The First Annual OZY Fusion Fest
Ozy Media, in partnership with presenting sponsor,Fusion Media, launched the inaugural OZYFusion Fest, a fresh and unique addition to New York’s busy Summerfestival calendar. Billed as “TED meets Coachella” and “Aspen Ideas + BurningMan,” OZY Fusion Fest was anexperiential festival of ideas that presented music, current affairs, humor,politics, technology, food, art and social interaction in one memorable dayand evening. Although Ozy.com was founded in2013 and boasts a rapidly growing base of over 20 million monthly users, OZY Fusion Fest was in many waysOZY’s coming out party, a chance to celebrate with its diehard readers,and to introduce itself to an entirely new group of fans.
On Saturday, July 23, 2016, over 2,000 attendees descended on CentralPark’s Rumsey Playfield to enjoy over ten hours of thought-provoking and highlyentertaining programming. By the time doors opened at 10:30AM, it was 90degrees in the shade, but a line had already formed of eager guests waiting toget inside.
Once guests entered, they were emerged in the completely transformedRumsey Playfield. In addition to the main stage, a series of large tents eachadorned with custom signage, designed with a colorful graffiti splash andfurnished with colorful seating and displays. Individual spaces included theTown Square Stage, Chef’s Tent, Good Sh*t Bazaar, Intel Theater, VirtualReality Theater, a VIP tent and an Ask OZY station in addition to food &beverage kiosks and open air activity spaces.
On the main stage, the day kicked off with author and thinkerMalcolm Gladwell, delivering an electrifying and very personal speech on thestate of College Admissions in the U. S. Hint: we have a lot of work todo. Columbian musical superstars Choquibtown then brought their Latin /Caribbean grooves to the crowd followed by a hilarious conversation with BroadCity’s Ilana Glazer and Abbi Jacobson, moderated by WNYC’s Phoebe Robinson. Asthe afternoon cooled and the sun set the audience danced and sang to hour longsets by Grammy Award performer Andra Day, Wyclef Jean and Black Eyed Peas’will.i.am.
Across the field, the Town Square Tent provided a more intimatesetting and an opportunity for many deep discussions. OZY founder Carlos Watsonled a series of interviews with political heavyweights and thoughtleaders. Former Chief of Staff and republican strategist Karl Rove weighed inon this year’s Presidential election followed by New Jersey Senator Cory Bookerwho discussed the Black Lives Matter movement and his views on the most urgentissues facing the incoming president. Editors Cole Bolton and Ben Berkley of The Onionled their own political panel discussion in their unmistakably irreverentstyle. Darren Walker, president of the Ford Foundation, sat down with LaurenePowell Jobs, founder of the Emerson Collective and will.i.am to discuss theirvisions for the future of philanthropy in education. HBO rising comedystar Issa Rae delivered a multimedia comedy set while other Town Squareparticipants included Grover Norquist, Island Records & Golden Eye ResortsFounder Chris Blackwell, Judy Smith, Beatbox House, artists Kazuhiro Tsuji andZaria Forman and more.
For the foodies in the audience, Chef Alex Guarnaschelli, host ofChopped and founder of Butter Restaurant in New York City, led a series of livecooking demos, curated discussions, and food samplings in the Food and BeverageExperience tent. She was joined by her friends Miroslav Uskokovich, celebratedpasty chef at Gramercy Tavern, as well as Benjy Kirschner, sommelier &owner of Wilson Daniels wine. Chef Guarnaschelli also curated the menusprovided by Summerstage concessions managed by Brooklyn Flea’s Smorgasburg,allowing guests to purchase items that were exclusively available to OZY FusionFest attendees.
In between stage programming, guests meandered through the Good Sh*tBazaar, a live version of OZY’s online content vertical, where unique vendorsand products were showcased alongside prized pieces of art, including KazuhiroTsuji’s famed (and giant) Abraham Lincoln head sculpture. Vendors included theUgly Fruit Guy, a rock n’ roll celebrity stylist, a digital photo booth and a registerto vote station. Lounge furnishings situated in the center of the Bazaarprovided guests with a shaded area to relax while waiting for the next program to begin.
And those lucky enough to have purchased a VIP ticket were able toenjoy a stage-side lounge complete with hosted beer, wine, and food.
As if all of the above wasn’t enough, guests had the opportunity toscreen original films and content by the likes of Bill Gates in the IntelTheater, walk on Mars via a VR experience, watch artworks createdlive in an open air art zone and reimagine what future high schools might belike via the XQ Super School Project.
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
