The Inaugural EBONY Power 100 Featuring Fela, The Roots and More
On November 2, 2012, EBONY Magazine presented the Inaugural EBONY Power 100 Gala, honoring the nation’s most influential African-Americans. The invitation-only affair took place in New York City and Empire was honored to serve as event producer. The gala took place at Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Frederick P. Rose Hall in the Allen Room, and was hosted by the magazine’s Chairman Linda Johnson Rice and CEO Desirée Rogers of Johnson Publishing Company. The red carpet saw the likes of A-listers George Lucas, "Precious" star Gabourey Sidibe, Vivica A. Fox, ROHA & The New Normal's Nene Leakes, celebrity stylist June Ambrose, Glee's Amber Riley and Quvenzhané Wallis of Beasts of the Southern Wild, as well poet Tracy K. Smith and the Reverend Al Sharpton. The dinner program was emceed by stars Sherri Shepherd and AJ Calloway, who introduced a wide range of talent from The Black Monks of Mississippi and the 100-member Abyssinian Baptist Church Choir, to 16-year old classical violinist virtuoso Brendon Elliott, as well as a lively and colorful number from the cast of the Broadway musical Fela! A thirty-minute set by the Grammy Award-winning The Roots rounded out the evening. Honorees were designated in categories including “The Powerbrokers”, “The Thought Leaders” and “The Young Gifted & Black”. President Barack Obama, American novelist Toni Morrison, gold medal Olympian Gabrielle Douglas, American Express executive Ken Chenault, and philanthropist Marjorie Harvey were just a few of the 100 luminaries honored at the fête.
Afterwards, guests filed into the Atrium where they were treated to an after-party, with a sponsored lounge by Nationwide Insurance, and music by celebrity DJ D-Nice. Empire’s role started with early planning and ran through the very last clink of cocktail glasses filled with Hennessey libations concocted special for the event. Empire responsibilities ranged from securing performing talent, overall design & décor, coordinating with the venue and catering (provided by Great Performances), branding and sponsor fulfillment, step & repeat, staging, sound, lighting, video projection, video documentation, talent and presenter coordination, stage management, staffing, and security. Empire Entertainment is a leading producer of high-profile events and is proud to have been chosen to support this remarkable program for EBONY Magazine and The Johnson Publishing Company.
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
