The Lincoln Center Corporate Fund Honors Valentino
After their successful inaugural gala fundraiser in 2013 honoring Karl Lagerfeld, and their second event in 2014 recognizing the career of Stella McCartney, the Lincoln Center Corporate Fund (LCCF) chose to honor the creative directors of the culturally iconic and internationally recognized fashion house, Valentino, with their Women’s Leadership Award. To produce this prestigious event, the LCCF turned to us for the third year to design and produce the evening.
Held again at Alice Tully Hall, the evening began with a red carpet and VIP cocktail reception. Twenty five pieces from Valentino’s Fall 2015 Collection were on display in the lobby, providing guests with a rare, up close view of the one-of-a-kind dresses. The couture was showcased in custom-designed display units, produced in Italy and installed specifically for this event.
Guests then moved into the theater, where Glenda Bailey, the editor of Harper’s Bazaar, Diane Kruger and Keira Knightley spoke about the Valentino designers Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pierpaolo Piccioli, who took over the label in 2008, shortly after the retirement of the company’s founder, Valentino Garavani. Ms. Knightley presented the duo with the awards by Lalique, but not before Valentino co-founder, Giancarlo Giammetti, jumped on stage for an impromptu toast.
To close the program, Bruce Willis took the stage to introduce Debbie Harry, who performed some of her most well-known Blondie hits. Ms. Harry performed alongside a Juilliard string quartet for a unique rendition of her classic songs.
Following the stage program, guests re-entered the Alice Tully Hall lobbies, which had been transformed from the reception space in to a seated dinner for 350 guests, designed in a classic black and white palette, which allowed for a glamorous backdrop to Valentino's designs.
To learn more about the Corporate Fund and to donate please visit http://www.lccorporatefund.org.
We were honored to be involved in another program at Lincoln Center in support of the arts and continue our work with esteemed fashion and luxury brands.
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
