UBER announced in the Uber Elevate Asia Pacific Expo on 30th August that Japan is one of the five markets being considered for the launch of a very exciting form of urban transportation in the foreseeable future–Flying Taxi, in 2023.

By 2023, UBER will be testing the on-demand platform for flying cars!

Empire Japan was proud to be produced the two-day summit and Expo, partnering with Uber's in-house creative team which outlined exciting plans involving policy makers in and outside Japan, business partners, and media from Asia Pacific area.

The meeting was kickstarted by Mr. Barney Harford, COO of UBER, and continued with participation from the Tokyo Governor, Ms. Yuriko Koike. She expressed her excitement with cars crossing the sky soon becoming a reality. Back-to-back presentations were then provided by the Uber Elevate team. There were also various exhibitions demonstrating the newest ideas and products available, one of them being a virtual flying taxi simulator, shown by VR glass and provided by Jaunt.

The evening was wrapped up with a cocktail reception and VIP dinner. Empire is involved in the planning, construction, AV, show calling, registration management, operational staff management, photography, as well as video documenting this future milestone of urban transportation history.

Empire was recently engaged to deliver a very special musical performance for a private anniversary celebration in the rooftop ballroom at the St. Regis Hotel in New York City.

For this intimate event for approximately 100 guests, Empire secured Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award-winner and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame member Diana Ross to perform a 50-minute set of her greatest hits to track with three backing vocalists.  

From the first song, "Coming Out", guests were on their feet and spent the entire performance dancing to hits like “Ease on Down the Road,” “Do You Know,” “Upside Down,” “Can’t Hurry Love” and “Stop”.

With her voice and performance in perfect form, the hosts and guests were delighted with the performance and Ms. Ross even welcomed the hosts onstage at the end for a unique musical photo opportunity.

Empire is one of the world’s leading sources of headline entertainment for private events and celebrations.

TBA has formed a strategic alliance with Empire. This strategic alliance fuses the strengths and resources of TBA and Empire, creating a powerful synergistic offering for brands seeking to activate brand strategies in Japan and around the world, with particular emphasis on opportunities relating to the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.

The alliance takes TBA’s rich sports mega-event activation experience, renowned logistics abilities, and the resources and network of the Pico Group, and combines them with Empire’s deep expertise in live and broadcast events, experience design, creative-driven activations, talent management, and innovative event technologies. This alliance will offer customers the collective strengths of these highly successful organizations.

TBA and Empire will collaborate closely to create, design, and deliver exceptional inbound and outbound brand activations in Japan, China, the U.S., and other international markets. The alliance will apply a focused approach to experience design which will be based on seven core fields of expertise: activations, interactive, spaces, social, film, entertainment, and hospitality. Additionally it will enable alliance clients to deliver outstanding brand experiences through powerful storytelling, creating broader and deeper engagements and memorable brand interactions with their customers.

From early in the bid process, the Tokyo Organizing Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (TOCOG) stated that their aim was to use the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games as a showcase for Japanese technology, with many sponsors investing in innovation in the lead up to 2020. The TBA-Empire alliance is poised to help Olympic-related sponsors and corporations realize this aim through the combined power of its unique, sophisticated, and exciting hospitality-and technology-based services, which will include recognition technologies and data intelligence. These will deliver customized content experiences and post-games engagement.

Gregory Crandall, Director of Brand Engagement, Pico+ and TBA Hong Kong commented, “Since 2000, at eight Olympic Games, Pico has provided infrastructure, sponsorship and hospitality, torch relay logistics and other event management services. Working closely with Empire will allow us to deliver optimal services for both Japanese clients and clients seeking to activate in Japan through Empire’s deep understanding of Japanese culture, intimate local knowledge, and access to locations and resources.”

Ted Miller, President and CEO, Empire Japan, said: “Tokyo has already eclipsed all previous Olympic Games in terms of sponsor support, with reports of almost USD three billion committed and more partners expected. The people, expertise and resources of the Empire-TBA alliance position us to support Olympic sponsors, from Worldwide Partners to Local Official Supporters; helping them to make the most of their investments during the Olympic Games and beyond as they ride the wave of interest in the Games with engaging and memorable brand experiences.”

About TBA

TBA is part of the Pico Group. A Pico+ company, this full-service creative brand activation agency specializes in below-the-line engagements for events, exhibitions, and experiential marketing, delivering results from strategy through to execution. TBA uses an insight-based approach to inspire their clients’ target audiences, create interest in brands, and deliver innovative solutions to maximize returns.

Pico+ addresses the challenges arising from a constantly shifting marketing landscape. Through integrated engagement methodologies, Pico+ seamlessly blends digital, mobile, gaming, social media, and other technology-based modes of engagement with real-life experiences to deliver impressive ROI.

www.pico-plus.com

http://www.tbacreative.net

About Pico

Pico is a global leader in Total Brand Activation specializing in engaging people, creating experiences and activating brands. Innovative, insightful, and inspired, Pico brings brands to life and creates experiences–from strategy to execution. Leveraging a track record in experience design that spans half a century, Pico creates immersive audience engagements which harness the power of technology, content, and many production services, delivering extraordinary experiences to millions of people around the world.

The Pico Group was named Asia Pacific’s Best Event Agency at the 2018 CEI Readers’ Choice Awards. The Pico Group won the Bronze award in the B2B Agency category and Bronze in the Event Agency category at Marketing Magazine’s Agency of the Year Awards 2018 in Hong Kong. The Group was the Best Marketing Website winner at the WebAwards 2017, organized by the US-based Web Marketing Association. In North America, the Pico Group has been listed as one of Special Events magazine’s 50 Top Event Companies since 2012.

Pico Far East Holdings Limited has been listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange since 1992 (HKEx Stock Code: 752). Our associate company, Pico (Thailand) Public Company Limited was listed on Thailand’s MAI in 2004 (Stock Code: PICO).

www.pico.com

​When the Paul and Daisy Soros Fellowships for New Americans decided to bring together their community of scholars for the 20th anniversary, their leadership and Board of Trustees called on Empire to serve as their production partner for this important milestone.

The 20 Year Reunion would host over 500 Fellows, family members, and trustees, and was strategically designed as a multi-day retreat consisting of social, educational, and conversational sessions and activities. Its goals included recognizing and honoring the contributions of immigrants and children of immigrants to the United States, paying tribute to the founders, Paul and Daisy Soros, and fostering the sense of community and direct connections between fellows. Creating this sense of community would be a challenge given the attendees separation by class year, schools attended, geographical residency distribution, national background and areas of professional interest. To accomplish this cohesion, event programming was built around common themes of immigration, leadership, innovation, and excellence, and targeted to sophisticated guests across multiple cohorts and disciplines within various age ranges and professions.

After an expansive search across the U.S., The Broadmoor in Colorado Springs was chosen as the venue. The Broadmoor provided a central U. S. location that made travel accessible for each guest, a location free of outside distractions and an abundance of facilities to achieve the objectives of the program.

In the middle of Immigrant Heritage Month, the weekend kicked off on Friday with Fellow arrivals and registration, followed by a welcome reception and dinner.  The reception took place at Cheyenne Lodge, a remote mountainside location with a warm ambiance and breathtaking views of the Rocky Mountains and City of Colorado Springs. This quintessential Colorado environment allowed guests to be fully immersed in their surroundings and partake in an interactive dinner experience with intimate “campfire” conversations on the cozy outdoor patio surrounding fire pits. The setting provided guests the opportunity to truly enjoy a retreat away from their everyday lives and even provided an ideal platform for a drone-shot class photo at sunset.

Saturday began with morning elective activities including yoga, a nature walk, and a guided run through The Broadmoor’s impeccable property.  Guests enjoyed breakfast prior to attending the opening keynote session by Viet Thanh Nguyen, a Vietnamese-American novelist, followed by a discussion with 2007 Paul and Daisy Soros Fellow, Michelle Kuo. The keynote session was followed by a series of programmed breakout sessions led by members of the Fellowship community; topics covered academic, social, scientific, and political topics, and more. In the afternoon, guests enjoyed some free time and took advantage of the reunion’s awe-inspiring location by engaging in outdoor activities such as hiking and excursions to iconic Colorado Springs landmarks.

Saturday evening’s highly-anticipated recognition dinner honored the founders, Paul and Daisy Soros, The Soros Family, and celebrated the legacy of the Fellowship community. The cocktail reception was dedicated to the Directors Emeritus of the organization, Warren Ilchman and Stanley Heginbotham, where guests sipped specialty cocktails such as the ‘Stanhattan’ and the ‘Warren Sparkler’.  The dinner tribute program was hosted by Alex Iftimie (2009 Fellow) and Dena Simmons (2010 Fellow) and featured a 20th Anniversary Highlight video, musical performances by David Adewumi (2017 Fellow), Paul Kwak (2006 Fellow), and Elizabeth Joy Roe (2005 Fellow). The pinnacle of the evening was the closing remarks given by Mrs. Daisy M. Soros, whose heartfelt remarks created the shared moment for the Fellowship and instilled its legacy in each attendee. The evening closed with an epic dance party with cocktails, a Paul and Daisy Soros Fellowship photo booth, and live performance by Flare Band.

To complete the weekend, Sunday offered a causal brunch and closing remarks and a weekend highlights video produced in collaboration between Empire and HutchNYC. After brunch, Fellows engaged in Sunday morning’s ‘unconference sessions’.  These sessions allowed Fellows to generate and lead discussions on the topics of their choosing like ‘How to be an Instagram Expert’ prior to guests departing on Sunday afternoon.

The Paul and Daisy Soros Fellowships for New Americans 20th Anniversary Reunion was a celebration of diverse cultures and the incredible achievements of the past 20 years and the event was a touchstone to the approximately 625 Fellows that make up the growing Fellowship community.  

Paul and Daisy Soros Fellows themselves played a large role to ensure the reunion’s events were engaging and open to all Fellows and spouses. The event featured a stand-alone app (Attendify) that allowed guests to view the event schedule and served as a social media platform for attendees to share moments, post photos, and directly communicate with each other throughout the weekend.  

Empire worked closely with the Soros family, The Paul and Daisy Soros Fellowships team, the Fellows, and the various departments at The Broadmoor, for almost a year to plan and execute each component of the weekend and its individual events and components. Empire managed every detail of this momentous occasion, which included concept development, programming, venue acquisition, budgeting, registration, script writing, screen content production, technical production, catering, décor, guest travel and accommodations, and overall guest experience. In addition to the live events, Empire and Hutch NYC partnered to create the 20th Anniversary video and weekend highlights video to promote engagement by the Fellowship community in extending the brand value of the Fellowship.

Empire is proud to have partnered with The Paul and Daisy Soros Fellowships for New Americans to produce their 20 Year Reunion to celebrate the Fellows, the tremendous accomplishments of these New Americans to achieve leadership in their chosen fields, and to partake of the American dream. Empire is also honored to have had the opportunity to recognize the legacy of Mr. Paul Soros, Mrs. Daisy Soros, and their family.

Empire is a leading producer of high-level events for many of the world’s leading educational institutions, associations, and foundations.

To learn more about the Paul & Daisy Soros Fellowship for New Americans visit https://www.pdsoros.org.

For the sixth consecutive year, Empire served as the producer of the Fragrance Foundation Awards, the fragrance industry’s premier event celebrating outstanding achievement and creativity.

Held at Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall, the evening began with guest arrivals and an elegant cocktail reception in the hall’s outdoor sunken plaza and soaring glass atrium. Amidst a series of freestanding walls printed with this year’s design motif, guests mingled and sipped champagne while attending celebrities walked the red carpet and posed for photographers.

Once seated in Alice Tully Hall, the evening’s host, award winning actress Jane Krakowski, kicked off the star-studded award program in her signature style. Her humorous opening monologue covered the fragrance industry and this year’s nominee achievements.

Notable program participants included Hall of Fame Honoree and renowned perfumer, Ann Gottlieb, Lifetime Achievement Perfumer, Olivier Cresp, and Fragrance Industry Gamechanger, Frédéric Malle.

Celebrity presenters and attendees included Denis Ferenc, Josephine Skriver, Jay Fielden, Nina Dobrev, Jerry Vittoria, Jason Wu, Derek Hough, Nina Garcia, Rita Ora, Naomi Campbell, Leonard Lauder, Olivia Palermo, and Chanel Iman.

Following the seated awards program, guests returned to the Alice Tully Hall atrium which had been transformed during the program into an elegant, seated dinner–the perfect summer evening dining experience.

The evening ended with an afterparty held at the Lincoln Ristorante where guests danced to music by fashion-favorite DJ Coleman.

The Fragrance Foundation Awards bring together virtually every luxury and consumer brand in the fragrance industry including  Estée Lauder, Atelier Cologne, Dior, Coach, Coty, Ralph Lauren, Tom Ford,  Giorgio Armani, Tory Burch, Marc Jacobs, Jo Malone, Maison Margiela, Victoria’s Secret, Michael Kors, Givenchy, Elizabeth Arden, LVMH, Puig, Dolce & Gabbana, Chanel, Cartier, Hermès, Lancôme, diptyque Paris, Revlon, NEST, Frédéric Malle, Cire Trudon, YSL and Gucci.

Empire is a leading producer of events, award shows, and programs for the luxury brand, fragrance, cosmetics, and fashion industries. ​

Playworks celebrated their fourth annual New York Get in theGame Gala recognizing the Most Valuable Principal, Atiba Buckman of Newark Public Schools’ Speedway Academies. This school year, acclaimed non-profit Playworks will provide safe, healthy, and inclusive play for nearly 900,000 children in more than 1,800 elementary schools nationwide, which reduces bullying, increases physical activity, improves learning, and promotes social and emotional skills.

The evening featured remarks from Executive Director of Playworks, Kim McCall, Founder and CEO, Jill Vialet, a live auction led by CK Swett raising an all-time high of $225,000, entertainment from musician, actress, and social media influencer, Rebecca Black, recess games, a friendly game of Ro Sham Bo, plus great food and drink. Funds raised support the expanding efforts of Playworks to bring the power of play to every girl and boy in New York City and beyond.

To help make this event a success, Empire produced the fundraiser once again at the elegant Tribeca Rooftop, where we transported guests from the ballroom to the playground on the transformed rooftop space. Attendees enjoyed stunning Manhattan views and experienced play through sophisticated and immersive activations of traditional recess games like FourSquare and Switch, along with life-sized installations of Checkers, Jenga, and Connect 4.

Working closely with Playworks, Empire served as the event producer, managing elements including venue, décor, technical production, and performing talent. Empire is a leading producer of fundraising events and we are honored that Playworks continues to work with us to produce successful galas.

To support or learn more about Playworks, please visit www.playworks.org

​

When MVD Inc, an innovative boutique experiential marketing production company, contacted Empire asking what we were doing three days later, and whether we could help launch an album for a world-renowned musical artist, we couldn’t wait to find out more info!

Fast forward three days later, 300+ journalists, celebrities, music industry executives, and local Wyoming residents convened on a ranch in Jackson Hole, WY, to take in a musical experience they’d never forget.

Beginning in New York City and Los Angeles, Empire and MVD worked with travel partners to get 300+ guests on multiple private aircraft. Once in Wyoming, guests were shuttled to multiple properties and then to the Diamond Cross Ranch.

As horses roamed around the majestic property, surrounded by snow-capped mountains, guests were treated to BBQ and drinks to keep them warm throughout the night ahead.

When it was time for the Listening Event to begin, guests were asked to head towards the bonfire, where Chris Rock kicked off the festivities. Following his remarks, the artist's 24-min album played as the world-renowned artist and guests, including Nas, Big Sean, 2 Chainz, Lil Yachty, Desiigner, Teyana Taylor, Pusha T, Kid Cudi, Luka Sabbat, Scooter Braun, Peter Rosenberg, DJ Clue, Ty Dolla $ign, and Jonah Hill, danced and celebrated the release.  

The next morning, guests were transferred back to the airport, where awaiting jets returned them home while coverage of the event saturated the news and digital channels worldwide.

For this event, Empire and the MVD Inc team worked with many other partners to pull off an unforgettable event within 72 hours.

Empire is a leading producer of music industry events and performances and has produced album launches for artists including Alicia Keys, Carlos Santana, Wyclef Jean, Barry Manilow, and more.

When Dartmouth College launched its $3 billion capital campaign entitled The Call to Lead, the most ambitious in its 250 year history, their leadership and Board of Trustees chose Empire as their creative and production partner.  

The Call to Lead was launched as part of a comprehensive, multi-platform communications strategy which included a series of highly experiential events for generations of alumni in New York City, Hanover, NH, and San Francisco. These events would need to both inspire emotional responses to renew the connections among the alumni and their ambitions for their alma mater, but they would also need to appeal on a rational basis by illustrating its far-reaching plans to advance Dartmouth’s distinctive liberal arts experience, fuel research discoveries that improve the human condition around the globe, and prepare students—across disciplines and programs—for lives of leadership in a complex, interconnected world.

On April 27, over 500 Dartmouth alumni, parents, and friends gathered for the first of the campaign launch events at the Duggal Greenhouse in the Brooklyn Navy Yard, with spectacular views of New York Harbor and the New York City skyline. Arriving by ferry as well as by vehicles, guests were greeted by a boisterous musical welcome performed by an ensemble of Dartmouth musicians and dancers.  

Passing through an efficient check-in, guests then made their way down a reception corridor lined with hedges hung with placards featuring quotes by celebrated alumni, including Daniel Webster and Shonda Rhimes. At the end of the corridor, guests emerged into an expansive representation of Dartmouth’s Green with pathways running between elegant, scale model replicas of iconic Dartmouth buildings like Baker Tower and Dartmouth Hall. In the center of the Green stood a soaring wooden bar, built to resemble the bonfire that is part of every Fall Homecoming. Guests enjoyed a Dartmouth-inspired menu of appetizers and wines produced by Dartmouth alumni-owned wineries.  

At the conclusion of the cocktail hour, a spontaneous, flash mob-style musical performance by a 20-person student and alumni ensemble led guests to a giant traveler curtain which opened to reveal a massive dining hall set with banquet tables for 500. Surrounding the room was a monumental, 270 degree projection system that created an immersive environment, placing attendees at the center of Dartmouth Green.

Once guests took their seats, a powerfully-evocative March of Time video counted down 249 years of Dartmouth’s illustrious history and established the theme of leadership, setting the stage for President Philip J. Hanlon’s outline of the vision for the future of Dartmouth and the formal announcement of The Call to Lead.  

Journalist Susan Dentzer and actress Connie Britton, both Dartmouth alumnae, hosted the events in Brooklyn and San Francisco, respectively. Students and faculty shared stories of collaboration spanning disciplines, generations, and geographies that have led to world-changing impact. The evenings were also filled with surprise moments, stunning announcements of substantial support, and donations by many generous alumni.

Between stage segments, meals were served with precision timing as guests were treated to a visual extravaganza of HD footage and high resolution imagery of the Dartmouth campus through the seasons.  

Both events culminated with Laurel Richie, Board of Trustees Chair, recapping Dartmouth’s strategic priorities and energizing the crowd to act and answer The Call to Lead. At the conclusion of Richie’s remarks, the musical performers appeared once again for a finalé performance, inspired by the Dartmouth Bonfire tradition and enhanced with surround visuals of the burning bonfire through the generations. This performance led guests back to the reception area, which had been transformed during dinner into a future-forward afterparty with young alumni DJs, green screen photo booths, and a variety of themed activities.

Following the immensely successful New York City event, Empire transported the entire event across the country by truck and restaged everything at San Francisco’s Fort Mason Festival Pavilion just five days later–an ambitious and precision undertaking.

Empire worked closely with several Dartmouth departments and teams, students and volunteers, as well as creative, communications, production, and event partners to plan and execute the events. Empire oversaw every detail including concept development, messaging, venue acquisition, budgeting, registration, scripting, screen content production, technical production, catering, permitting, security, scenic, décor, staffing, and guest logistics and experience.  

In addition to the live events, Empire and Dartmouth jointly created an extensive body of visual assets for display at the events to promote social media sharing and engagement by alumni, for repackaging and deployment in a concise 10-city road show and for web and email marketing to be used over the extended campaign.

Empire is proud to have partnered with Dartmouth to produce these campaign events which helped to motivate over $100 million in commitments during the five days between the New York City and San Francisco events.

Empire is a leading producer of high-level events, both on and off campus, for Ivy League schools and many of the world’s leading educational institutions.

For more information on Dartmouth’s Campaign, visit https://calltolead.dartmouth.edu/

​

​The 22^nd Annual Webby Awards were held at Cipriani Wall Street, with winners and presenters including David Letterman, FKA twigs, Adam Sandler, Liam Neeson, Laura Linney, Mitchell Baker, Kara Swisher, and David Harbour. Honoring the best of the internet, the Webby Awards is renowned for limiting award recipients’ speeches to five words or less. This year’s Awards was once again a star-studded affair and for the 14^th consecutive year, Empire served as producer.

Host Amber Ruffin, from Late Night With Seth Meyers, set the tone with a fantastic internet-centric monologue before introducing presenters and winners to the stage. In addition to those above, these included Dominique Fishback, Silicon Valley’s Jimmy O. Yang, Vicente Fox, Jesse Williams, David Chang, Steven Soderbergh, NBA all-star Isiah Thomas, an NFL Super Bowl Champion, CNN’s Laurie Segall, Jennifer Ferrin, and Webby Person of the Year Award recipient, Susan Fowler.

Winners’ five-word speeches alternated from poignant (FKA twigs “Treat people kindly. Start now.”) to protest (“Net Neutrality, you greedy motherfu*X#ers!” by David Harbour), to spur of the moment irreverence (Adam Sandler’s rave about Cipriani’s dinner, “How about that fu*#ing chicken??!!”).

The most memorable acceptance of the night arguably came from Late Night legend, David Letterman, who after saying “Thank you”, created a theatrically dramatic pause, removing his glasses, seeming to cry, before finally adding “tears of joy” to describe his emotions about winning a Webby award.

But the most memorable moment of the night wasn’t an award at all. The Webbys recognized the March For Our Lives movement, and three of the student survivors of recent school shootings were introduced to the stage. The students chose not to receive the traditional trophy, spurring the Webbys to also break tradition—allowing them to speak as much as they wanted. Their brave and insightful remarks were a call for change in gun laws, and they walked off the stage to a roaring standing ovation from the crowd.

Attendees were mesmerized by a spectacular set designed by David Korins Design (scenic designer of Broadway’s “Hamilton”) as they ate a sumptuous meal served to perfection to the maximum capacity audience that filled Cipriani Wall Street.

Empire is proud of our longstanding relationships with the Webby Awards and are honored to have served as their producing partner since 2005.

The 22^nd Annual Webby Awards can be viewed in full here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jiq-n3lopZw

The Smart Cities New York is North America’s leading global conference on Smart Cities and explores the intersection of technology and urban life while bringing together businesses and institutions to discuss the pioneering urban solutions that are defining and transforming cities around the world.

SCNY18 focused specifically on the power of cities and the importance of citizen participation in making cities ‘smart.’ SCNY18: Powered by People covered a broad range of important topics including AI, cybersecurity, cloud computing, autonomous vehicles, technology for the disabled, drones, rooftop urban agriculture, shared housing, transportation, renewable energy, and infrastructure.

For this year’s second edition, Smart Cities New York hosted over 200 speakers, 32 panels, 30 workshops, 12 keynotes, 16 Lightning Rounds, 6 tours, and numerous networking events and receptions throughout New York City.

SCNY18 also welcomed Mayors from around the world. This year’s event was opened by New York Cities’ very own Mayor Bill de Blasio and Chicago Mayor, Rahm Emanuel, who discussed everything from intelligent streetlights to smarter education with author Bruce Katz. Other participants included the Mayors of Atlanta, Denver, Vancouver, Rotterdam, Director of the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network, Jeffrey Sachs, and Gudni Johannesson, President of the Republic of Iceland.  

The multi-day event also featured a cutting edge exposition, workshops, panels, parties, and a multitude of public events drawing attendees from around the world. An actioned-packed day of workshops, meet ups, and discussions was held at the Brooklyn Navy Yard and NYU Tandon. With more than 600 attendees, the Smart Cities New York workshop day featured outstanding sessions from The Nordics, The Consulate Kingdom of the Netherlands, C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group, NYC Mayor's Office of the Chief Technology Officer, Civ:Lab, Oracle, and others.

The main events at Pier 36 featured four keynote and panel discussion stages running non-stop. Some of the highlights included:

• A Conversation with Global Mayors on Resilience, featuring Gregor Robertson, Mayor of Vancouver; Ahmed Aboutaleb, Mayor of Rotterdam; Keisha Lance-Bottoms, Mayor of Atlanta; and Michael Berkowitz, President of 100 Resilient Cities, pioneered by The Rockefeller Foundation.
• City Possible: A New Model for Urban Development, with Hany Fam, EVP of Enterprise Partnerships at Mastercard.
• Mayor Rahm Emanuel in Conversation with Bruce Katz, Co-Founder of New Localism Advisors.
• In Conversation with President Guðni Th. Jóhannesson, President of the Republic of Iceland, and Ann Davlin, Origination Manager at True Green Capital Management.
• The Future of Cities, a highly anticipated discussion by Jeffrey Sachs and Mayor Steve Benjamin.

Simultaneously, an exhibit hall and B2B trade show took place which included interactive demonstrations and participation from sponsors ranging from Mastercard, Verizon, Panasonic, Hitachi, Diakin, Shimiz Corporation (TEAM JAPAN), Microsoft, Citi, Esri, Engie, AECom, Urban X, The Consulate General of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, The Consulate General of Norway, and the Consulate General of Sweden, among many others. At the expo, lead sponsor Mastercard showcased its Cities Possible program with consumer insights and real-time digital content, allowing visitors to interact with its Priceless station and VR experience.

Other partners included Politico, LYFT, NYC & Co., The Brooklyn Navy Yard, Citibike, NewLab, and Newsym among many others.

Empire served as overall producer and production company of Smart Cities New York and was responsible for project management, production design, technical production, staging, production of digital media content (with reelworks.org), liaison with all exhibiting sponsors, staffing, catering ,and café area, and the Brella Networking Area.

Additionally, Empire’s team worked closely with Global Futures Group, Emergence Creative, Mastercard, Hitachi, Diakin, Panasonic, Shimizu Corporation, Verizon, Citi, and other partners, including many international groups and Consulate Generals, to facilitate each partner’s activation and to supervise the overall guest experience.

Empire is proud to have served once as producer of Smart Cities New York and to have supported this important thought leadership platform.

Smart Cities New York is presented by the Global Futures Group, Emergence Creative, and Smart World Productions LLC.

To learn more about Smart Cities New York and to explore participation in 2019 visit https://smartcitiesny.com/