Happy Hearts Gala
On a crystal clear evening in June, guestsarrived at the Observatory at the top of the World Trade Center building to astunning sunset over the New York City skyline. The tone was set for abeautiful and warm evening to celebrate and raise support for one of Empire’smost beloved long-time clients, Happy Hearts Fund.
The Happy Hearts Fund, founded by Petra Nemcovain 2006 after she survived the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami, is dedicated toproviding ongoing support by building schools and providing opportunities foreducation to children in countries effected by natural disaster, long afterprimary rescue efforts have left these struggling communities. Celebrating thesuccess of these school programs, the theme of the the night was Graduation: Class of 2017!
The evening kicked off with a cocktailreception, passed canapes, and remarks by Petra, Tomas Alvarez-Bolon, also asurvivor of the Indian Ocean Tsunami, and Edna Candelaria, a student at one ofthe Happy Hearts Schools in the Philippines. Many major supporters were honoredwith an award and “diploma” for their tireless involvement in the cause,including motivational speaker and dedicated philanthropist Tony Robbins, long-timeHappy Hearts Fund supporter Ramzi Mussalam, and founder of All Hands VolunteersDavid Campbell.
After this, guests took part in a live auctionhosted by the ebullient auctioneer Simon de Pury and they were off to theraces! In no short order over a million dollars were raised and some verypleased guests would be going home with a variety of priceless trips andexperiences, fantastic jewelry and fine art by modern masters like Bosco Sodiand Helidon Xhixha. Guests also won premiumtickets and backstage passes to John Legend and U2, a once-in-a-lifetime SouthAfrican excursion, and more; all of which was donated from supporters fromaround the world.
Following the extremely successful auction,guests enjoyed a whimsical buttermilk & berry panna cotta as they enjoyed ahigh energy performance by Just Kool from Kool and the Gang with hits like“Fresh,” “Get Down On It,” and “Celebration”.
As dinner and the performances came to an end, guestswere then invited to the next room for an after party hosted by DJ Cassidy, whohad them on their feet dancing until the wee hours of the morning.
Empire is proud to continue our partnershipwith many purposeful and impactful non-profits like Happy Hearts Fund, and tohelp them successfully host these thrilling fundraising events.
To learn more about Happy Hearts Fund, pleasevisit www.happyheartsfund.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
