Our Work

When one of Russia's most successful oligarchs sought to throw an incredible party at a private estate in Cap D'Antibes on the Cote D'Azur, their Moscow-based, Russian event producers and strategic Empire partners turned to Empire Entertainment for help with the evening entertainment. The extraordinary party was hosted on a private, waterfront estate just adjacent to the famous Eden Roc and Hotel du Cap. The guests, numbering approximately 150, came from throughout Russia, Europe, Asia and the United States and included VIPs like Roman Abramovich.

The evening began with a cocktail reception surrounding a glittering pool, lit with floating candles and traversed with laser beams. American motion picture and TV star Jim Belushi and co-host, Russian television personality Andrey Malakhov, greeted guests as they arrived. Guests were then seated for a sumptuous dinner and Jim & Andrey took to the stage where Jim performed some Blues Brothers songs to track and the two delivered a combined standup set in English and Russian. After dessert, the British humor improv troupe Incognito Artists performed. Following dinner Jim and Andrey led guests from the dinner tent across the property to a giant outdoor stage and where they were treated to a full length, headline concert by international superstar Beyoncé and her full band and dancers. Her electrifying set included all of her hits such as "Survivor," "Deja Vu," "Say My Name" and "Crazy in Love" and the audience danced to every song. Following Beyoncé's concert the guests were led down a lighted pathway line with fountains to the waterfront where the evening's next surprise awaited them.

Upon arrival and taking their seats, an extraordinary 35 minute original spectacle of fountains, flame pots, fire dancers, lasers and fireworks astounded guests and drew attention up and down the Cote D'Azur from the shore and surrounding private yachts. The Phoenix Fire Dancers were part of this performance. Following the spectacle, guests returned to the dinner tent, now remodeled into an elegant after-party lounge with couches, ottomans and nightclub lighting, there they danced the rest of the night away and enjoyed cigars, cognac and dance music by Europe's Touch & Go and another band that performed Russian classics. Empire is thrilled to enjoy a strategic alliance with one of Russia's most established event production companies and has produced many events in private clients in Russia, France, Israel and elsewhere.

For more information on events in Russia and our capabilities from Moscow to Vladivostok, contact Empire Entertainment.

For the sixth year in a row, the Executive Council of New York, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to fostering innovation and commerce in New York City, chose Empire Entertainment to produce their Ten Awards program in New York City. This program, billed as "The Academy Awards of Business," annually recognizes the best & brightest in the New York business universe. The host sponsor for this important program was technology giant IBM. Other sponsors of this year's program included Cushman & Wakefield NASDAQ OMX, Zagat Survey, UPS, Dow Jones, Google, Accenture, Ogilvy, and AT&T among others. The Awards program was hosted by FOX Business Network's Brian Sullivan and featured keynote addresses by NYPD Comissioner Raymond W. Kelly and Hudson Riverkeeper's Chief Prosecuting Attorney, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.

This year's award winners were: CEO of the Year: Shelley Lazarus, OgilvyCFO of the Year: Stephen Patrick, Colgate-PalmoliveCIO of the Year: Barbara Koster, Prudential FinancialBest Up and Comer: Eric Shepcaro, TelxBest Hedge Fund/Private Equity Firm of the Year: David Tepper, Appaloosa ManagementBest Female Executive: Judy McGrath, MTV NetworksBest Green Organization: Alex Matthiessen, RiverkeeperBest Media Executive: Laura Walker, WNYC Public RadioBest Healthcare Executive: Jeff Kinder & Ronald A. Williams, AetnaBest Executive Team: Are Traasdahl, Evan Schwartz, Scott Marshall, Markus Thortsvedt, Joe Bilman & Lasse Hamre, ThumbplayDealmaker of the Year: Michael Chen, GE Commercial FinanceCitizen of the Year: Sandi D. Franklin, Brooklyn Center for the Urban EnvironmentCEO and Innovation Award: Larry Cohen, CapgeminiThere was also a special Ten Awards NASDAQ Closing Bell ceremony with the winners at NASDAQ's MarketSite in Times Square.

For this upscale event for more than 400 attendees, Empire provided virtually all services including venue selection, staging and set design, sound, lighting, the production of graphics packages, and all program graphic production, catering, stage management, decor, florals, logistics management, security, and signage.

Empire is a leading creative producer of business events, meetings and awards shows worldwide.

As Las Vegas, NV has increasingly become a prime destination major corporate programs & events, Empire has kept pace and offers our clients a full range of event services and capabilities in this unique city. These capabilities were on full display recently when Empire produced a wide range of events within days of each other in various settings and venues.

The series of events began when Empire produced the ever popular B-52s outdoors under a covered stage in the pool areas of The MGM Grand. The mixed group of over 1000 men and women danced and partied under the stars to hits that included "Love Shack," "Roam" and "Rock Lobster." Later that week we moved over to the Ballrooms at The Venetian Hotel, where Empire presented a concert with the Black Crowes. The 90 minute, greatest hits concert for a crowd of mostly young, male technology industry influencers was a huge hit with the audience who showered the band with ongoing applause in appreciation their no holds' barred hard-rocking style. Shortly after that Empire returned to more shows at the Mandalay Bay Arena and The Pearl at The Palms, where we presented performances for our clients featuring artists as diverse as Blue Man Group, Dana Carvey, American Idols' Michael Johns & Carly Smithson, and Sugar Ray.

Empire is able to serve our clients needs in Las Vegas based on our 15 years of extensive experience there and close relationships with the best talent, production and creative resources available. Whether it's a poolside party for several thousand or an intimate high-roller event featuring a top name headliner, Empire has the experience, relationships and resources to satisfy any clients needs in this unique city.

The Tokyo Game Show 2008, one of the biggest gaming events in the world, was held over a four-day period in October 2008 in the Makuhari Messe Exhibition Halls in Chiba, Japan. Attendance for the four day event reached a record high of 194,288 visitors with over 200 companies exhibiting in over 1700 booths.Empire Entertainment Japan was engaged to create the first special live concert 'The GMT : Game & Music @ Tokyo Game Show' sponsored by 'XBOX 360.'The GMT featured six Japanese headline artists who were all enthusiastic gamers. The band included Shoko Nakagawa, Schadaraparr and Asia Engineer among others. The concert was attended by thousands of game fans, costume players, and music fans.

GMT began with "Aural Vampire." Aural Vampire was chosen from the candidates of more than 300 groups at the GMT Front Act Audition held on major SNS "My Space". The bewitching gothic electro atmosphere created by EXO-CHIKA (Vampire vocal) and RAVEMAN (Masked DJ) overwhelmed the audience.Also, a game software company "Grass Hopper Manufacture", which has many of enthusiastic fans, introduced "GhM Sound Team". heating up the audience to another level. The show continued with 8 bit music performance by "YMCK". 3 members of the group gave a performance of synchronized drawing and performing tunes from animation sound tracks. Their style fused nostalgia with cutting edge technology.

The next artist on stage, "Asia Engineer," gave another astonishing performance. "Asia Engineer" is a 4 member hip hop group who got their names on the major market by singing the Olympic campaign song in Japan.Finally, moving towards the climax, the "Schadaraparr" appeared at the stage. The audience answered by cheering to the group's well experienced and high quality rap performance. For the final performance, an artist who had a sensational year, "Nakagawa Shoko" a.k.a, "Shokotan" appeared on the stage. She heated up the event stage to the hottest level, singing 6 songs including an encore performance.Through the concert, many different genres of music, such as J-POP, Hip Hop, 8-bit, Techno, and Visual were introduced.

To make sure that the crowds stay heated, Empire provided an MC and dance performances between the guest appearances, and introduced a presentation of Yamaha's new electronic instrument "TENORI-ON".Since the event was so tightly scheduled, rehearsals were held until midnight and even in the early mornings. Even with the difficult schedule, Empire was able to produce an event that satisfied both the artists and the audience.For this first time concert event in Japan, Empire was in charge of overall management, technical production, artist coordination, emcee casting, stage production and stage direction.

Empire Entertainment Japan is a leading producer of corporate and event marketing events in Japan and throughout Asia.

When a private equity firm with a 25-year history of forming partnerships with talented entrepreneurs and management teams sought to entertain their partners at an Annual Meeting, they turned to Empire Entertainment for assistance with the headline talent. The format of the annual meeting is a 2-day series of lectures and panel discussions focused on the company's portfolio highlighted by a welcome dinner and cocktail reception on the first evening. In attempt to lighten the mood and break the informational tone of the 48-hour affair, the client turned to Empire Entertainment to select, book, and manage the humorous entertainment portion of the evening.

Dennis Miller, noted as one of the most acerbic and intelligent comedians of our time, was a natural fit for this sophisticated audience. His knowledge of current affairs and innate ability to inject humor and sarcasm into such serious topics made him a natural crowd pleaser. His high stature from his year's on Saturday Night Live and his HBO series made him a special treat for the audience. His material included even-handed political content that was especially relevant to the upcoming presidential election only two months later.The evening and Dennis Miller's hour long performance was exactly the success that the client sought for their partners. The audience greatly enjoyed Dennis Miller's cerebral humor and his celebrity stature ensured that the attendees felt that the presenting company had pulled out all the stops to deliver a name performer for their dinner. For this project Empire worked with the client to recommend and select from among various performer options, negotiated and contracted Dennis Miller, coordinated logistics including air, rooms and ground transportation, interfaced with the client's A/V supplier to ensure appropriate technical support, and provided a producer onsite to handle Dennis Miller from arrival to departure.

Empire is a leading source of celebrity and headline comedy talent for meeting hosts, spokesperson roles and personal appearances.

When a global corporation was planning a large-scale annual meeting for all of it's regional employees, they sought a humorous host who could handle their audience of over 12,000. Moreover, the external creative agency for the event, a cutting edge new firm with a Generation-Y attitude, needed a tongue-in-cheek, fresh comedian with a business affiliation to deliver on their creative. As the preferred entertainment supplier to the corporate client, Empire was asked to work with the creative agency to fulfill the specific talent needs of the project while simultaneously following the carefully-constructed contractual guidelines that have governed the relationship with the client for the past 10 years.

Working closely with the client and creative agency, Empire was able to deliver one of the stars of NBC's wildly successful series - "The Office" - Rainn Wilson, to host the meeting. Rainn's humor - as displayed in the Office series, but also in his film roles in "Juno," "My Super Ex-Girlfriend," "Galaxy Quest," "Almost Famous" and "The Rocker" - was perfect for this audience and the creative.Prior to coming onsite, Rainn participated in a remote recording of a video sketch depicting the creative agency trying to select the host. As the agency sifted through potential candidates ranging from Bob Hope and Jared from the Subway commercials to Gandhi, they moved on to suggest Rainn Wilson who they unanimously decided should not be the host as he is decidedly "not funny." Then they discovered that Rainn was on the conference call...

Onsite Rainn was a superb host and fulfilled perfectly the creative agency's vision. He opened the meeting in full costume as one of the client's entertainment properties and rapidly assumed the role of host in the center of the sports stadium. He began: "All my life I was told no. No you can't have a pony, no you can't eat that off the floor, no you can't shave your grandfather. No matter how famous I get nothing seems to change. Even today at the airport: "No you can't change your seat from 31B, middle, to 31A, window. No, you can't carry on your alpaca. No, you can't sync your iPhone to your iPod. No, the cable guy will not lock down a time to be at your house. No, no, no."Then today I got to [Client's Name] Company Meeting and they started saying "Yes." They said I could do whatever I wanted. That today was about ‘yes.' I asked, ‘Hmmm, Can I set a seating section on fire?' They said yes." Rainn then demonstrated the power of "Yes" by waving his hands which set off an explosion in a section of the bleachers and then threw out a pitch from the pitching mound.Rainn then hosted a series of humorous vignettes that introduced speakers and videos and tied together the various presentations throughout the day.

Each of Rainn's segments were met with roaring laughter and applause.The exciting finalé of Rainn's performance came as he instructed all attending employees to fold and construct over 12,000 paper airplanes, and then, at once, throw them in unison, achieving the Guiness Book of World Records record for the most paper airplanes thrown at one time.Rainn worked closely with the creative team and Empire on details such as scripting, costumes, special effects, etc.Empire negotiated the deal for Rainn, worked with his management in order to secure time off from his busy shooting schedule for The Office and the theatrical release of his new film The Rocker. Empire also served as onsite talent liaison for Rainn to help him deliver the best possible performance.

Empire is a leading source of celebrity and headline talent for meeting hosts, spokesperson roles and personal appearances and often collaborates with creative agencies and production companies to help fulfill their creative visions through the effective use of talent.

In order to celebrate the Mexican Independence Day weekend and as a value added incentive for the hotel's preferred clientele, Kerzner International turned to Empire Entertainment to book two of Latin America's most popular artists for a concert series in the intimate 600 seat Atlantis Theatre, on Paradise Island, Bahamas. Friday night hosted Alejandra Guzman, Mexico's beloved "Queen of Rock". Alejandra put on a show of her greatest hits and dazzled crowd with her sensual presentation and hard rocking performance, proving to the audience why she owns so many Latin Grammy Awards.International pop superstar, Paulina Rubio, followed the next night. From start to finish, guests were up from their seats and dancing to her hits singles, "Don't Say Goodbye" and "Te Quise Tanto". In addition to booking and contracting Paulina and Alejandra, Empire coordinated all logistical details and managed the bands while on site.

Empire Entertainment Inc. is a worldwide leader in the booking of Latin American music and often serves casinos, resorts, nightclubs and local promoters throughout the world as a talent acquisition and production specialist.

When a private client wanted to celebrate his own 50th birthday among 200 of his closest friends, he turned to Empire Entertainment to book, produce, design and coordinate the affair from beginning to end.The event was designed as a 2-night exclusive concert held in a tent in the backyard of the client's private summer home in East Hampton, NY.

The first evening, Friday night, featured a line up that included The Nancy Atlas Project, a local Hamptons-area phenomenon, who kicked off the festivities with a rock solid set of blues and rock and roll covers. The first evening's headliner was legendary singer & songwriter Elvis Costello who delivered a 75 minute, solo acoustic set that included many of his greatest hits. Afterwards guests danced to DJ Jordan Kessler and later went downstairs for a late night after party. Saturday night's event brought two of 1980's biggest concert headliners to the stage: the Psychedelic Furs and the B-52s who wowed the VIP audience and kept them dancing the entire time. This night's concerts were also followed by an after-party in the residence's stylish "basement lounge" with DJs and more live music.

As the overall producers of the event and all of it's components, Empire worked with various permitting agencies as well as town boards and departments to secure all necessary approvals to hold a major concert event in a residential neighborhood. Once approved, Empire designed and installed a tenting concept, created a décor lighting scenario, brought in decor, catering, furnishings and florals and created a multi-purpose stage design, which enabled all of the activity needed to create a full-scale concert venue.

Friday's and Saturday's events each had dramatically different themes, which meant that the venue's décor, lighting, and catering had to be completely dismantled and rebuilt between the events. A further complication to this already-pressing schedule presented itself when a major rainstorm hit the East End of Long Island on the eve before Friday night's opening party. As a result, the team had less than 12 hours to rebuild major portions of the venue – tenting, décor, sound and lighting, etc. – from the ground up on the morning of the party, not to mention rescue the lawn, now under several inches of water. Aided by knowledgeable local vendors and their own quick-thinking, Empire managed to install a dance floor above the watery grass and avert the crisis.

Empire is a leading producer of specialty and high-concept private events worldwide from conception to completion.

When the Ross School was looking for a unique way to raise substantial monies for their Scholarship Fund, they turned to Empire Entertainment to produce an original-concept event series, which would peak the interest of their local community.Building off of the momentum of 2007's ultra-elite Hampton SOCIAL concert series, which brought Prince, Billy Joel, & Tom Petty among others to the small campus for a private audience, Empire prepared and Ross School announced a follow-up concert series featuring two of the biggest and most diverse names in music. However in 2008, unlike 2007, the events would directly benefit Ross School Programs and Scholarships.

The series was entitled Ross Summer 2008 and encompassed two major events in the month of August, 2008: THE JONAS BROTHERS ROSS & ARETHA FRANKLIN@ROSS. Over 700 guests including host Kelly Ripa of television's Regis & Kelly attended the sold out Jonas Brothers event held on the majestic grounds of the Ross Upper School campus in East Hampton, NY. Kelly participated in the onstage raffle of 3 Gibson Guitars, signed by the Jonas Brothers, and then introduced the trio to their screaming fans. While the sought-after teen idols played a roster of their hits, the audience was treated a delicious outdoor BBQ prepared by Danny Meyer's Union Square Hospitality Group. The Aretha Franklin event kicked off with an elegant dinner gala also presented by Danny Meyer's Union Square Hospitality Group.  Following dessert, the Queen of Soul appeared onstage, performing an impressive roster of her greatest hits.  Guests danced the night away to Natural Woman, Respect, Mack the Knife, and Freeway.

Distinguished guests such as Christie Brinkley, Rosie Perez, and, Abigail Breslin were also in attendance, showing their support for this worthy institution.Located in East Hampton and Bridgehampton, New York, Ross School was founded in 1991 by Courtney and Steven J. Ross, and focuses on cultivating a global perspective and embracing technology. Their scholarship programs, in place since the school's inception, provide financial aid for over forty percent of the School's 560 students, allowing them to contribute to the rich fabric of the Ross School community. These programs also enable Ross to continue its commitment to offering the highest quality education to the broadest range of students, regardless of financial circumstances. Over 33% of all Ross graduates are the first in their families to attend college. In addition to conceiving, managing, and producing @ross Summer 2008, Empire also contracted and arranged travel and accommodations for The Jonas Brothers and Aretha Franklin, as well as all of the logistical and technical aspects of the concert.

This summer, Empire had the privilege to book, contract & manage the headline entertainment for one of the world's largest global corporations and at one of the largest annual corporate events held in America. The highlight of the multi-day conference was an outdoor concert co-headlined by double Grammy- winning artist, Pink and double platinum recording artist, Daughtry. For this concert, Empire was able to negotiate deals with both artists, allowing them to share the stage for an extraordinary night of music, blowing away thousands of young business men & women from around the globe. The artists 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 both bands tore into their high-energy sets. Beginning with a rocking 65-minute set by Pink and her band, the audience was on their feet as they performed award-winning greatest hits such as "Get the Party Started," "So What," "Just Like a Pill," and "Who Knew." Following the amazing performance by Pink, Daughty took the stage to wow the audience with yet another 65-minute set. This time the audience sang along as the band performed radio hits such as "It's Not Over," "Home," Feels Like Tonight," and "What About Now."

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

When one of Empire's long-standing clients was planning an event for 1,000 of their summer interns, they turned to Empire Entertainment to produce a flawless concert with two of the biggest names amongst college students everywhere. Known for their series of summer concerts, the Woodland Park Zoo was an ideal spot to host this event. The outdoor setting gave the evening a relaxed feeling and with the beautiful weather, great food and drinks, the guests were having a fantastic time – and the surprise performances were yet to come. Following welcome remarks Vampire Weekend took to the stage and were greeted by a sea of cheers and applause. The band, known for their hit song "A-Punk", is the next indie-pop act on their way to the top. They performed a rousing set for this lively crowd of young company interns.After a brief changeover a client executive announced the next surprise act. Piano pop/rock superstar Ben Folds began playing to an ecstatic crowd who rushed the stage with a flurry of snapshots. Folds played many of his well-known songs such as "Zak and Sara", "Landed", "Kate", and "Rockin' The Suburbs". Despite the large audience Folds' solo performance at the piano created an intimate atmosphere and in fact much of his set list was based on requests shouted by the audience. Folds even improvised a song based on the event and invited guests onstage for a sing-a-long during the last song.In addition to contracting and arranging travel and accommodations for Ben Folds and Vampire Weekend, Empire organized and managed all of the logistical and technical aspects of the concert.Empire Entertainment is a leading producer of private and corporate events in the U.S. and around the world.

Each year, The Public Theater holds its fundraising gala on the opening night of Shakespeare in the Park. The event is always a high point of the New York social season. The event features a seated dinner for almost 1000 people on the Great Lawn, an opening night performance in the Delacorte Theater, and an after-party with drinks, dancing & music among the ramparts of the Belvedere castle. All of this takes place under the stars on a glorious early Summer night. In 2008 the Public Theater engaged Empire Entertainment to help them produce this most sought-after New York City event.

The 2008 Gala honored one of the Public Theater's long-time collaborators and Board Member - Designer & architect David Rockwell. The event was chaired by The Related Companies Chairman & CEO Stephen M. Ross and Reservoir Capital Group CEO, Daniel H. Stern. The event was generously underwritten by Bank of America and other sponsors. The event began with a smoothly run check-in and registration area that swiftly accommodated check-in of various tiers of attendees including VIPs, general attendees, show-only attendees, after-party attendees and press. Empire worked closely with the Public Theater to design a fail safe system to quickly and efficiently separate and process over 1000 arriving guests and the system worked without a flaw.On the red carpet, celebrities ranging from Steve Martin, Mayor Mike Bloomberg, Mike Nichols, Ethan Hawke, Cynthia Nixon, Alec Baldwin, Kathleen Turner, Diane Sawyer, Nora Ephron and others posed for press photos before proceeding into the event. Hudson Yards Catering designed a colorful and mouthwatering dinner buffet for the guests who were seated at a sea of tables on the lawn.

Empire worked with members of the David Rockwell Team on table design to integrate linen color, plates, stemware and silverware with a table runner that utilized Frederick Law-Olmsted's original map of Central Park and a centerpiece designed by Rockwell Group. The Howard Fishman Quartet provided the light jazz background music for the dinner. Following a short honorees' program at dinner which included remarks by Mayor Michael Bloomberg, guests moved into the Delacorte Theater to take their seats for the opening night performance of Hamlet starring Tony Award-winning Michael Stuhlbarg in the starring role. At the conclusion of the performance and curtain calls, the guests walked up the hill behind the theater to the after-party atop Belvedere Castle, which overlooks both Turtle Pond and the Delacorte. The grounds and ramparts of the castle had been elegantly lit with twinkle lights and DJ Marlon Morris spun a set of music perfect for the starry evening and guests drank and partied late into the night.

Fortunately for everyone, this year's weather was perfect -- warm and sunny with low humidity and not a drop of rain, unlike in 2007 when a last-minute downpour prematurely closed the curtains on Romeo and Juliet. The sold out evening was an incredible success and raised substantial funds for the Public Theater and it's programs. For this magical evening Empire served as overall event producer, coordinating check-in logistics with the Public Theater Development team, catering with Hudson Yards, decor & design with The Rockwell Group, Staging & Production with the Public Theater's own extraordinary production team and all talent and staff. Empire also managed the budget, production schedule, show flow and team assignments to keep everyone's efforts tightly integrated and coordinated with the operations of the Public Theater and the NYC Parks Department.

Empire is an experienced producer of public, private and not-for-profit, outdoor events with extensive work history in New York's Extraordinary Central Park. Empire is humbled to have been chosen by the Public Theater, one of the world's most prestigious and prolific presenters of theater to serve as their producer for this singularly important and exceptional event. To learn more about the Public Theater and their programs and to become a member and supporter, visit http://www.publictheater.org/

In June 2008, a business partnership called on Empire to design, produce and manage a Family Weekend for their 25th Anniversary. The New York City weekend began with a spirited cocktail hour and delectable dinner in the private dining room of Per Se. Guests then retired to The Four Seasons hotel to rest from the long day of travel.

On Saturday, Empire had the entire day mapped out with exciting tours and activities. At 8AM, the guests enjoyed a run through Central Park guided by a marathon runner from Team Continuum. Upon returning from the run, the guests enjoyed some breakfast in the foyer of The Four Seasons. Empire then acquired a New York Double Decker tour bus which brought them to the Metropolitan Museum of Art for a private tour. For lunch, the guests proceeded to Orsay where they dined in private. After lunch, the Partners and their families jumped back on board the bus for a tour of New York City, with special guest Timothy "Speed" Levitch, the subject of the 1998 Emmy award-winning documentary "The Cruise". Speed brought the guests on a two hour tour throughout the city, showing them many landmarks like Central Park, The Plaza Hotel, Columbus Circle, The Empire State Building and more.

After the bus tour, the Partners and their families got ready for dinner at the world-famous Tavern on the Green. Following dinner, the guests were escorted into the park to a secret performance location by Wildman Steve Brill, an expert on Central Park and its urban plant life. To conclude their night the Partners and their families arrived in a secured location in the Park to watch a private performance by LUMA, an exhilarating and entirely original form of performance art that fuses a light show with the dynamism of live, human performers.

On late Sunday morning the Partners and their families met in the Metropolitan Suite for brunch with entertainment by Todd Londagin and his jazz trio.Throughout the weekend Empire brought in a video crew and a photographer to follow the group and document their trip. The guests were sent a photo slideshow and documentary DVD as a keepsake for this weekend.

Empire is a leading producer of creative events and activities for all ages, with a unique ability to mold our services to the client's special needs and to act as a team player to help execute flawless events.

In June 2008, Empire Entertainment was invited by Recognition Media, LLC to produce the Webby Awards for the fourth consecutive year. The Webby Awards are the leading international awards honoring excellence in web design, creativity, usability and functionality, and the event has been dubbed "the Internet's Highest Honor" by the New York Times. On the night of the event, more than 850 of the best and the brightest minds on the internet came to honor and be honored for their contributions to the information superhighway.For this year's awards Empire secured Saturday Night Live head writer Seth Meyers to host the 12th Annual event, which was again held at Cipriani Wall Street. Seth Meyers kept the evening light and fun, and introduced Webby Lifetime Achievement Award Winner, David Byrne. Rapper Ludacris was on hand to introduce The Black Eyed Peas' will.i.am as the 2008 Webby Artist of the Year.

The program was packed with memorable moments and legendary Webby 5-word acceptance speeches, but the highlight of the evening came when Colbert Report host Stephen Colbert took the stage to receive his trophy for Webby Person of the Year. After an over-the-top grandiose and complimentary introduction (which was clearly written tongue-in-cheek by Colbert himself), he used his five words to maniacally (and hilariously) scream "ME! ME! ME! ME! ME!!!" The evening concluded in high style with an after party at Hiro Ballroom, and a blazing live performance by Ludacris

The evening prior, Empire also produced the 2008 Webby Film & Video Awards at NYU's Skirball Theater. This event was held for the second year to honor the best films and videos to have premiered online in the last year, as well as to recognize individuals who have been influential and forward-thinking with respect to using the internet as a medium for the moving image. At Webby Film & Video Awards Tay Zonday (renowned for his song and viral Web video "Chocolate Rain") stunned the crowd by singing "The Star Spangled Banner" to kick things off. The offbeat and uproarious star of NBC's "30 Rock", Judah Friedlander hosted the event, and introduced Web superstars "Tim & Eric" as 2008's "Best Actor" and also interacted with robotic Web phenomenon Keepon. Later in the show, Academy Award-nominee Rosie Pérez provided a heartfelt and emotional introduction of The Person of the Year - Oscar-winning director Michel Gondry ("Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind"). The final award of the evening went to Lorne Michaels for lifetime achievement, primarily for his work on the SNL "digital shorts" many of which have become viral web phenomena. Lorne used his five words ironically, telling the standing ovation crowd "Five words is not enough."

Empire Entertainment again provided oversight of nearly every element of these complex events, including site selection and acquisition, signage, catering, décor, registration, staffing, audio and video, lighting, talent wrangling, and stage management. Empire was pleased to partner with Cipriani Wall Street, NYU, Production Glue, Digital Kitchen, Deccan Designs, Central Talent Booking, and MKPR on these successful projects.Empire is a leading producer of cutting-edge new media events and awards programs and take great pride for consistently delivering great performances for innovative clients like Recognition Media who have chosen to partner with Empire for many years running on their most important projects.

Now in its 7th year, the TriBeCa Film Festival once again turned to Empire Entertainment to produce the festival's largest single event - the TriBeCa Family Festival.The multi-faceted street festival pulled in an estimated 200,000 visitors throughout the day and served as a focal point for the growing celebration of the revival of Lower Manhattan. Larger than previous years, this year's Family Festival offered more than 60 tents of entertainment, activities, and food and stretched across 12 city blocks. Three outdoor stages presented a diverse collection of New York-based performers and community talent, including The Knicks City Dancers and David Grover and the Big Bear Band.Highlights of this year's Family Festival, sponsored by American Express, included an arts and crafts pavilion, a tennis activity area created by USTA, a basketball shooting court sponsored by the New York Knicks, a mini-movie studio, a life-size chess board, hundreds of street performers, face painters, kite-making, sidewalk chalk art, and numerous other kid-friendly activities.

The event also included the participation of dozens of restaurants and merchants in lower Manhattan and the spontaneous participation of schools, community groups and all manner of special interests and institutions in TriBeCa.Empire Entertainment served as event producer and managed all production and logistics elements of the entire event and coordinated all services including tenting, permitting and street closure, integration with city agencies, security, electrical power distribution, decor, staging, sound, lighting, labor, decor, bathrooms, street cleanup, video and A/V, event design and layout, stage management, etc.

Empire is a major producer of public events and is proud to be a partner of TriBeCa Productions in the TriBeCa Film Festival since it's start in 2002.

To bring their annual employee conference to a dramatic close, one of Europe's most celebrated multinational companies turned to Empire Entertainment to select, secure and deliver a world-renowned and critically-acclaimed musician: the multi-platinum recording artist, Zucchero!Zucchero, who is amongst the most internationally beloved rock singers ever to hail from Italy, has collaborated with Sting, B.B. King, Miles Davis, Mana, Sheryl Crow, Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, U2, Elvis Costello, and Solomon Burke during a career that has spanned over 20 years. Empire arranged for Zucchero to take a break from his sold out world tour, which included concerts at the Royal Albert Hall in London and Carnegie Hall in New York, to play an action-packed concert in Berlin for an energetic and ecstatic crowd.

Following several days of informational meetings, the 5,000 attendees at Berlin's Messe Hall Nine were ready to unwind. Zucchero took the stage following dinner, and within minutes, the attendees were on their feet and rushing to stage of this music legend. Some attendees danced, others waved their hands in the air - everyone had a smile on their face. Zucchero performed a ninety minute show of his greatest hits, complete with three encores and boundless energy. Before he left the stage, Zucchero reached out into the audience to shake hands and personally connect with the gushing crowd. By the time he made his way back to his dressing room, the cheering roar from the ballroom was still audible behind him. The concert was the highlight of the conference.In addition to booking and contracting Zucchero and facilitating all logistics in Germany, Empire also managed the band onsite to ensure a smooth and successful concert experience.

Empire is a leading provider of international headline concert talent for corporate events throughout the world.

To commemorate the opening of their latest luxury building, "Portofino", Real Estate developer Veloqx engaged Empire Entertainmnt Japan's office to design and execute the grand reception. Veloqx is a Hong Kong-based real-estate development and investment company that constructs architecturally unique and futuristic buildings in popular areas of Tokyo.Veloqx's "Portofino" development features a small village inspired by Portofino, the most exclusive vacation spot on the Italian Riviera.Fo this grand VIP event Empire delivered a flawless experience with stunning décor and precise coordination of sound and lighting, with food and drink service, staffing and communocations mnagemnt that far surpassed the client's expectations. Empire was responsible for creation of the overall concept, talent booking, event design, lighting, sound, scripting and full production of the event.

Empire is a leading producer of building grand openings throughout the world.

Co-Founded by Brian Greene and Tracy Day, the World Science Festival's mission is "to cultivate and sustain a general public informed by the content of science, inspired by its wonder, convinced of its value, and prepared to engage with its implications for the future." In May 2008 the World Science Festival launched with a prolific series of events and Empire Entertainment was engaged to manage production for over thirty major programs in over seven venues across New York City in a span of just four days. The diverse programming appealed to all demographics and included moderated panel discussions with some of the most brilliant scientific minds today, original theatrical productions. Major stars including Alan Alda, Anthony Lapaglia and Mia Barron, an interactive sports demonstration with NBA players and scientists, and a family street festival held in Washington Square Park.

Some of the many participants in this year's World Science festival programs included Leon Lederman, Michio Kaku, Robert Krulwich, John Hockenbery, Bill T. Jones, Sam Shepard, Lucy Hawking, Michael York, Charlie Rose, Oliver Sachs, the Disney Imagineering Team, Richard Leakey, Brian Greene and many others. More than 120,000 people attended the Festival. Empire's support on the project included management of numerous venue's staging and set requirements, sound, lighting, video playback, stage management and technical direction as ell as many other production elements required for such extensive and, elaborate productions. Empire also tracked all production expenses paid directly by the not-for-profit World Science Festival to ensure the foundation stayed on budget and could adhere to rigorous financial reporting standards. The 2008 World Science Festival is an ideal example of Empire's capability to act as a behind the scenes partner on all types and sizes of programs, as well as our unique ability to mold our services to the client's special needs and to act as a team player to help execute flawless events. Empire Entertainment was proud to serve as the production partner for the first annual World Science Festival.

On Wednesday, May 7, 2008 Empire Entertainment produced the DKMS Linked Against Leukemia Gala to help raise awareness of the fight against Leukemia. DKMS strives to give every blood cancer patient an equal chance by recruiting marrow donors from every race and ethnicity. They inspire hope and healing by matching their donors with patients around the world. Over 600 guests including host Mario Cantone of Sex and the City attended the sold out event, held at Capitale in New York, NY. The evening's honorees included Cindy Crawford; Chairman and CEO of Phillips-Van Heusen, Emanuel Chirico; and CEO of Coty Inc, Bernd Beetz. Distinguished guests such as actresses Eva Mendes, Amy Adams and Morgan Fairchild and supermodel Carol Alt also showed their support for this worthy cause. Following a cocktail reception, which featured a 30-foot long red carpet and step & repeat banner, the attendees entered the ballroom where Empire had installed a white flowing ceiling treatment and backdrop with the charity's logo: a red butterfly lit throughout.

The emotional dinner program included the "Moment of the Match" where a donor from Germany was introduced to the 6-year old recipient on stage for the first time. This moment was magnified by the music of New York City DJ, Mike Williams. Following this moment, musical performances by German performing artist, Sarah Connor, DMC and Natasha Bedingfield capped off the night. Empire provided event production for this program including collaboration and execution of all décor aspects, all technical production and stage management, talent logistics and management, and maintained the master run of show, production schedule and script of stage presentations.

When SONY Corporation sought to achieve worldwide impact by announcing a three year sponsorship agreement with International classical music Superstar Lang Lang, they turned to Empire Entertainment's Tokyo office to conceive, coordinate and produce the New York City event. Lang Lang is fast becoming one of the world's best-known classical pianists and has enormous appeal throughout the world and particularly in his native country of China. SONY Corporation identified Lang Lang as the ideal personality to represent their brands & products throughout the world and especially in China.

To announce the partnership, SONY CEO Sir Howard Stringer and Masao Morita, son of SONY founder Akio Morita and an executive of the company, hosted an intimate reception for Lang Lang at the plush Empire Hotel. The guest list included industry VIPs, international media and celebrities as well as some of SONY's senior leadership. The reception took place immediately following Lang Lang's world premiere performance of Tan Dun's new piano concerto at Lincoln Center. Tan Dun, another celebrated Chinese classical music figure, composed the music to SONY Pictures Classic release "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" among many other credits. Following introductory remarks by Sir Howard Stringer and Morita-san, Lang Lang spoke about his excitement for the SONY partnership and then performed a brief recital of Franz Liszt's Liebesträume and Hungarian Rhapsody #6 which brought guests to their feet. After the recital, Lang Lang invited the press to join him in an area designed to represent his living room where the newest Sony products were all on display. These included the Bravio television, the SONY Organic LED television and a product called the Rolly which will soon be released in the U.S. that resembles a dancing Walkman.

For this important press event Empire identified and secured the venue, provided all staging, sound, lighting and piano, created a branded SONY backdrop, oversaw catering and bar, designed and implemented the Lang Lang living room concept with SONY product, stage managed the live event, and even assisted in securing international press coverage. Given the high level nature of the event, flawless coordination between SONY management in Japan and the execution team on the ground in New York was necessary.

Empire's office presences in Tokyo, Japan and New York City enabled it to serve as the perfect partner for SONY in this international endeavor.

Expanding into a relatively new role with a longtime entertainment services client, Empire served as creative director for a major, annual marketing conference in Seattle, WA attended by over 2000 marketers. The one day conference featured keynote speeches by the company's CEO, it's head of marketing, Nothwestern University marketing professor Mohanbir Sawhney and Marketing guru and bestselling author Seth Godin. The conference also featured a marketing excellence awards program, five tracks and three sessions of meeting breakouts, opening and keynote video packages, and a post-conference networking expo. For this major undertaking, Empire worked closely with the client's marketing team and executive management over the period of several months, adding value in many areas including set design & room layout, lighting design, agenda development & refinement, scripting of segment & award program wraparounds, and writing and working with the client's impressive in-house video studios to produce the meeting's videos.

In the area of set & room design, Empire was tasked with finding economical ways to transform the cavernous expo hall into an intimate, immersive venue that would bring the attendees closer to the stage. The solution: to orient the room on a diagonal and spreading the seating more widely, effectively reducing the distance between the stage and the rear rows of seating. Empire also designed and worked with the client's production provider to implement a series of innovative ceiling 'pods' lit with LED strips that glowed and changed color to match the stage content and video tones, enveloping the audience with the content. In terms of content development, Empire worked throughout the process to develop a look, feel, tone and theme to make the program entertaining, inspiring and effective in conveying client's key messages. Prior to the conference and onsite in rehearsals, Empire worked closely with each presenter to best integrate their remarks into an overall theme and flow. Empire is a leading meeting production company with deep experience in designing and producing world class business meetings.

With staff creative directors, writers, graphic designers, video producers, production designers, technical directors and stage managers, Empire provides turnkey service to corporations looking to present state-of-the-art business communications.

To celebrate 100th anniversary year of Brazil-Japan relationship, sponsor Nichirei Acerola presented "Aoyama Brazilian Week" at Omotesando Hills, the most fashionable retail center in Tokyo.Nicheri Acerola is a producer of beverages, and, because they import most of their product from Brazil, they sought to promote their brand in Japan using the imagery of contemporary Brazilian culture rather than the old standards of football and Samba. The event would also help to promote the newly-repackaged Acerola Drink throughout the week. Working with the advertising agency partners, Dentsu and Drill, Empire Japan planned a major press release event at Omotesando Hills that featured a Brazilian art exhibition and daily live Bossa Nova performances.

On the special day of press release, Empire also produced a Brazilian Fashion show on a scale never before attempted in Omotesando Hills. Empire delivered the 2007 Miss Universe #1 and #2 champions, Riyo Mori and Natalia Guimaraes, to join the show as special guests.Throughout the week, Empire surpassed the client's expectations and facilitated massive attention from Japanese media.Empire was responsible for creation of the overall concept, talent booking, event design, lighting, sound, scripting and full production of the event. Empire also supported our client and partner agencies with outreach to press and managed press interviews with Riyo Mori and Natalia Guimaraes.

Empire is a leading producer of creative, cross cultural events in Japan and Asia.

When the United Nations Delegations Women's Club and their producer, Annette Richardson, were in need of a production company for their 1st "Women for Peace" event, they selected Empire Entertainment to coordinate talent onsite and stage manage the evening at the world-renowned United Nations General Assembly Hall. Celebrating International Women's Day, the evening began with inspirational words from the Patron of "Women for Peace", the Honorable Mrs. Ban Soon-taek, wife of Secretary General Ban Ki-moon. UN Delegations Women's Club President Anna Birgis Hannesson, wife of the Icelandic Ambassador to the United Nations, and Project chair Dr. Helene Yousfi, wife of the Algerian Ambassador to the United Nations, led the many distinguished guest speakers including Mrs Kerim, Wife of the President of the General Assembly, Ambassador Solveiga Silkalna, and world-renown humanitarian Jacqueline Murekatete, in their stories of peace and hopes for the future.

This unique cultural event featured over 90 performers from around the world, demonstrating through song and dance that differences among people can be overcome. Empire coordinated all of the artists and satisfied their technical needs to ensure that guests were treated to fantastic performances and that the evening flowed smoothly. The many acts included Indonesian dancers, Chinese acrobats, Latin dancers, French Quadrille dancers, African drummers, and Hawaiian dancers as well as more than one internationally-renowned opera diva. Internationally-acclaimed musician and composer Dr. Simon Shaheen brought his unique blend of Arab, Jazz, Classical, and Latin music to an ecstatic audience. And Swedish soprano Madeleine Kristoffersson moved the audience with her powerful performance of "Pace, pace mio Dio" accompanied by pianist Leon Livshin. Also performing was Magnus Martensson. Hailed as the successor of Victor Borge, this Swedish comedian/pianist is currently the Music Director of the Scandinavian Chamber Orchestra of New York. The evening's final performance featured a powerful rendition of John Lennon's "Imagine" sung by award-winning songwriter Sylvia Tosun and former-Motown recording artist Kyla Upshaw. During the finalé the women delegates and spouses to UN representatives joined all of the evening's performers on stage in singing for peace.

Empire is a leading producer of international talent and has experience producing major events in many of the world's most prestigious venues.

For the third consecutive year, Empire was chosen by one of the world's top corporations to produce their annual recognition event. Each year, the company's top researchers and scientists gather to network, spend time together and celebrate their achievements. This year's event took place at La Quinta Resort in Palm Springs, renowned since 1926 for its charm and serenity. Working within two separate ballrooms, Empire had the challenge of transforming the two ballrooms into three entirely different atmospheres that would change throughout the course of the weekend.

For the Friday night dinner, Empire took on the task of "bringing the outside in." In addition to the dozens of flowers and foliage brought into the room, custom blown glass flowers were created to adorn the stage, emulating the colors schemes of the surrounding resort grounds. After dinner, the audience was thrilled by a presentation by Bill Gates, who followed his presentation with an open Q&A session. After the uplifting presentation, guests were treated to a performance by internationally-acclaimed recording artist, Chris Isaak. Chris rocked all his hits including "Wicked Game," "San Francisco Days," and "Baby Did a Bad, Bad Thing" and had the audience on their feet, especially during his encore when he and his dog came to the stage sporting matching mirror suits. For those not ready to go to bed, after-dinner activities started immediately following the concert. A poker tournament was available for guests looking for a quiet activity, while the Los Angeles-based band The Bonedaddys, entertained the guests with their blend of funk-infused world rock. The next morning at breakfast, the attendees got a new perspective on the universe.

Flying to Palm Springs amidst a tour in Europe, Harvard professor and internationally-proclaimed physicist, Lisa Randall, spoke about the hidden dimensions of space and time and the soon-to-be-operational Large Hadron Particle Collider in Geneva, Switzerland. As guests were participating in their afternoon offsite activities, a second ballroom was transformed into black and gold, styled after the resort's Art Deco galas of the 1930's. Over 50 black chandeliers and mirrors were installed, and a custom stage, complete with specially designed orchestra fronts, added to the room's elegance. As the dinner bell chimed that evening, guests entered the fully-transformed ballroom with the 11-piece Mirage Big Band Orchestra playing on stage. After dinner, Ann Hampton Callaway, a world-class cabaret singer best known for writing & singing "The Nanny" theme song, performed two custom songs backed by the big band. An elegant awards show recognizing the achievements of the company employees followed her performance.

After dinner, attendees were led into a different ballroom designed to resemble a Chicago blues nightclub, where a performance by The Blues Brothers, featuring Dan Aykroyd and Jim Belushi, surprised everyone. The Blues Brothers used their signature energy and charisma to keep people dancing throughout their set, culminating with their hit "Soul Man." Los Angeles' own, DJ Crash, finished the night by spinning modern dance hits until the early morning. After a long weekend, the attendees had one last opportunity to bask in the tranquility of the setting at the departure brunch. Guests relaxed outside on the main lawn with the melodious sound of live flamenco guitarists in the background.

Working in close collaboration with the client on every detail, Empire Entertainment served as the creative and technical production company for the entire program - developing, designing and delivering every aspect and component of the program. Empire also booked all speakers and entertainment and provided all staging, sound, lighting, and audiovisual services as well as décor, production management and onsite staffing.

For the celebration evening of a recent business conference, Empire Entertainment delivered superstar rocker Bryan Adams to perform a major concert event in Maui, Hawaii. The concert was the latest success in a long history of entertainment collaborations between Empire and this longstanding client. The company in question, an international technology goliath, had sought to book Bryan Adams on several past occasions, but scheduling conflicts had always prevented him from accepting the engagement. This year Empire leveraged its deep relationships with Bryan Adams' camp to finally make it happen – and it was well worth the wait. The concert took place on a massive stage constructed on the beach especially for the show. Adams delivered a hit-filled set to a crowd of fervent admirers who sang along and swooned in the balmy island breezes. Adams performed hits like "Cuts Like A Knife," "Summer of 69," "Everything I Do," "Run To You," "Please Forgive Me," and others and the performance culminated in Adams inviting dozens of attendees onto the stage to join him and dance during the encore.

Before the show, Empire orchestrated an extensive meet-and-greet during which Adams hung out and chatted affably with client executives and their families. The high-spirits of the meet-and-greet seemed to fuel Adams performance, which strained against the given time parameters – he wanted to keep playing and the audience clamored for him to keep his guitar on, but a scheduled fireworks show brought the concert to a close and the evening to a dazzling end.

From the beaches of Hawaii and Mexico to the mountains of Colorado and Vermont, Empire is a leading producer of outdoor concerts for private events.

When a world renown real estate company wanted to celebrate their annual sales leaders, they turned to Empire Entertainment Japan to produce a once-in-a-lifetime VIP tour of Japan. Empire Japan arranged for the company's top-sellers to visit popular spots in Tokyo and Kyoto, and produced a "Traditional Japanese" dinner event at the exclusive Arisugawa Shimizu restaurant.According to the theme, Empire Japan prepared traditional Japanese decoration throughout the restaurant. A custom-designed Nobori (Japanese-style banner) and Cho-chin (Japanese-style lantern) with the company's logo were produced and installed at the restaurant's entrance to welcome guests into the space.Empire Japan arranged for performances of traditional Japanese music, including a high-energy performance by Taiko drummers, and more delicate performances by musicians playing the Koto and Syakuhachi. Empire Japan also arranged for the guests to dine with a special guest - one of Japan's most respected Sumo wrestlers. Following the dinner the entire group was transported to an authentic Sumo match where they were able to cheer for their new friend.With an unparalleled expertise of Asian culture, Empire Japan is the premier producer of corporate events throughout Asia.