VenuesNow Conference
The inaugural NYC VenuesNow Conference was held at theConrad Hotel downtown for over 600 attendees early September 2019. Oak View Group’s Media & Conferences divisionannually hosts the conference which provides a forum for leaders in the liveentertainment industry to discuss important trends and topics appearing in theVenuesNow magazine published by OVG. After two years in Los Angeles, theflagship event has moved to New York City.
The first day of the VenuesNowConference took place in the Gallery Ballroom and featured opening remarks byOVG Founders Tim Leiweke and Irving Azoff. Soon after, the all-star lineup ofspeakers would discuss key topics from Capital Ideasto Esports. James Dolan sat down with Irving Azoff to discuss business and MSG Co. and the program included panel discussions featuringNBA Commissioner Adam Silver, WNBA Commissioner Cathy Englebert and MLS CommissionerDon Garber.
Other notable speakers includedExecutive Vice President of MSG Live Darren Pfeffer, President of San Francisco49ers and Co-Managing Partner of Elevate Sports Ventures Al Guido, Director of Strategy for AT&T DaveMacdonald and many more. The first day of conferences concluded with anotheropening night cocktail reception in the Gallery Prefunction space &Northeast Gallery featuring DJ Monopoli.
The final day of the conferencetook place on 9/11, 18 years after the devastating tragedy. A beautiful floral installation honored those affected by theevents on 9/11 with a graphic wall featuring silhouettes of the twin towersbuilt out using white roses.
The opening topic, “NeverForget: How Sept. 11, 2001 Forever Changed Public Assembly,” featured ahighly qualified panel of safety experts who discussed exactly how publicsafety in this business has changed post-9/11. Light discussions followedthroughout the final day and attendees were encouraged to take roses providedto the 9/11 Memorial, just a short walk from thevenue.
The VenuesNow Conference connects leaders, influencers and visionariesin a variety of discussions and networking opportunities highlightingcomprehensive topics and the future of the industry. Empire was proud to serveas the overall producer for this event.
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
