Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s Goalkeepers
For the 5th year, Empire served as the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Project Everyone’s production partner for their Goalkeepers 2024 event- an annual event that brings together heads of state and international Sustainable Development Goals “Goalkeepers”. Among Goalkeepers 17 goals to achieve before 2030, this year’s event focused on why fighting malnutrition matters.
To focus on the event's impact, the typical two-day event shifted to a one-evening program and reception, from 6- hours of content to a 2-hour window, which included over 1,200 guests held at Jazz at Lincoln Center.
Empire’s mission was to deliver a flawless production for this pivotal event, celebrate the Goalkeeper changemakers, execute a program focused on world’s nutrition crisis with key speakers and encourage content creation and social presence, which included design and creative elements, lead installation, food and beverage management, and registration and logistics for high-level speakers and attendees.
The program streamed live online and in an on-site overflow space for all attendees near and far to enjoy. Jon Batiste kicked off the program and the stage was flooded with prestigious speakers and nutrition focused experts, such as Host, Kenyan media personality Janet Mbugua, Brazilian President Lula da Silva, welcoming Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare of Nigeria, Muhammed Pate, Ethiopian-Swedish chef, Marcus Samuelsson, along with Bill Gates to the stage to speak upon Global Health funding and nutritious foods for all.
In order to accommodate more guests and activations, two venues within JALC were activated both with a variety of custom food stations and bars, multiple photo backdrops opportunities and DJ Chmba, who played upbeat house music to set the tone.
Empire was proud to again work with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Project Everyone, and many other partners to present Goalkeepers 2024. To learn more about the Goalkeepers event, please visit: https://www.gatesfoundation.org/goalkeepers/
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
