Suntory Japanese Craft Gin’s ROKU: Experience the Season
Suntory hosted Experience the Season – Six Seasons in One Sip, an immersive event for its Japanese craft gin brand, ROKU, at Tokyo’s newly opened Azabudai Hills complex. In order to bring this benchmark experience to life, Empire was called upon to craft this brand activation and ensure a smooth opening of the exhibition.
To fully Experience the Season, we employed spatial art installations that engaged all five senses, immersing guests in Japan’s spring, summer, autumn, and winter through dynamic soundscapes, evocative lighting, and curated scents. As they explored the seasonal shifts reflected in ROKU’s unique botanical elements, attendees enjoyed ROKU Gin Soda alongside four seasonal variations—cherry blossom, sudachi, ginger, and yuzu.
To generate buzz, opening day featured an exclusive media event, highlighted by a captivating live session with actors that drew significant press coverage. The result was an unforgettable brand experience that deepened ROKU’s connection to its audience while celebrating the artistry of Japanese craft gin.

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