Empire Produces the 2nd Annual Mary J. Blige Honors Concert with Christina Aquilera, Anita Baker, Jennifer Hudson and Others
On May 1st, 2011, Empire Entertainment was proud to produce the 2nd Annual Mary J. Blige Honors Concert on behalf of The Foundation for the Advancement of Women Now (FFAWN), Mary J. Blige and Steve Stoute’s fast growing charitable organization. Held at NYC’s Hammerstein Ballroom, over 700 guests including Russell Simmons, Ellen Pompeo, Evan Rachel Wood, Kerry Washington and Donna Karan attended to support FFAWN and their mission to empower and encourage women by shaping and supporting programs that foster education, career development, strong self-esteem, and personal growth.
Hosted by the incomparable Queen Latifah and Elle Magazine Editor-in-Chief Robbie Myers, the event honored the 2011 FFAWN scholarship recipients and celebrated the dedication of these special young women to achieve greatness. Joining them onstage was a star studded all female line-up of extraordinary performers, leading ladies and role models, including Corinne Bailey Rae, Jill Scott, Christina Aguilera, Jennifer Hudson, Anita Baker and the Queen of Hip Hop Soul herself, Mary J. Blige.
Powerful video and emotive graphic images of FFAWN’s work played on a large projection screen flown over the stage while the all female cast drove FFAWN’s mission home - to inspire women from all walks of life to gain the confidence and skills they need to reach their individual potential.Guests were seated in a stunning ballroom lit by candlelight with sexy lounge décor graciously donated by Donna Karan’s Urban Zen Foundation, one of the evening’s presenting sponsors. With complete VIP treatment and bottle service donated by Moet Hennessy, attendees lounged comfortably while listening extraordinary live female vocal performances.
Some highlights of the evening included Corinne Bailey Rae’s "Put Your Records On," and "Like a Star," Jill Scott’s soulful, “Golden,” Jennifer Hudson’s "I Got This" and her powerful rendition of “I'm Every Woman." Christina Aguilera, accompanied by a pianist, singing a moving performance of “Beautiful,” Anita Baker singing an incredible surprise duet with Mary J. Blige, of "Caught Up In The Rapture,” the song that launched Mary J. Blige’s career.At the end of the evening Nine Time Grammy Award winning artist, Mary J. Blige took the stage and tore the house down with “No More Drama” and her finalé, “Just Fine.” As the audience stood for a standing ovation everyone felt the incredible power of her voice and understood that FFAWN had achieved what they had set out to do.
The memorable night was sponsored by Elle, Gucci, Moet Hennessy, Covergirl, The Urban Zen Foundation and Scholarship America as well as supported by many in-kind donations and support from others.All told, the event raised over half a million dollars for FFAWN, while paying tribute to young girls with big dreams of becoming the leaders of tomorrow.
Empire Entertainment served as overall event producer for MJB Honors and managed all aspects of the event including site selection and contracting, logistics, catering, décor, video creation, talent management and coordination, production, security and onsite management, collaborating with FFAWN and all of the other sponors, partners and donors.
To find out how you can get involved with FFAWN and help make the difference in the lives of women, visit their website at www.ffawn.org. You can also go their star-studded online auction featuring exclusive music and entertainment experiences at www.charitybuzz.com/Ffawn.
Empire Entertainment is a proud supporter of The Foundation For the Advancement of Women Now (FFAWN), and its mission to help all women gain the confidence and skills they need to reach their full individual potential.
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
