Natalie Cole, Red Foo, and More Perform at a First-class Bat Mitzvah
On Saturday, June 6, Empire collaborated with Colin Cowie Celebrations and the Troy Curtis Group to help produce one of the biggest social events of 2014, a first-class, once-in-a-lifetime Bat Mitzvah at the world-famous Alice Tully Hall in Lincoln Center.
Family and friends were delighted to watch as the guest of honor beautifully led the Havdalah service, accompanied by a 13-piece orchestra and the Jewish a cappella group, Pella. At the end of the ceremony, guests were mesmerized as a performance by a shadow dance group told the story of the young lady’s life.
As guests exited the theatre to an orchestral arrangement of Pharrell’s smash hit “Happy,” the adults were led to a crystal- and diamond-laden dinner, where the Ikonix band and Pella performed hits from the Four Seasons, Jay-Z and Alicia Keys. Adults dined on the finest oysters and sushi and enjoyed vodka drinks mixed with rose petals. Meanwhile, the children were escorted to a 13-year-old’s fantasyland, with magicians, dancers, and various games and activities. Kids could design their own baseball cap, or get glammed up with eyelash and hair extensions.
At the end of dinner, a performance by a percussion group led all of the guests into the dance party, where DJ Neza was ready to keep the night going.
The dance party was a young girl’s dream come true. In keeping with the pink and diamond motif, the room was full of pink glistening staging, platforms and a catwalk, games, dancers, custom furnishings, and a wall of video screens and ceiling projections mirroring the music played throughout the night.
When it came time for the father-daughter dance, the always classic and delightful Natalie Cole wowed the guests, singing “Unforgettable” as the duo danced beside her.
For one last surprise, DJ RedFoo of LMFAO broke through the backdrop as his party-rock crew dancers covered the staging and catwalk. As the room became a blacklight playground, the guests joined RedFoo onstage as he performed “Party Rock Anthem,” “Sexy and I Know It,” and other hits.
Empire was honored to once again be chosen by Colin Cowie to join his team to create another extraordinary experience.
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
