for the upcoming year were laid down. The challenge was that the venue needed to be transformed from a business conference venue to a gorgeous farewell dinner venue in just one day. A larger stage and extravagant light fixtures needed to be placed with all settings from the previous night readjusted to a party atmosphere.

The farewell party included a dance performance, where company staff members reenacted a popular performance of the popular Japanese vocal group Exile on stage. The Empire team put together a full lighting system which transformed the venue into a concert hall bringing everyone to their feet. We also produced a fashion show as part of the evening festivities, which had over 20 models, once again done by company employees.

Empire’s success in Dubai showcased yet again our ability to produce the highest quality events anywhere in the world.

With the 75^th Anniversary of the brand rightaround the corner, Coach wanted to showcase their first runway collection forNew York SS16 Fashion week in an impactful and memorable way.

Empire was engaged by Coach and KCD Worldwide, the leadingfashion public relations and production agency, to lend expertise inpermitting, labor & union relations, and site-specific logistical planningand management. Empire and KCD worked in close collaboration with Coach overseveral months to select and secure the site, design a plan and make theproduction a reality.

The decision was made to bring the show home – to the futuresite of the new Coach headquarters currently being built at 30th Street and 11th Avenue in the new Hudson Yards development. A large, openconcrete rooftop, located adjacent to the High Line and just a short walk fromthe new Coach tower, proved to be the ideal location to build an event spacethat would impress audiences and blend seamlessly into the natural beauty ofthe High Line.

Construction, tenting, scenic and technical teams workednon-stop for almost a month to construct a beautiful two-story glass box tent. The Friends of the Highline andthe NYC Parks Department granted Coach permission to use the High Line as aguest entryway and a one-of-a kind, one-day only bridge was built to facilitatedirect access to the tent from the High Line.

Empire also worked to develop a unique guest entry plan. A nearbylot was transformed into a Coach-branded drop off point where high-profileattendees were chauffeuredto the show in special Coach taxis. Guests strolled along the High Line andtook in the view of the enormous glass tent in the Fall afternoon sun. After making their way inside, guests weregreeted with scenic elements designed by Stefan Beckman to bring the windswept Americanprairie feel of the High Line indoors. Guests walked over the mirrored runway and took their seats on amulti-level wooden polygon bleacher built into the center of the tent,surrounding by planters and greenery that perfectly matched the look and feelof the High Line.

Over 500 guests attended the nine minute long show includingAnna Wintour, Chloe Grace Moretz, Mariel Hemingway, and numerous fashion buyers,members of the media and tastemakers and celebrities from around the world. The collection, largely centered onmulti-colored floral patchwork dresses inspired by designer Stuart Veversvision of a wardrobe for “a magpie girl who goes onroad trips, picking up Western things, but who also might steal from hergranny’s closet on the Upper East Side". Nearly 40 models showcased almost 50 different looks styledby Karl Templer to a soundtrack DJ’d live by Steve Mackey.

Voguecalled the Coach show one of the New York Fashion Week’s best shows.

The completeshow can be viewed at: http://www.coach.com/shop/womens-spring-2016

​Looking to have the Season 2 premiere of the hit TV show EMPIRE match the energy and grandeur of its enormous fan base, FOX knew the event needed to take place in New York City.

The renowned Carnegie Hall was perfect venue for the premiere, lending a juxtaposition between the elegant and classic musical landmark and the current pop culture and hip hop theme of the show.

Because of the enormous popularity of the show, a 100’ long press wall, tent, and gold carpet were installed on 7th Avenue, allowing the large cast their own moments to shine. The carpet was well-attended, with appearances by show creator Lee Daniels, and cast members including Terrence Howard, Taraji P. Henson, Trai Byers, Jussie Smollett, and Gabourey Sidibe, as well as other celebs including Mariah Carey, Rosie O’Donnell, Gail King, and Naomi Campbell.

Following the carpet, 2,500 lucky fans enjoyed an advanced screening of the highly-anticipated first episode of Season 2 followed by a live Q&A session with all of the cast. Rounding out the stage presentation were energetic performances by cast members Jussie Smollett (Jamal Lyon), Bryshere Gray (Hakeem Lyon), and Serayah (Tiana Brown). Fans at home were able to watch a live broadcast of both the Q&A and performances.

After the screening, 450 guests including cast, FOX executives, and sponsors from Lincoln and Pepsi moved upstairs to the recently opened Weill Terrace Room to celebrate the success of another season. Located on the 9th and 10th floors of Carnegie Hall, the after party offered sweeping views of midtown New York, which guests enjoyed while lounging on furniture designed to recreate an elegant yet homey living room. A warm gray and neutral palette was accented by candles and florals in deep greens, creams, and browns.

Heard over the excited chatter, DJ Natasha Diggs got the crowd dancing on the 10th Floor while a playlist curated by Lee Daniels kept the party going on the 9th Floor. Comfort food and cocktails were provided by Stephen STARR Catering and was rounded out with birthday cake for Taraji P. Henson.

Empire is honored to continue our long-standing working relationship with the FOX Broadcasting team and look forward to supporting more upcoming events.

On September 17, 2015, Empire was honored to serve as theproducers of the star-studded, 14^th annual Samsung Hope for ChildrenGala, which took place within the Grand Ballroom and the Hammerstein Ballroomat the Manhattan Center in New York City. The Hope for Children Gala is Samsung’s principal cause-marketingevent dedicated to supporting children’s health, education, and sustainability.

The evening kicked off with a star-studded blue carpet, packedwith celebrities and athletes including Demi Lovato, Mark Messier, TaraLipinski, Tony Bennett, Henrick Lundqvist, Katrina Bowden, Dascha Polanco, JimGaffigan, and Meredith Viera.

Once inside, the 700 guests were invited to enjoy a cocktailreception in the Grand Ballroom, which featured interactive elements for theguests to enjoy, along with a large-scale orchid chandelier display over acenter bar. Following cocktails,guests were invited into the Manhattan Center for dinner. On their way in, theywere treated to another impressive floral display featuring thousands of callalilies blanketing the ceiling

The seated dinner program featured many participants andperformers including emcee, Josh Lucas, Students from Exploringthe Arts Frank Sinatra School inBrooklyn, The Roots, Rob Thomas, Ingrid Michaelson, Boomer Esiason, NickCannon, Demi Lovato, President and CEO of Samsung Electronics North America,Gregory Lee, and President & COO of Samsung Electronics America, Timothy Baxter.The centerpiece of the evening’s program was Ben Stiller presenting Samsung’sChampion of Hope Award to Brad Pitt and the Make it Right Foundation for theirwork rebuilding New Orleans' Lower 9^th Ward after hurricaneKatrina.

While the Gala took place downstairs, for the first timeever, Samsung invited Galaxy Owners to attend a pre-reception in the GrandBallroom, where they interacted with the latest Galaxy devices and had thechance to win a variety of prizes. Guests enjoyed refreshments, music curatedby DJ Nick Cannon and anexclusive live performance by electro-pop duoIcona Pop that was broadcast live to YouTube via the GalaxyNote5. Following the pre-reception, consumers joined Gala guests in theHammerstein Ballroom for Demi Lovato’s memorableperformance.

The Samsung Hope for Children Gala raised a record $2 million. This included over $80,000 from the Silent Auction,Text to Donate, Blue Box Raffle and Charity Buzz. Charity Partners included the Boomer Esiason Foundation, Christopher& Dana Reeve Foundation, Exploring the Arts, Make It Right, Many Hopes, OnlyMake Believe, Sidewalk Angels, Staten Island Museum Foundation, StillerFoundation, and the United States Olympic Committee.

Empire was proud to work closely with the Samsung team todeliver a flawless evening for such a worthy cause. To learn more aboutSamsung’s Hope for Children visit http://www.samsung.com/us/hopeforchildren/

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Empire helped a private client present an unforgettable weekend ofheadline concert performances for family and friends at an undisclosedlocation on the coast of Montenegro and aboard a mega-yacht docked in theAdriatic Sea.

The first night’s concert showcased global guitar sensations Rodrigo y Gabriella, whose riveting acoustic duo set was as captivating as itwas mesmerizing. The pair of guitar wizards, who were raised on thrash metal inMexico City and who have performed at the White House and the GlastonburyFestival, rocked the audience for over an hour and concluded with an intimatejam circle with the audience sitting just inches away. Set at a beachside café, the stage was positionedbeneath a climbing hillside of olive groves that Empire lit to create a magicalsetting for the concert.

The second night was a dance party featuring a German groupcalled The Baseballs. The full band with several vocalists, dressed inperfect 1950s rockabilly attire, performed a series of energetic covers of songslike Rihanna’s “Umbrella” in the 1950s rock n’ roll style.

On the final evening, the client presented The Tenors onthe rear deck of a 200 ft yacht moored off the Coast. The quartet of polished vocalists serenaded theaudience with a mix of opera and pop music covers that left themspellbound by the fusion of music and the spectacular sunset views of the Montenegromountain range.

For this project, Empire secured all performers, handling international logistics with artists traveling fromthe UK, Mexico, Amsterdam, Germany, Canada and the United States, and overcamesignificant technical challenges to stage three flawless shows on thewaterfront and at sea.

Empire is the world’s leading producer of headlineentertainment for intimate audiences and bespoke, private concertexperiences. With a track record ofproductions in over 90 countries with many of the world’s most celebratedartists, Empire delivers the capability, experience and adaptability to surpassclient expectations throughout the world.

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​Kid Witness News, KWN, is a global video education program sponsored by Panasonic. The KWN program uses video production to stimulate creativity, build communication skills, and encourage teamwork among children in elementary and secondary schools.

This year the Global Awards Ceremony was held in Singapore, the first ever in Southeast Asia and during its 50th year of Independence. To ensure a smooth and successful event, Panasonic chose Empire Japan to serve as executive producer. Empire's role included venue selection, working with local production vendors and directing the overall look and feel of the Award Ceremony.

For this year, there were seven finalist schools from seven different countries including China, Germany, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, and the United States. After a full day of exploring Singapore (Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum, Gardens by the Bay, The Merlion) the main event was be the Awards Ceremony.

To commemorate its new theme “Sports”, the Awards Ceremony began with presentations from its Special Guests. Mr. Hawazi Daipi, Senior Parliamentary Secretary, Ministry of Education & Ministry of Manpower of Singapore, Mr. Ng Ser Miang, Member of the International Olympic Committee and Chairman of the Finance Commission, Mr. Duane Kale, Governing Board Member of the International Paralympic Committee and Mr. Mark Wallace, the Chief Content Officer of the Olympic Broadcasting Services.

The Awards Ceremony included awards presented by the special guests wirh Managing Director of Panasonic Asia Pacific, Mr. Toru Nishida presenting the Grand Prix to Montfort College in Thailand for their work “Blind’s Diary".

The following day, the finalist schools participated in an exciting workshop seminar conducted by the Chief Content Officer of the Olympic Broadcasting Services, Mr. Mark Wallace. Students learned about the long preparation period, the various cameras and techniques used to smoothly broadcast the Olympics.

Empire Japan was thrilled to help Panasonic produce yet another successful KWN Global Awards Ceremony.

For more information about Kid Witness News, please visit http://www.panasonic.com/global/corporate/kwn.html

In late summer 2015, Empire was called upon to recommend and contract some of the most interesting keynote speakers in the world for an insurance company's annual incentive program. The client wanted someone to headline the slate who would not have been seen by their attendees before. Empire was quick to recommend Malala Yousafzai, the youngest ever Nobel Peace Prize winner who was singled out and shot by the Taliban for her belief that Afghan girls (and women around the world) are entitled to an education. In a conversation moderated by former White House correspondent Ann Compton (also recommended by Empire), Malala inspired the attendees with her incredible story of surviving the shooting and how it only strengthened her resolve to fight for equal rights for women worldwide.

While Malala was a very tough act to follow, the following morning Empire delivered futurist Ray Kurzweil to address the conference guests. Called “the restless genius” by The Wall Street Journal and “the ultimate thinking machine” by Forbes, Kurzweil wowed the audience with his predictions about artificial intelligence and the possibility that humans may soon be immortal due to exponential advances in technology. And to follow Kurzweil's fantastic thoughts on the triumphs of the human brain, Empire brought in Nando Parrado to amaze the attendees with the triumph of the human spirit. One of the survivors of the plane crash chronicled in the book and movie "Alive", Parrado told his story of walking 150 miles out of the Andes to save himself and many of his rugby teammates more than two months after the accident occurred.

Empire also arranged for CNN National Security Commentator Mike Rogers to talk about ISIS and other threats to US national security, as well as a political-economic debate between conservative economist, television personality, and newspaper columnist Lawrence Kudlow, and American economist Austan Goolsbee who served as the youngest member of President Obama's cabinet.

Empire recommends and contracts keynote speakers for special events around the globe, and is honored to have presented and produced luminaries such as Bill Gates, His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Robert Redford, Kevin Spacey, several US Presidents including Barack Obama, Oprah Winfrey, Ralph Lauren, and hundreds of others.

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On August 26, Empire presented two hit-packed performances by nine time Grammy Winner, Sheryl Crow, for a corporate audience at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville. Approximately 5,000 guests of all ages packed the house for the private shows by the country rocker.

The audience was on their feet as Sheryl and her six-member band performed her greatest hits including, “All I Wanna Do", "A Change Would Do You Good", “Soak Up The Sun", “Everyday is a Winding Road", "Strong Enough", and an amazing encore of Led Zeppelin’s “Rock and Roll".

Empire was responsible for proposing, negotiating, contracting, and advancing all logistical elements for Sheryl Crow. Empire Entertainment is a leading provider of talent for corporate events and celebrations around the world.

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