Empire delivers Counting Crows in Phoenix
When a leading pharmaceutical company needs to do something special for its sales force -- something special in an off year -- it calls on Empire Entertainment. Empire leveraged its industry connections and know-how to secure the chart-topping, multi-platinum selling Counting Crows at a reasonable fee for a year-end gala in Phoenix, AZ, celebrating the client's elite sellers. For an intimate audience of 300, the Counting Crows ripped through a string of hits including 'Round Here and Mr. Jones. With their angst-filled hybrid of Van Morrison, the Band, and R.E.M., Counting Crows became an overnight sensation in 1994. Only a year earlier, the band was a group of unknown musicians, filling in for the absent Van Morrison at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame ceremony. Early in 1993, the band recorded their debut album, August and Everything After, with T-Bone Burnett. Released in the fall, it was a dark and somber record, driven by the morose lyrics and expressive vocals of Adam Duritz. The only up-tempo song, "Mr. Jones," became their ticket to stardom, and Counting Crows enjoyed a significant amount of success throughout the '90s and beyond. The Crows were preceded by a karaoke extravaganza featuring various attendees in crazy costumes singing parody versions of popular songs. The music was provided not by a karaoke machine but b y live karaoke specialists, The Amazing Embarrassonics.
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
