The World’s 50 Best Restaurants in Las Vegas
For the first time ever, The World’s 50 Best Restaurants took over the bright lights of Las Vegas, inviting esteemed guests to celebrate the best culinary outposts from around the world. Empire was proud to partner with William Reed Media to produce this event, held at the iconic Wynn Las Vegas.
More than 1,200 attendees from across the globe gathered in Las Vegas for the multi-day event, which showcased the 50 finest restaurants worldwide, judged by leading experts in the fine dining community.
Formal programming began with a Press Conference, hosted by the CEO of William Reed, Mr. Charles Reed, where leading members of the 50 Best organization provided insights into the future of 50 Best and opened the floor to questions from international media attendees. The press conference included a fun video produced by the Las Vegas Convention & Visitors Bureau featuring an original song, “Yes Chef” by Steve Aioki.
The Press Conference was followed by the #50BestTalks, where leading chefs shared their creativity and insights on the food and beverage industry. Guests also sampled fisheye ice cream by Chef Josh Niland, a ‘celtuce celebration’ cocktail by Chef Daniel Humm of Eleven Madison Mark and a spin on the classic cosmic brownie by Chef Kwame Onwuachi of Top Chef and Tatiana by Kwame Onwauchi.
As the sun set in the Las Vegas desert, the Chef’s Feast took place at Wynn’s East Pavilion & Lawn, with a wide range of experiential sponsor activations. This event was one where chefs were finally able to relax and not cook! Guests enjoyed curated small bites and cocktails from various sponsor booths and received goodie bags containing branded items such as a bottle opener from Beronia and an apron from Estrella Damm.
The celebrations continued the following day with the gala awards night. When guests arrived at a beautifully curated reception space, complete with a red carpet and photography moment, the nominated Chefs and restaurants received 50 Best’s signature red scarves, provided by Aspire Lifestyles, to wear and distinguish them throughout the evening. There were over two dozen sponsor activations, each serving specialty food and drink items crafted by top bartenders and chefs showcasing their skills.
Sponsors included San Pellegrino + Acqua Panna, Amex/Resy, Estrella Damm, Beronia, Kaviari, Craft Irish Whiskey, Woodford Reserve, Tequila Ocho, and many more creating a haven for beautifully crafted cocktails and small bites. Justin & The Swingbeats provided entertainment with classic Vegas hits and jazz twists on modern favorites.
The Awards Ceremony, the highlight of the event, was hosted by Spanish broadcaster, Olivia Freijo. She guided the audience through the program and announced several special awards. Barcelona’s Disfrutar took the No. 1 spot this year, celebrated for its brilliantly imaginative dishes, technical mastery, and playful presentation.
The entire ceremony was live-streamed on 50 Best’s Facebook and YouTube channels, allowing a global audience to witness the announcement of the official list of the hottest spots around the globe.
After the ceremony, guests headed to the Encore Beach Club for the The World’s 50 Best Restaurants Afterparty. They were greeted by Elvis Presley and Marilyn Monroe lookalikes for photo opportunities at a beautifully designed "Welcome to Las Vegas" sign, provided by LVCVA. DJ Freddy B kept the party going well past midnight, culminating in a surprise champagne toast to Disfrutar for taking the top spot.
Empire worked closely with the 50 Best team and other partners to deliver this remarkable celebration. Empire’s responsibilities included overall production management, screen content and graphics creation, technical design and management, livestream, sponsor fulfillment and activation, stage management, talent booking, and overall logistics. We are incredibly proud to again partner with William Reed to bring this awards celebration to the culinary capital of Las Vegas, shining a light on the best in hospitality.
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
