Travel + Leisure “World’s Best Summit”
Empire produced the first ever Travel + Leisure “World’s Best Summit” on July 16 & 17, 2024. Held in the spectacular NYC headquarters of parent company Dotdash Meredith, the event brought together an elite audience of CEO’s and executives from the travel and hospitality industries for a think-tank regarding the current state of travel, hotels, luxury experiences, and restaurants and how external factors like social media and AI are transforming these industries.
The summit was staged in a sleek 300-person theater at the Dotdash Meredith building and kicked off with a fireside chat between Editor in Chief of T+L, Jacqui Gifford and CEO of Dotdash Meredith, Neil Vogel. Jacqui then also moderated the first two panels regarding sustainability and family travel. A lunch break was followed by additional conversations regarding the future of air travel and the power of cultural events. These discussions included panelists such as Amanda Kloots from The Talk, Andy Krantz (CEO of Paravel), Paul Tumpowsky (Founder and CEO of New Yonder), and Christine Vinesse Thomas (VP and Global Brand Leader, Lifestyle and Luxury Brands, Hyatt). Day 1 ended with a fantastic cocktail party in the common areas outside the theater which Empire had transformed with impactful vinyl clings featuring the World’s Best Summit and Travel + Leisure logos.
Day 2 of the Summit kicked off with a panel discussion on delivering unparalleled experiences, followed by a conversation on why wellness matters. Attendees discussed the content during a lunch break and then headed back to the theater for a panel regarding traveling in the age of social media. Highlighted by panelists including Chef and Restaurateur Daniel Boulud Jack Ezon (Founder and CEO of Embark Beyond), the stage program concluded with an insightful and often humorous conversation between Jacqui Gifford and Bobbi Brown about how Bobbi has enjoyed expanding from her cosmetics empire into owning a boutique hotel in Montclair, NJ called The George.
We are honored to have been chosen as Dotdash Meredith’s production partner for Travel + Leisure’s World’s Best Summit which brought together some of the greatest minds and innovators in the travel and luxury fields for to meet and exchange ideas.
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
