The Public Theater Gala in Central Park
Empire was proud to partner with The Public Theater to produce their annual Gala, live and in person.
This year’s theme, the “Gala on the Green” began with guests arriving at The Delacorte lawn for a sunset cocktail hour. After a quick check-in and COVID compliance process, guests enjoyed views of Central Park with a step-and-repeat for photos, a fun flower crown making activity as well as a sketch artist, who artfully captured guests' portraits. DJ Rich Medina kicked the night off with an upbeat set during cocktails before a brass band led the guests to the lawn outside The Delacorte Theater for the seated dinner and program.
Once the 700 guests were seated, they enjoyed an evening program that featured performances by Renée Elise Goldsberry, Oscar Isaac, Kimber Elayne Sprawl, Kelli O’ Hara, with remarks by Actress and Public Theater Trustee, Danai Gurira, Artistic Director of the Public Theater, Oskar Eustis and Public Theater Board Chair andTheater Producer, Arielle Tepper, all under the stars and sprinkled twinkle lights.
The event was emceed by Liev Schrieber and honored the singular Gil Shiva, whose leadership, integrity, and stewardship of the Susan Stein Shiva Foundation have guided The Public Theater for decades.The dinner ended with The Public presenting its second annual Community Leadership Award to Jamie Maleszka, Director of Creative Arts at The Fortune Society, one of Public Works' founding community partners, while guests dined on delicious desserts by Union Square Events.
With an online auction, ticket sales and in person donations, The Public Theater raised over $2.2 million supporting the arts, artists and commitment to producing theater for all.
Empire worked closely with The Public Theater, Hometown Flower Co, Rana Florals and many other partners to deliver this beautiful night. Empire’s scope of work included overall management and coordination, technical design and production, decor, logistics and vendor coordination.
Empire was extremely proud to partner again with The Public Theater and bring back live events stronger than ever.
To learn more about The Public Theater and their programs and to become a member and supporter, visit http://www.publictheater.org/
Photos by: David Nicholas
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
