Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation Kids for Kids Event for 5th Year in a Row
For the fifth consecutive year, Empire Entertainment produced The Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric Aids Foundation, Kids For Kids charity event which was underwritten by Nickelodeon and the Bandai Foundation and sponsored by People Magazine, InStyle Magazine, Toys R' Us and Mercedes-Benz among others. As event producers of this mammoth, not-for-profit undertaking, Empire Entertainment managed and coordinated all aspects of the four hour event including the construction of eleven major tents on busy New York City streets, the permitting and street closures of five blocks of West Greenwich Village for almost 2 days, staging, sound, lighting, labor, electrical power distribution, labor, cleaning crews, main stage activities and talent, emergency medical service standby, signage, A/V and many other elements. Decor for the event was provided by Robert Isabell who transformed the tented spaces into a Fall carnival with trees and autumn leaves.
More than 1,500 people attended the event which featured a designer Sponge Bob Square Pants fashion show emceed by Whoopi Goldberg, A Nickelodeon Bikini Bottom space in which children went Jelly fishing for prizes in a real pond, a kids dance club created by MTV/VH-1/CMT, delicious foods from dozens of participating New York City restaurants brought together by Jonathan Morr, an Art Room in which artists like Chuck Close worked with children to create original paintings and sculptures, a street carnival where children played games with celebrities like Diane Sawyer, Natalie Portman, Chloe Sevigny, Gilbert Gottfried, Donna Karan and Al Franken, and a toy redemption area donated by Toys R' Us. The afternoon event also featured several performances on a main stage including Kid Pop, Big Truck Music, Jack Ryan, Strawberry Shortcake, The Power Rangers and Antigravity (featuring the first live performance on Segways personal transporters).
Empire faced the challenges of Hurricane Isabell which threatened to delay or even make impossible the building of tents right up until the day before the event. In the end the the event was a tremendous success for all involved and helped to raise funds for a very worthy cause.
Empire is a key producer of high-end, not-for-profit events and a strategic partner to businesses looking to create event marketing opportunities in collaboration with charitable causes.
Guests received their first taste of technological innovation at registration, where they were welcomed by name on a reactive LED screen installation covering the full width of the entry wall. A large lunch café was created with a décor scheme that incorporated custom-built, ceiling-high steel LED frames draped with foliage to create smaller, intimate restaurant-style spaces that displayed both technology and nature.
A series of breakout sessions presented content targeted to attendees’ varied interests, while imagery displayed throughout the venue showcased real-life applications of how products designed to empower developers help to unleash the power of data and reimagine possibilities that will improve our world.
Every element of Microsoft Connect(); from registration, breakfast and keynote, to lunch and evening cocktails, were custom-designed to communicate exacting brand messaging and to deliver a high-touch guest experience to this important audience. The keynote and breakout sessions were livestreamed through an onsite studio built for this purpose and content was watched online by millions around the world.
Empire is proud to collaborate with Microsoft on this annual, top-tier business communication event.
To view excerpts of Connect(); 2017, please visit https://www.microsoft.com/connectevent
