Empire Delivers Virgin Group's Sir Richard Branson for a Global Technology Audience
One of the toughest challenges when selecting a business speaker is finding someone with truly global appeal. Empire was presented with one such challenge by a global technology company seeking to present a speaker that would appeal to an audience representing 140 countries. Having established one of the world's most recognized and respected brands, Empire recommended entrepreneur, adventurer, philanthropist and founder of the Virgin Group, Sir Richard Branson. With over 300 companies in 30 countries, Virgin expanded from its beginnings in the music industry into air and rail travel, hospitality and leisure, telecommunications, health and wellness, and clean energy. A leader in product innovation and customer service, Branson was knighted in 1998 for his “services to entrepreneurship.” He remains one of the few business speakers in the world who is universally respected for his ingenuity, vision and foresight.Sir Richard Branson was introduced to an audience of over 12,000 at the Los Angeles Staples Center with a brief video that summarized his philosophy and achievements and the exciting exploits of Virgin brand businesses worldwide. Entering to great applause, Branson engaged in a lively moderated question & answer session with the corporate host that covered topics ranging from risk taking and customer service to his philanthropic work and views on the future of global brands. One of many highlights of the discussion was his response to a question about his forthcoming space travel venture - Virgin Galactic. Murmurs of anticipation spread through the arena as Richard told the audience that within a few years he plans to bring the cost of space travel down enough so that most of the people in the room would soon themselves have a chance to travel into space. This entertaining and inspiring discussion was the perfect way to add attendee value to this already extraordinary conference while also helping to underscore and reinforce many of the messages delivered earlier by the host company’s own executives. The full content of the discussion may be viewed by clicking here.Prior to his presentation, Sir Richard Branson participated in a meet & greet session with VIP guests and client senior management. Empire handled the negotiation and contracting of Sir Richard Branson’s services, coordination of all logistics, including precision arrival and departure planning between two other international engagements, as well as all onsite management.Empire is proud to present many of the world’s leading speakers and is a leading source for keynote speakers of global stature.
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