Empire Provides Entertainment for Michael Jordan's 40th Birthday Party
Two weeks prior to his 40th birthday, Empire Entertainment was asked to secure the entertainment, sound and lights for an elegant club event designed by Colin Cowie at the Ritz-Carlton in Washington, DC for basketball superstar and American icon Michael Jordan's 40th birthday party. Empire Entertainment had the challenge of finding the appropriate dance band and current club DJ while providing suitable sound and lighting to fit not only within a pre-approved budget, but within the fabulous Colin Cowie décor plans. As with every event on this scale, sound and lighting must be the finest quality and appear seamless within the structure of the décor scheme, which in this case was a three level "club" created using the three ballrooms largest ballrooms in the lower level of the Ritz-Carlton. Sound and lighting, for the entertainment and décor, was set up three days prior to the event making it possible to hide virtually every single cable and speaker. Even the front of house console was invisible to the guests.
For the entertainment, Empire Entertainment selected perhaps the most exciting dance band available in the 11 piece Eturnity Band, featuring former James Brown drummer Tony Alston, and radio personality and club DJ Funk Master Flex. Empire Entertainment handled all aspects of the evening's production, including talent and stage management, coordination with the transition from cocktails to a "reveal" of a hidden dance section. The party, dubbed "Club Michael", was one of the most memorable events we've ever been a part of.
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
