W Hotels + charity: water Walk With Purpose
A catwalk is inherently glamorous, but the charity: water WaterWalk is a reality check. In 2013, W Hotels partnered with charity: water, a non-profit organization dedicated to bringing clean and safe drinking water to every person on the planet, to help raise funds and awareness in new markets. As part of their sponsorship of the previous year’s charity: ball, the W Hotels pledged to host cocktail parties touring charity: water’s signature Waterwalk to six different cities- Boston, New Orleans, Chicago, San Francisco, Scottsdale, and Los Angeles.
Together, we helped create an evocative and enriching experience that brought the reality of how far people in developing nations have to travel for clean drinking water. For each participant who walked the Waterwalk, an assembled catwalk that symbolizes the distance it takes for 800 million people to find water, W hotels Worldwide donated $45 to bring one person clean water in Orissa, India. The local hotels invited tastemakers, hotel guests and press to this special cocktail party for their chance to walk the walk and give back, while enjoying drinks courtesy of Tito’s Handmade Vodka.
charity: water Founder Scott Harrison, came to the kick-off event at the W Boston. W Hotels Worldwide’s Global Music Director, internationally acclaimed DJ and music producer Michaelangelo L'Acqua also made it to W Boston to help launch the Waterwalk campaign and set the beat to this Happening. At the W French Quarter the Stooges Brass Band kept guests dancing all night, including the Pussyfooters, local Mardi Gras celebrities. Ultimately, every city created it’s own flair while helping spread charity: water’s mission.
We’re honored to continue to help produce charity: water’s events, while helping W Hotels Worldwide implement their corporate sponsorship.
For more information about the organization, please check out their website: www.charitywater.org.
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
