Screenvision Media Upfront 2018
Screenvision Media, a national leader incinema advertising,pitchedthe real impact of cinema’s reach to CMOs, planners, buyers and brands atthe company’s May 2018 Upfront event at the PlayStation Theater in New YorkCity. The Upfront demonstrated how Screenvision Media connects brands to everypart of the moviegoer’s journey, driven by data and technology, interactivityand integration.
To bring the “Real Impact” theme to life,Empire developed a design and concept, working closely with Screenvision Media,to transform New York City’s PlayStation Theater into a fully immersive theaterand after-party experience for its high-level attendees. The event wouldinclude an arrival experience, a main stage presentation, and an experientialafter-party featuring activations based on forthcoming major motion picturereleases.
During the main presentation, ScreenvisionMedia executives, including CEO John Partilla, CRO Katy Loria, and EVP ofNational Ad Sales, Christine Martino, provided proof of thestrength of their storytelling platform and established why cinema is anessential element in a brand’s media mix in an age of increasing mediafragmentation. The presentation also highlighted the growing strength ofcinema as evidenced by recent record-breaking box office successes of “BlackPanther” and “Avengers: Infinity Wars” as well as providinga preview of the strong outlook for 2018 and 2019.
The carefully scripted stage presentation, delivered in frontof a cinema-sized screen, featured substantial motion graphics as well as threehumorous videos inspired by iconic scenes from “Forrest Gump”, “It” and “WhenHarry Met Sally”. The videos were created by Screenvision Media’s in-housebranded content agency, 40 Foot Solutions.
At the conclusion of the presentation came a dramatic reveal to the after party. Guests were welcomed to a large,inviting space featuring a central bar, innovative catering stations byCreative Edge, AR and VR activations, interactive photo booths, arcade gamesand immersive, experiential activations featuring five of the largest motionpicture blockbusters scheduled to be released in the coming year.
On the existing concert stage was an animatedcityscape environment representing SONY’s “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse”(release date: December 18, 2018); SONY’s “Venom” starring Tom Hardy andMichelle Williams (release date: October 5, 2018) was represented with avignette that enabled guests to climb aboard the actual motorcycle featured inthe film and share an animated photo of themselves; Marvel Studios’ “CaptainMarvel” (release date: March 6, 2019) had its own super hero lounge while WarnerBrothers’ “Aquaman” starring Jason Momoa (release date: December 21, 2018) hadits own Aquaman-themed bar and tattoo station. Finally, Fox Studio’s “BohemianRhapsody” (release date: November 2, 2018) featured a lip sync booth whereguests could don ’80s wigs and sing the operatic portion of Bohemian Rhapsody.Vignettes also included custom guest activities, signature cocktails, andcustom t-shirt and bag screen printing.
Empire is proud to have once again workedclosely with Screenvision Media’s team to reach their advertisers with acreative, experiential upfront that provided a memorable experience for the mediainfluencers in attendance.
Empire was responsible for all event detailsincluding concept, venue acquisition, layout and scenic design, catering,staging, sound, lighting, video projection, graphics, furnishings, staffing andpartner/studio coordination.
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
