The Ebony Power 100
On December 1, 2016, EBONY Magazine presented the 5th annualEBONY Power 100 Gala, honoring the nation’s 100 most powerful and influentialAfrican Americans, along with Lifetime Achievement recipients, Earth, Wind andFire and Cicely Tyson, and Ebony Icon Award recipient, Nile Rodgers.
This year’s Ebony Power 100, took place at the historicBeverly Hilton's International Ballroom and was hosted by the CEO of EbonyMedia Group, Cheryl Mayberry McKissack, the Chairman Emeritus, Ebony MediaOperations, Linda Johnson Rice, Editor-In-Chief of Ebony, Kyra Kyles, TheChairman of Ebony Media Operations, Michael Gibson, and The Vice Chairman ofEbony Media Operations, Willard Jackson.
Following red carpet arrivals and an elegant cocktailreception, the approximately 600 guests were seated for a dinner program emceedby actor, comedian and director, Cedric the Entertainer. Attendees wereentertained by a wide array of musical and dance performances, Performersincluded child dance phenom, and star of Black-ish, Miles Brown, neo-soul duo,Lion Babe, and a rousing finalé performance by Nile Rodgers and Chic, whichincluded a livestream to Facebook Live for the world to see.
DJ D-Nice performed throughout the event and spun at thepost-reception in the International Foyer and Terrace.
Celebrities and A-listers in attendance and showcased on thestage included Jimmy Jam, Skai Jackson, Regina King, Issa Rae, The Preachers, andCraig Robinson. Additional attendeesincluded Simone Biles (who graced one of the four covers of the annual issue),as well as Holly Robinson Peete, Kelly Rowland, Kathy Ireland, Pam Grier, and MatthewKnowles, and more.
First Lady, Michelle Obama (who along with the rest of theObama family, appear on this year’s Ebony Power 100 list) also sent a heartfeltvideo tribute for the occasion.
The Ebony Power 100 was presented by Nationwide Insurance,with other noteworthy sponsors and partners including United Airlines,Cadillac, and Hilton Worldwide.
Empire was honored to once again serve as event producer forthe Ebony Power 100, responsible for venue logistics, décor, production, talentbooking & coordination, registration, livestream, videography, eventlogistics and onsite management.
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
