The Architizer A+ Awards are the definitive global architectural award program, with over 100 categories, and are judged by a panel of more than 400 luminaries and thought leaders from fields as diverse as fashion, publishing, product design, real estate development, and tech. Winners, jurors, and VIPs gathered at a red-carpet gala that is part of the three-week-long NYCxDesign program New York City. Comprising diverse and innovative global projects from starchitects to emerging firms, this year’s winners represent the best new architecture, interiors, and products from across the globe. For the third year in a row, Empire was at the helm to ensure this event was a success.

The ceremony kicked off with a phenomenal and impassioned speech about the Architecture industry by Architizer CEO, Marc Kushner, who served as the evenings host.

"The A+ gala is more than just a party. It represents a moment for us to stand up and champion our art, recognizing the transformational role that architecture plays in our lives," said Kushner.

Luminaries from the world of architecture and design entered the industrial-style space to a red carpet and step & repeat welcome, where event sponsor Sunbrella’s custom architectural installation welcomed guests under an array of colored fabric. Guests enjoyed cocktails and passed hors d'oeuvres by Cloud Catering along with ambient music played by DJ Javier Peral, while enjoying the décor and enhanced atmosphere with a custom Corian bar created by sponsor DuPont.

Attendees also enjoyed interacting with the Behr/Home Depot photo booth and extraordinary visual demonstrations of winning projects by the virtual reality team at Graphisoft.

This year's biggest winner was Adjaye Associates, which was named Firm of the Year, and other special achievement awards were presented to Koray Duman, Tatiana Bilbao, Carlo Ratti, and and DJI drones, among others. The Lifetime Achievement honoree was handed to the brilliant architect, Odile Decq, which was highlight of the night where all were inspired by her legacy.

"[Receiving this award] is an incredible honor and, of course, very humbling...To be recognized for work that you deeply believe in is incredibly rewarding." - Sir David Adjaye

Empire is a premier producer of some of the world's most prestigious award ceremonies, including The Webby Awards, The Fragrance Foundation Awards, and was honored to be chosen as Architizer's production partner for the Architizer A+ Awards.

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​We’re often call upon to fight for a good cause, but rarely is this statement so literal.

Sixteen incredible men and women took to the ring in a semi-annual, Vegas-style boxing event designed for titans of industries to let off some steam and raise money for charity. Empire Japan was once again proud to produce such an incredible event.

Held at the opulent and prestigious Grand Hyatt Tokyo, over 450 spectators wined and dined as their loved ones, friends, and coworkers boxed it out to see who would come out on top.

Of course, EFN is not just about these 16 epic showdowns. It is an event that gives new hope to children with cancer. With over 10 million yen raised, all proceeds from the event will benefit Shine On! Kids, a certified nonprofit dedicated to supporting children with cancer and other serious illness in Japan and their families. Funds raised from EFN are going to support SOK’s innovative Facility Dog Program, which aims to improve treatment outcome and children’s approach to medical treatment/therapy.

Empire once again proves to be the leading producer of fundraising events and was thrilled to help produce yet another successful Executive Fight Night.​

SmartCities NYC is a newly-minted conference and exposition that explores the intersection of technology and urban life. Presented recently in the revitalized Brooklyn Navy Yard, the inaugural event was sponsored by Microsoft and featured world-renowned speakers, a cutting edge exposition, workshops, panels, parties, and a multitude of public events drawing attendees from around the world.

For the past several years, Smart Cities events have been held globally, bringing together hundreds of local, national, and international organizations from government, academic, public, and private sectors in Barcelona, Istanbul, Kyoto, Casablanca, and Puebla to focus attention on urban innovation and to bring together businesses and institutions interested in finding the best solutions.

Inspired to meet the growing interest in pioneering urban solutions that are defining and transforming cities around the world, Smart Cities was organized around three major concepts – innovation, infrastructure, and inclusion. Smart Cities NYC’ 17 focused specifically on the importance of citizen participation in making cities ‘smart’. With over 250 speakers, Smart Cities covered a broad range of important topics from cybersecurity and cloud computing, to technology for the disabled, mental health, big data, drones, rooftop urban agriculture, shared housing, transportation, and infrastructure.

Some of the noteworthy speakers and participants included: Toni Townes-Whitley, Corporate VP Worldwide Public Sector, Microsoft (tech and education); Miguel Gamiño Jr., Chief Technology Officer, City of New York (civic tech & innovation); Daniel Doctoroff, Founder and CEO of Google’s Sidewalk Labs; Rachel Haot, Managing Director, 1776 (global incubator & seed funding); Robert Wolf, Chairman and Co-Founder, Measure, Drone as a Service (drone solutions); Abby Joseph Cohen, Senior Investment Strategist, Goldman Sachs; Richard Park, CEO, CityMD (tech solutions for healthcare); David Rothkopf, CEO and Editor, FP Group (global foreign policy insight& analysis); Gregory Treverton, Former Chairman, National Intelligence Council (U.S. Intelligence Community); Andrew Right, Former Counselor, U.S. Secretary of Transportation (transportation & infrastructure); Stacey Gillett, Senior Program Officer, Bloomberg Philanthropies; James Ramsey, Co-Founder and Creator, Lowline, and developer Lela Goren of the Goren Group.

The event featured an exhibit hall and B2B trade show that included interactive demonstrations from sponsors ranging from Microsoft, Verizon, Union Point, Boston Properties/Dock72, German Areospace, Victor+Stanley, BMW/Urban X, PBSC Urban Solutions, and the Consulate General of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. At the expo, lead sponsor Microsoft showcased HoloLens - the first self-contained, holographic computer, enabling participants to engage with digital content and interact with holograms in the world around them. Measure: Drone as a Service demonstrated its turnkey drone solutions via the DJI Inspire 2,the first filmmaking drone in the world to integrate HD video transmission.

On the final day Smart Cities NYC ’17 hosted STEAM AHEAD, a day of citizen engagement to help New Yorkers access the information they need to better prepare them for the demands of the modern workforce. From challenging high school students to think big with moonshot projects, to creating employment opportunities for our country’s veterans, to helping people seek meaningful careers in technology, STEAM AHEAD brought companies, nonprofits, and government departments together with members of the community to discuss the challenges and opportunities of work in the 21^st century.

The four-day event culminated in a by-invite-only “Humans of the Year” Closing Night Party, hosted by Smart Cities NYC ’17 media partner, VICE Motherboard, and Prius Prime. Vice Motherboard and Smart Cities NYC invited over 500 guests to enjoy closing night cocktails and custom projection installations in the cavernous Duggal Greenhouse space as well as on the picturesque East River waterfront.

Its placement in the Duggal Greenhouse showcased Brooklyn’s increased standing in the world of technology. And in the past year, the Brooklyn Navy Yard has been host to two tech hubs opening: New Lab, a workspace for manufacturing and design firms, and 1776 NY, a startup incubator.

Empire served as overall producer of Smart Cities NYC and was responsible for project management, production design, technical production, staging, production of digital media content, liaison with all exhibiting sponsors, staffing, catering (through a partnership with the New York Food Truck Association) and café area. Additionally, Empire’s team worked closely with Global Futures, Microsoft, VICE, and other partners to facilitate each partner’s activation and to supervise the overall guest experience.

Empire is proud to have served as producer of the inaugural Smart Cities NYC and to have supported this important thought leadership platform.

To learn more about Smart Cities NYC visit http://smartcitiesnyc.com

​Action Carting treated their customers and investors to a night of"BAM!" at Emeril's flagship restaurant in New Orleans. Guests were treated to some of the celebrity chef's most famous Cajun & Creole dishes including his BBQ Shrimp, Crawfish Boudin, and Banana Cream Pie.

Local music legend, Kermit Ruffins, delivered an unforgettable headline performance, kicking off the night with his signature catch phrase “We partyin’ ya’ll!”

Voodoo priestesses roamed the party dabbing love and money potions on guests, and local fortune tellers held court in a candlelit wine cellar for anyone seeking a glimpse into their future.

Guests were also invited to sample a variety of Bourbons, curated by Emeril’s in-house expert, which paired nicely with the nearby gumbo and chowder station.

With a line around the block full of eager attendees, there was no better place to be in New Orleans!

Playworks celebrated their third annual New York Get in the Game Gala, recognizing Most Valuable Principal, Sandra D’Avilar of Brooklyn’s PS 9, and Most Inspiring Leader, Dr. Risa Lavizzo-Mourey, President Emerita of the Robert Wood Foundation.

This school year, the acclaimed nonprofit Playworks has provided safe, healthy and inclusive play for more than 65,000 girls and boys in 110 schools across New York and New Jersey. This is just the first stop on their road to reach 200,000 kids here in our region by 2020 with safe and healthy play to reduce bullying, increase physical activity, improve learning, and promote 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 Pat Tully, entertainment from international recording artist ELEW, recess games, a friendly ping pong and basketball tournament, plus 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 and beyond.

To help make this event a success, Empire produced the fundraiser at the elegant Tribeca Rooftop venue 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 Four Square and Switch, along with life-sized installations of Scrabble, 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 events.

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

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Empire has been producing The Webby Awards since 2005, and this year was one of the best yet.

Empire secured comedian and actor Joel McHale to host the 21st annual Webbys and his opening monologue set the tone for the evening: irreverent, hilarious, and at times, poignant. He also reminded winners of the show’s unique “five words or less” acceptance speech rule, warning them that if they were to speak more than five words, “we use the same security as United Airlines”.

As always, the Webbys honored a variety of the internet’s best. Winners included Artist of the Year, Solange, Best Actress, Gillian Anderson (presented her award by her X-Files co-star David Duchovny), and Best Actor, Steve Buscemi, who received his trophy from comedian and actor Louis C.K.

Other winners and presenters included political commentator, Van Jones, multi-Grammy Award-winning rap musician, Residenté, The Women’s March Co-Chairs Carmen Perez, Linda Sarsour, and Bob Bland, New York Times Crossword Puzzle Editor, Will Shortz, and YouTube Creators for Change ambassadors, Franchesca Ramsey, Amani Al-Khatahtbeh, and Humza Arshad.

The event was once again held at Cipriani Wall Street and featured a colorful and exciting set design created by David Korins, the Tony-nominated scenic designer of Broadway’s “Hamilton” and “War Paint”.  After a standing ovation for the Founders of the Women’s March ended the show on a high note, attendees enjoyed a fantastic afterparty at Highline Ballroom, where Empire presented Questlove to spin and keep the dance floor packed.

Empire is honored to have worked with The Webby Awards for 13 consecutive years. The 21^st Annual Webby Awards are now available to watch online here.

Now in its 9th year, the Shorty Awards continue to honor the best influencers, celebrities, brands, and agencies on social media across Snapchat, Periscope, Instagram, YouTube, Twitter, and other platforms. In order to keep up with the competition’s growth, the Shorty Awards upgraded to the PlayStation Theater in the heart of Times Square in New York City for the ceremony.

Nearly 800 influencers, brands, agencies, and guests packed the theater for the ceremony, which featured a cocktail reception, a seated dinner, and an afterparty at Refinery Rooftop. The staged event streamed live on YouTube to over 60,000 viewers internationally, as fans all over the globe tuned in to watch their favorite social media stars.

Tony Hale (Arrested Development and Veep) hosted the show and kept the audience entertained while presenters including Casey Neistat, Bill Nye (The Science Guy!), Skai Jackson, Kaitlyn Bristowe, Kelsey Darragh, and Shay Mitchell gave out the awards. Mitchell and Nye even won their own categories of Best Actress and Best in STEM, respectively.

This was the most competitive show to date, as over 5 million votes poured in from fans allover the world, a record for participation. Winners of the signature Whale-Tail Trophy included Gaten Matarrazo, Doug the Pug, Gigi Gorgeous, Chrissy Teigen, BTS, Mara Wilson, and many more! Karlie Kloss was the esteemed recipient of the inaugural Shorty Phenom Award for Kode with Klossy, a summer camp where she works to inspire young girls across America to pursue their interest in computer sciences.

Rising star and R&B/hip-hop artist Lizzo amazed the crowd with energetic performances of her songs “Scuse Me,” “Phone”, and “Good as Hell.”  

We’re proud to partner with The Shorty Awards for our third year and we wish a huge congratulations to all the winners this year!

Watch the Shorty Awards Here

​Empire was proud to once again serve as the producer of the TIME 100 Gala, which took place at the Frederick P. Rose Hall, Home of Jazz at Lincoln Center. Each year, TIME publishes the TIME 100: a list of the most influential people in the world. To celebrate this highly anticipated release, TIME hosts an exclusive gala event in New York City attended by current and past TIME 100 honorees. With its extraordinary mix of world leaders, innovators, and celebrities, the TIME 100 Gala is globally recognized as one of the most prestigious annual events.

As in past years, the 2017 TIME 100 was attended by a who’s who of global icons from industry, culture, sports, fashion, and politics.

Participants and performers at this year’s Gala included John Legend, Demi Lovato, Viola Davis, Ava DuVernay, Raed Al-Saleh, Bernard J. Tyson, and George Church as well as Time Inc. President & CEO, Rich Battista, TIME Editor-In-Chief, Nancy Gibbs, and Time Inc. Senior Vice President of News, Luxury and Style, Meredith Long.

Among the notable attendees this year were Ryan Reynolds, Blake Lively, Margot Robbie, Trevor Noah, RuPaul, Samantha Bee, Ashley Graham, Leslie Jones, Megyn Kelly, Katie Couric, Rebekah and Robert Mercer, Lindsey Vonn, Tom Perez, and Naomi Campbell.

The gala featured an extensive red carpet on two floors, an elegant cocktail reception over which was flown a ‘photo chandelier’ of TIME 100 honorees, a seated dinner and program that combined remarks, musical performances, toasts by some of the evening’s honorees, and an afterparty with DJ Mick. This year’s gala event was sponsored by Citi, Johnnie Walker, and Aston Martin.  

As one of the world’s most high-stature events, the TIME 100 draws extensive global media coverage which this year included NBC’s Today Show, CBS This Morning, FOX, Entertainment Tonight, E! News, and Access Hollywood. Additionally, the TIME 100 generates extraordinary digital reach through TIME.com, online bloggers and social media from the attendees themselves.

With the world watching through such extensive coverage, the production of the TIME 100 requires the highest caliber of precision planning and flawless execution. Empire was proud to work closely with the TIME team to once again deliver a flawless and extraordinary evening.

Empire’s responsibilities included event design, talent booking and coordination, staging and technical production, venue and catering logistics coordination (catering provided by Great Performances), broadcast facilities, stage management, staffing, front of house logistics, security and sponsorship activations.

Empire is proud to continue our eight-year history with the TIME 100.  

At the southern end of the Japanese Alps, 1,400 meters above sea level, lays Achi Village, also known by the Ministry of Environment, “the best place in Japan to see the stars".

Beginning in 2012, the “Sky Night Park Tour” was created. Bringing in a total of 100,000 people, visitors ride a gondola lift where they can enjoy activities that mix the beauty of the stars with the allure of science and technology. Empire Japan teamed up with a visual artist and enra’s very own creative director, Nobuyuki Hanabusa, and produced this year's tour.

Using the existing gondola lift the visual artist created a spacestation-like atmosphere. With his visual and audio creativity the tour took spectators on a 15-minute journey through the infinite universe. Beyond mere production of computer graphics, Mr. Hanabusa, with support of Empire, created anew “Sky Night Park Tour”.

The 2017 DEEP SPACE TOUR will be from April 15 to October 21. During this period, Empire Artist super group enra will also be performing a special program for this engagement.

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For the first time ever, all five networks comprising AMC Networks – AMC, BBC America, IFC, Sundance and WEtv – came together to present a single upfront under the umbrella of AMCN. This year’s ambitious event featured a multi-room staged experience and a star-studded dinner for over 600 VIP guests.  

Upon arriving at Skylight Clarkson North, guests were immediately transported into the world of AMCN. An elegant arrival hall featuring key art of programming across all five networks led guests into the smart and sophisticated cocktail reception. Guests enjoyed savory hors d’oeuvres and prosecco until Scott Collins, President of AMC Networks Ad Sales, delivered welcome remarks and revealed the dinner.

On cue, drapes pulled open to reveal a massive, elegant dining room to the awestruck guests. Two giant, towering high resolution LED video walls, each 64’ in length, flanked the room, and a sea of tables sparkled custom-designed centerpieces of bell glass-enclosed lights. While dining on the gazpacho and mini lobster roll amuse bouche, provided by Abigail Kirsch, President & GM of AMC, and SundanceTV's Charlie Collier spoke about the upcoming programming on both networks while visual content adapted to the unique screens illustrated each point in perfect synchronization. Collier called Walking Dead star Norman Reedus to stage to time how long he could speak without mentioning the show (about 12 minutes).  

After Collier’s remarks he welcomed Sarah Barnett, President & GM of BBC America, to the stage where she shared breathtaking, immersive footage from Planet Earth 2 and other exciting news. Collins then returned towel come with fanfare nearly 60 of the stars from across all AMC Networks, who made their way into the room and joined the guests at each table. Among others, Pierce Brosnan, Amanda Peet, Hank Azaria, Elijah Wood, Steve Buscemi, Carrie Brownstein, Norman Reedus, Kendra Wilkinson, Fred Armisen, and Mama June dined with guests and rotated tables between courses.

Following dinner, Marc Juris, President & GM of WEtv, and Jen Caserta, President & GM of IFC, both shared news about their respective networks’ upcoming slate and announced new partnerships and acquisitions. Collins then welcomed guests to yet another revealed space, the afterparty lounge, where guests took photos with their favorite AMCN celebs. Throughout the afterparty, guests enjoyed cocktails mixed with theatrical flair, danced to music spun by DJ Jon Black, and shared photos taken on a social media green screen photo booth where they dressed in AMC Networks programming-inspired costumes, like servers at Los Pollos Hermanos with talent like Romeo Miller.

MediaVillage journalist Simon Applebaum wrote of the event, “While other cable-distributed channels dropped out of the 2017 New York Upfront scene, AMC … bounced back with yet another unforgettable presentation.This time, however, AMC was joined by the other networks in its fold – IFC, BBCAmerica, SundanceTV and WEtv… To quote a Broadway song classic, ‘some enchanted evening.’ High-quality in all the key aspects, and kudos to all the talent for letting attendees get to know them.”

Empire was proud to continue our long-term partnership with AMC Networks and serve as overall event producer, provide concept, design, technical production, décor, and execution of all aspects of this very special upfront event.

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