The 2013 Clinton Global Initiative Annual Meeting convened with more than 1,000 global leaders in business, government, and civil society September 23-26 in New York City to address the world’s most pressing challenges.
The 2013 Annual Meeting was structured around a single theme: Mobilizing for Impact.
This theme explores ways CGI members and member organizations can be more effective in leveraging individuals, partner organizations, and key resources in their commitment efforts. Mobilizing the right entities – and allowing them to reach their full potential – creates lasting and scalable success. This builds on CGI’s 2012 theme, Designing for Impact, which encouraged the design of purposeful commitments from the outset.
Clinton Global Citizen Awards Honorees and Entertainers included:
Honorees:
• Malala Yousafzai, Campaigner for Girls’ Rights, The Malala Fund
• Michael R. Bloomberg, Mayor, City of New York
• Elias Taban, National Bishop of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church of South Sudan and Uganda
• Bunker Roy, Founder and Director, The Barefoot College
• Jessamyn Rodriguez, Founder and CEO, Hot Bread Kitchen
• Adam Lowry, Co-Founder and Chief Greenskeeper, Method Products PBC
• Eric Ryan, Co-Founder, Method Products PBC
Appearances by: Vice President Joe Biden, Her Majesty Queen Rania Al Abdullah of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan; Nicholas Kristof, columnist, The New York Times; Mary Robinson, former president of Ireland and president, Mary Robinson Foundation for Climate Justice; M. Sanjayan, lead scientist, The Nature Conservancy; and Diana Taylor, managing director, Wolfensohn Fund Management
Performances by: The Roots, Elvis Costello, Malian musician Fatoumata Diawara. The Musical Producer was Randy Jackson.
About the Clinton Global Initiative
Established in 2005 by President Bill Clinton, the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI), an initiative of Bill, Hillary & Chelsea Clinton Foundation, convenes global leaders to create and implement innovative solutions to the world’s most pressing challenges. CGI Annual Meetings have brought together more than 150 heads of state, 20 Nobel Prize laureates, and hundreds of leading CEOs, heads of foundations and NGOs, major philanthropists, and members of the media.
To date CGI members have made more than 2,300 commitments, which are already improving the lives of more than 430 million people in over 180 countries. When fully funded and implemented, these commitments will be valued at $76.7 billion. CGI also convenes CGI America, a meeting focused on collaborative solutions to economic recovery in the United States, and CGI University (CGI U), which brings together undergraduate and graduate students to address pressing challenges in their community or around the world, and, this year, CGI Latin America, which will bring together Latin American leaders to identify, harness, and strengthen ways to improve the livelihoods of people in Latin America and around the world.
The World Liberty TV team was on hand to cover the event to its entirety for the three days, meeting and interacting with some of the world’s best minds who come together to help humanity with their skills, knowledge, and of course money. All of this is under the leadership of President William Jefferson Clinton, former two-time President of the USA.
We are excited to once again “host the conversation” about the role and opportunity for corporations to have a positive impact on the most pressing social issues of our time. Public-private partnerships have gone well past the days of pure philanthropy to a more strategic dialogue on how to collaborate to address poverty, illiteracy, equality, and human suffering.
Companies are also becoming more active in their support for environmental causes than some of the government functionalities of the world’s top countries.
We have partnered with top nonprofit and NGO groups for this event, including the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), Future 500 and the Council for Encouraging Corporate Philanthropy. We thank them for their ongoing support and involvement. We celebrate innovation with our Big Idea Lightning Round formats. We recognize the importance of leadership and vision once again honoring top CEOs in our Corporate Responsibility Magazine Responsible CEO of the Year reception and awards dinner.
And we celebrate the power of coming together as a community to have dialogue, debate, and camaraderie. COMMIT! Forum continues to be one of the top global conferences on corporate responsibility and, as such, is an excellent place for CR professionals, media, foundations, and NGOs to network and prioritize their agenda and have fun while learning from the top thought leaders today.
“We hope you enjoy the event as much as we enjoy hosting you and have a positive impact on the world we all share,” said Elliot H. Clark, CEO of SharedXpertise, and publishers of Corporate Responsibility Magazine.
The World Liberty TV Team was on hand to cover this two day conference, listening to and interviewing some of the best companies who engage in Corporate Responsibility.
In honor of New York Fashion Week, GBK and Sparkling Hill Resort hosted a Luxury Gift Lounge on September 6th and 7th. Attending celebrities included: Jay Manuel, Miss J and Nole Marin of “America’s Next Top Model”, Ice-T and Coco,”Big Ang” of VH1’s “Mob Wives”, Adrienne Bailon, Matt Letscher, Katie Findlay and Chloe Bridges of “The Carrie Diaries”, Ryan Serhant of “Million Dollar Listing NYC” and more.
This year’s Title Sponsor was Sparkling Hill Resort – a European-inspired wellness resort known for its Swarovski crystal design elements. Additional presenting Sponsors included Hard Candy and Pilot Pen.
Other must-have brands included: Tibolli ® , youthH2O, D’Mademoiselle ® Pure Mineral Makeup and Skincare Product™; EcoGenics Active Botanical Skin Care, Nikki’s Magic Wand, Lashem, Cynthia Gale Jewelry, d’andrea handbags, Lulu Avenue by Jude Frances, Visit San Luis Obispo County and Sunset SAVOR the Central Coast, Rive, Viva Diva Wines by Christina Milian, Connecticut Cookie Company, Oasis Mediterranean, Prima Dolce, and Latta Russian Kefir.
Artistic Rive water bottles transformed colorless, odorless, tasteless substance into an experience that excites the senses. Wild Soul Sunglasses gifted exotic sunglasses; The Artisan Group® provided a collection of handcrafted gifts; and cause-driven hats were given by Gratitude Couture – intent on eradicating hate and bullying via charity donation. Special event sponsor, Supima – an American luxury cotton, displayed two evening gowns made for the event.
ABOUT GBK:
GBK is a luxury lifestyle gifting and special events company, specializing in entertainment marketing integration. Widely known in the entertainment industry for bringing that little extra something into the Gifting Lounge environment.
The three-year historic Transformation of Madison Square Garden was officially completed on October 24th, 2013, providing a significantly enhanced experience for customers, athletes, entertainers, suite holders and marketing partners, from the fist row to the last. The transformed Garden is expected to attract even more high profile sports and entertainment events, major concerts and awards shows, as well as provide new and unique opportunities for marketing partners to drive their business objectives.
The project’s architect is Brisbin Brook Beynon, Construction Manager is Turner and Project Manager is JLL. Extensive research and focus groups were conducted and the feedback was used to develop the plans for the Transformation. The project involved over 2.6 million man hours of union labor, the equivalent of at least 1,300 full-time jobs, creating as many as 3,700 union construction jobs. An estimate of 2,851 tons of steel was used in the completion of the project. There is a 22% increase in the number of restrooms now available, as well as a 26% increase on concessions offered. The number of suites increased from 89 to 96 and both the Madison and Garden Concourses, as well as the Chase Square have more than doubled in size. For the Chase Bridges, 880 steel pieces were used for their erection and a total of 150 yards of concrete was installed.
The Transformation Project consisted of three phases, one phase for each year of construction.
Phase I of the Garden Transformation debuted for the 2011-12 season and included new Lower Bowl seating area, an expanded Madison Concourse, 20 new Nespresso Event Level Suites, New Delta Sky360 Club, New 1879 Club, open areas on the Garden Concourse and new West Balcony and new Knicks and Rangers locker and dressing rooms.
Phase II of the Transformation debuted for the 2012-13 season and included new Upper Bowl seating area, expanded Garden Concourse with city views and more restrooms, new Lexus Madison Suite Level, new all-inclusive Madison Club, return of the beloved Blue Seats and homages to The Garden’s storied history on the Madison Concourse with new “Garden 366” and “Defining Moments” exhibits.
Phase III, which marks the completion of the Transformation debuted for the 2013-14 season and included a doubled in size new Chase Square 7th Avenue entrance, 2 new first-of-their-kind Chase Bridges, new EIGHTEEN/76 Balcony, new state-of-the-art GardenVision, new Signature Suite Level and restoration of the iconic Garden ceiling.
Madison Square Garden unveils a completely transformed arena reopening just in time for the Knicks Pre-Season Game. October 24th, 2013 marked the completion of Madison Square Garden’s three-year, top-to-bottom Transformation, which significantly enhanced every aspect of the historic Arena, from the first row to the last. The completed Transformation, which has been designed to improve the experience of fans, partners, suite holders, athletes and entertainers, was unveiled at a star-studded, standing-room-only press event in the Garden’s re-imagined 7th Avenue entrance, Chase Square.
Featured at the event were New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, The Madison Square Garden Company’s Executive Chairman, Jim Dolan and its President and Chief Executive Officer, Hank Ratner. Also on hand for the unveiling were Knicks legend, Willis Reed and New York Rangers’ great, Mark Messier, among many others.
Madison Square Garden’s self-funded, $1 billion, comprehensive Transformation saw the Garden shut down for three consecutive off-seasons (2011, 2012, 2013,) with construction continuing behind-the-scenes during a full slate of NBA and NHL games, sold-out concerts and other sporting and entertainment events.
The newly transformed Arena boasts new additions such as First-Class food offerings, a “Defining Moments” special exhibit honoring MSG’s unparalleled history, and restoration on the corridors on the entry level of the Arena to replicate the look of the building when the doors first opened 45 years ago. The 1968 North and 1968 South corridors not only replicate the floors, walls, ceiling and lighting of the original Garden, but also feature authentic advertisements and event promotional posters from that commemorative year. New first-class culinary additions include offerings from some of the world’s greatest chefs such as Jean-Georges with Cocina Tacos. Two other restaurants to join The Garden’s unrivaled lineup of food options include La Esquina and Casa Nonna. In homage of Madison Square Garden’s illustrious 134 year history, the remaining 10 “Defining Moments presented by SAP” exhibit will feature special photo displays and memorabilia throughout the Arena that showcase some of the moments that have solidified The Garden’s position as The World’s Most Famous Arena.
An estimate of 2,851 tons of steel was used in the completion of the project. There is a 22% increase in the number of restrooms now available, as well as a 26% increase on concessions offered. The number of suites increased from 89 to 96 and both the Madison and Garden Concourses, as well as the Chase Square have more than doubled in size. Fans will see a return of the 1,000 beloved Blue Seats that were removed in 1990. For the Chase Bridges, 880 steel pieces were used for their erection and a total of 150 yards of concrete was installed. The new state-of-the-art GardenVision, the Arena’s center-hung multimedia display saw an increase from 1,120 square feet to 3,400.
In addition to signaling a new era for the celebrated venue, the Transformation of Madison Square Garden was an important source of union jobs during a difficult time in both the local and national economies. Supported by the Building and Construction Trades Council, the project created 3,700 union construction jobs and required 2.6 million man hours of labor. The project’s architect is Brisbin Brook Beynon, Construction Manager is Turner and Project Manager is JLL.
