The 20th Anniversary of ARTWALK NY
For the fifth consecutive year, Empire Entertainment served as producer of ARTWALK NY – New York City’s foremost annual art auction fundraiser, benefiting the Coalition for the Homeless.
More than 800 Coalition supporters, artists, art-lovers, and celebrities gathered in the Metropolitan Pavilion to celebrate ARTWALK’s milestone 20th Anniversary with an evening that included cocktails, a silent auction, and a live auction in the adjoining Altman Building. Actors Jennifer Connelly and Paul Bettany were honored this year for their mission to help the homeless. Bettany recently directed a film about homelessness, starring wife Connelly, to raise awareness of the plight of the thousands of homeless men, women and children living in New York City.
Watch Paul Bettany and Jennifer Connelly's remarks at ARTWALK: http://www.coalitionforthehomeless.org/paul-bettany-jennifer-connelly-artwalk-ny/
The Metropolitan Pavilion served as the main cocktail space and silent auction gallery, featuring over 110 works of contemporary art donated by some of the world’s most celebrated artists, including Christo, Miya Ando, Shepard Fairey, Yoko Ono, Swoon, and Andy Warhol. Paddle8 supplied iPads throughout the gallery for bidding as well as an iPhone app enabling guests to place their bids and receive immediate notifications if they were out-bid or ultimately won their auctions. In the live auction room, Sotheby’s Aileen Agopian auctioned off works by Chuck Close, Jenny Holzer, Cindy Sherman, Roxy Paine, Pat Steir and Ed Ruscha.
The evening, generously sponsored by Dolce & Gabbana and Vogue, began with hors d’oeuvres by Mary Giuliani Catering and cocktails graciously provided by Chopin Vodka, Ca'Del Bosco, Peroni and ONEHOPE Wines. Several of New York’s best restaurants, including Michael’s, The National, Indochine, Acme, The Odeon, Delicatessen, and David Burke Kitchen provided tasting stations. DJ Harley Viera Newton spun tunes in the silent auction room.
Working closely with Coalition for the Homeless’ events team and title sponsor Dolce & Gabbana, Empire Entertainment served as overall producer of the event and was responsible for aspects ranging from event design, layout, production and logistics to décor and restaurant coordination.
ARTWALK NY is the Coalition’s largest annual fundraiser and it benefits their many initiatives, which provide permanent housing, job training, emergency food & clothing, crisis services, and special childrens' programs to over 3,500 New Yorkers each day.
Empire Entertainment is honored to have worked in collaboration with the Coalition for the Homeless and its many supporters to make this year’s landmark anniversary event a huge success.
To learn more about the Coalition for the Homeless or to get involved, visit www.coalitionforthehomeless.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
