Empire Produces a Major Fashion Launch Event for a Global Technology Company
When a global technology company was looking to launch their new online shopping portal in style, they presented Empire Entertainment with the challenge of capturing the essence of this unique brand that fuses high fashion with high technology. This groundbreaking new portal personalizes the online shopping experience through the use of innovative visual technologies and virtual boutiques curated by celebrities, stylists, designers, fashion bloggers and other shoppers who visit the site to inspire and be inspired.In less than four weeks, Empire worked closely with the client to conceptualize and deliver an impressive real life interpretation of the website’s six themed fashion environments at Skylight Soho in Lower Manhattan.
Skylight’s large raw space was sectioned into individual, stylized vignettes in the themes of “Boho”, “Romantic”, “Classic”, “Edgy”, “Casual” and “Street.” Each vignette incorporated décor elements, lighting, and custom furnishings and featured sleek demo stations to showcase the website to attendees.The vignettes also featured distinctive live entertainment, activities, décor elements and a menu of thematically-linked hors d’oeuvres and specialty cocktails. The street vignette included laser graffiti show, break-dancing performances, a large graffiti wall and banquette seating made out of tires and galvanized steel. In the “Classic” vignette guests enjoyed a life-size chess game, and sat of oversized tufted banquettes under a large crystal chandelier. Guests had their fortunes told in the lavishly decorated “Boho” vignette adorned with lanterns, Moroccan poufs and beaded curtains while guests in the “Romantic” area enjoyed an aerial performance surrounded silk and lace accents, birdcages and candles.In the hallways a fashion show of live model “mannequins” on pedestals wearing various couture and looks created by top fashion designers and stylists was presented with models changing throughout the evening.
The evening’s entertainment featured three of the fashion world’s top DJs. DJ and Nylon fashion reporter Becka Diamond started the evening, followed by San Francisco mashup artist DJ Earworm. To close the event New York nightlife collective The Misshapes featuring Leigh Lezark spun a mix of music as guests filled the dance floor. The launch event created a great deal of buzz in the fashion and online communities with the attendance of many celebrities, bloggers and the fashion elite. Among the 550 guests in attendance were Mary-Kate Olsen, Ashley Olsen, Iman, Isaac Mizrahi, Claire Danes, Elisabeth Moss, Carey Mulligan, Christian Siriano and Vogue editor Meredith Melling Burke as well as designers Zac Posen, Tory Burch and Catherine Malandrino. Among the fashion press turnout were fashion bloggers Bryan Grey-Yambao (BryanBoy), Susie Lau (Style Bubble), and Jane Aldridge (Sea of Shoes). Empire Entertainment served as overall producer for the event and was responsible for event design, décor, technical production, catering, talent, logistics and stage management.
Empire is a leading producer of innovative product launches and has worked extensively in the fashion and luxury segments.
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
