Empire Presents Nobel Prize Winner Malala Yousafzai at a Major Conference
In late summer 2015, Empire was called upon to recommend and contract some of the most interesting keynote speakers in the world for an insurance company's annual incentive program. The client wanted someone to headline the slate who would not have been seen by their attendees before. Empire was quick to recommend Malala Yousafzai, the youngest ever Nobel Peace Prize winner who was singled out and shot by the Taliban for her belief that Afghan girls (and women around the world) are entitled to an education. In a conversation moderated by former White House correspondent Ann Compton (also recommended by Empire), Malala inspired the attendees with her incredible story of surviving the shooting and how it only strengthened her resolve to fight for equal rights for women worldwide.
While Malala was a very tough act to follow, the following morning Empire delivered futurist Ray Kurzweil to address the conference guests. Called “the restless genius” by The Wall Street Journal and “the ultimate thinking machine” by Forbes, Kurzweil wowed the audience with his predictions about artificial intelligence and the possibility that humans may soon be immortal due to exponential advances in technology. And to follow Kurzweil's fantastic thoughts on the triumphs of the human brain, Empire brought in Nando Parrado to amaze the attendees with the triumph of the human spirit. One of the survivors of the plane crash chronicled in the book and movie "Alive", Parrado told his story of walking 150 miles out of the Andes to save himself and many of his rugby teammates more than two months after the accident occurred.
Empire also arranged for CNN National Security Commentator Mike Rogers to talk about ISIS and other threats to US national security, as well as a political-economic debate between conservative economist, television personality, and newspaper columnist Lawrence Kudlow, and American economist Austan Goolsbee who served as the youngest member of President Obama's cabinet.
Empire recommends and contracts keynote speakers for special events around the globe, and is honored to have presented and produced luminaries such as Bill Gates, His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Robert Redford, Kevin Spacey, several US Presidents including Barack Obama, Oprah Winfrey, Ralph Lauren, and hundreds of others.
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
