The Ebony Power 100
EBONY Magazine presented the 6th annual EBONY Power 100 Gala on December 1, 2017, honoring the nation’s 100 most powerful and influential African Americans, along with Ebony Icon Award recipient, Maxine Waters and the inaugural John H. Johnson Award recipient, Robert F. Smith.
This year’s Ebony Power 100 returned to the iconic Beverly Hilton's International Ballroom and was hosted by the CEO of Ebony Media Operations, Linda Johnson Rice, The Chairman of Ebony Media Operations, Michael Gibson, and The Vice Chairman of Ebony Media Operations, Willard Jackson.
Following red carpet arrivals, media room activations, and an elegant cocktail reception, approximately 600 guests were seated for a dinner program emceed by Blackish star, actor and comedian Deon Cole.
Over the course of the evening attendees were entertained by musical and dance performances, including tap dancers from the Debbie Allen Dance Academy, an acoustic performance by Willow Smith, and a rousing finalé performance by Bell Biv Devoe.
DJ Cipha Sounds performed throughout the event and spun at the post-reception in the International Foyer and Terrace where guests also enjoyed a variety of activities and sponsored social sharing stations.
Celebrities and A-listers in attendance and featured on stage included Pastor Michael Walrond Jr., Essence Atkins, Tristan Mack Wilds, and Angela Rye. Additional attendees included Magic and Cookie Johnson, Sugar Ray Leonard, Laila Ali, Anthony Anderson, and many more.
The Ebony Power 100 was presented by Nationwide Insurance, with other noteworthy sponsors and partners including United Airlines, Cadillac, Hilton Worldwide, Shea Moisturizer, and Diageo.
Empire was honored to once again serve as event producer for the Ebony Power 100, responsible for venue logistics, décor, production, talent booking & coordination, registration, videography, event logistics 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
