Time 100 Gala 2017
Empire was proud to once again serve as the producer of the TIME 100 Gala, which took place at the Frederick P. Rose Hall, Home of Jazz at Lincoln Center. Each year, TIME publishes the TIME 100: a list of the most influential people in the world. To celebrate this highly anticipated release, TIME hosts an exclusive gala event in New York City attended by current and past TIME 100 honorees. With its extraordinary mix of world leaders, innovators and celebrities, the TIME 100 Gala is globally recognized as one of the most prestigious annual events.
As in past years, the 2017 TIME 100 was attended by a who’s who of global icons from industry, culture, sports, fashion and politics.
Participants and performers at this year’s Gala included John Legend, Demi Lovato, Viola Davis, Ava DuVernay, Raed Al-Saleh, Bernard J. Tyson and George Church as well as Time Inc. President & CEO Rich Battista, TIME Editor-In-Chief, Nancy Gibbs, and Time Inc. Senior Vice President of News, Luxury and Style, Meredith Long.
Among the notable attendees this year were Ryan Reynolds, Blake Lively, Margot Robbie, Trevor Noah, RuPaul, Samantha Bee, Ashley Graham, Leslie Jones, Megyn Kelly, Katie Couric, Rebekah and Robert Mercer, Lindsey Vonn, Tom Perez, Naomi Campbell, and Harvey Weinstein.
The gala featured an extensive red carpet on two floors, an elegant cocktail reception over which was flown a ‘photo chandelier’ of TIME 100 honorees, a seated dinner and program that combined remarks, musical performances, toasts by some of the evening’s honorees, and an after party with DJ Mick. This year’s gala event was sponsored by Citi, Johnnie Walker, and Aston Martin.
As one of the world’s most high-stature events, the TIME 100 draws extensive global media coverage which this year included NBC’s Today Show, CBS This Morning, FOX, Entertainment Tonight, E! News, and Access Hollywood. Additionally, the TIME 100 generates extraordinary digital reach through TIME.com, online bloggers and social media from the attendees themselves.
With the world watching through such extensive coverage, the production of the TIME 100 requires the highest caliber of precision planning and flawless execution. Empire was proud to work closely with the TIME team to once again deliver a flawless and extraordinary evening.
Empire’s responsibilities included event design, talent booking & coordination, staging and technical production, venue and catering logistics coordination (catering provided by Great Performances), broadcast facilities, stage management, staffing, front of house logistics, security and sponsorship activations.
Empire is proud to continue our eight-year history with the TIME 100.
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
