Get Your Ride On

You know a Manhattan Spring is in full bloom when our parks become the city’s cultural hub. With today's companies more and more conscious about the health of their top performers, creative (and affordable) ways to include some athletic teambuilding look to be a hot fixture of 2009 New York incentive and meetings travel. What better way to experience Manhattan’s outer beauty than by bike? Two of the best--and safest--routes in town are the Central Park loop and the path along the Hudson River in Riverside Park. Meeting planners looking to save a little money can skip the $25-a-head continental breakfast and plan a custom bicycle excursion instead. Even on weekday afternoons, Central Park bustles with activity, and Riverside Park boasts one-of-a-kind views of the George Washington Bridge and the Manhattan skyline.

After an active bike excursion, your group is bound to need a little nourishment. Luckily, some of Manhattan's best-kept-secret-restaurants are within two blocks of the parks, and they’d love nothing more than to provide a special lunch you'll be talking about long after you return home. So if you want to add a little value to your 2009 conference, we are glad to suggest a few ways to start by adding a few breaths of fresh air.

New York a Low-Profile City? It is for events in 2009.

Becoming another face in the crowd among 8 million people is not hard in New York, and for businesses holding incentive meetings, team building conferences and special events, being a small fish in a big pond is the new trend for 2009. With criticism of business meetings at a fever pitch in Congress, New York City has ironically become an ideal location for businesses to offer unique incentive travel experiences and create high-impact events that do not make headlines nor end up in a floor speech at the US Capitol.

At Shackman Associates New York, our 2009 corporate events and meetings still reflect the New York's logical and continued importance as a world business capital. However, instead of lavish affairs at high-profile venues, our attendees are opting for programs that are economically productive and give back to the community. For example, we are managing Realtors focused on repairing the country's housing market and touring innovative development in Harlem, team builing clients building bikes for school children in the Bronx, and after-hour events at one of Manhattan's unique bowling venues. "Exotic menus" in 2009 often consist of our city's famous pizza and rare varietals from far locales have given way to the many fine wineries we have right here in upstate New York and Long Island. With more venue choices than other locales, the willingness of Manhattan hotels to renegotiate room rates, and exceptionally low airfare options into the region's airports, I expect New York to be a preferred destination for any business serious about keeping important meetings and events on their schedule in 2009.

It's Official - Thanksgiving Day Parade on the Move!

Hot off the press... The Thanksgiving Day Parade has officially switched routes, leaving Broadway in the dust.

The parade will still begin at Central Park West at 77th Street, but at 59th Street it will shift to Seventh Avenue instead of Broadway. At 42nd Street it will turn east and continue down Sixth Avenue to Macy’s flagship store on 34th Street.

Buyer beware... If you were planning on staying at either the Novotel or Crown Plaza to see the Parade this year, you are out of luck. Move your plans to the Sheraton, Michelangelo or Renaissance, all which will have full views of your favorite floats.

A World with No Meetings Devastates the Average Worker – Not Executives

A CEO like AIG’s Edward Liddy will hardly starve if businesses halt meetings, but Larry the Caterer is a different story. So is the florist on 57th Street; the new small business that rents out furniture; the linen cleaner in operation for 30-years and their parts supplier for the steam machines; the highly-skilled pros who work 10-hour shifts manning cameras and mixing boards; both the airline pilot and baggage handler, whose jobs depend on weekday flights filled with business travelers; and if the feeding frenzy continues unabated, the war on business meetings could even trickle down to the quality of life of a school-age child in the Bronx.

2008 was not a spectacular year by anyone’s standard, but in New York, visitors spent $700 million more here than at any time in the city’s history. Not a single penny of it bought a credit default swap. Tourism, especially from business travelers, means real money flowing into hundreds of good businesses that employ thousands of great people.

Those who say business meetings are “inappropriate” right now should consider all the livelihoods our Destination Management Company – Shackman Associates New York - touches each week. The economic impact of the 400 people whose meetings we managed in the last five days alone goes far beyond their immediate industries. Not only do meetings generate new ideas and strategies that help the overall economy, they are critical in maintaining employee morale and provide direct business income to the peripheral vendors who depend on the business community to pay their mortgages and send own their kids to college.

These attendees who will build company morale and strenghten business relationships won’t be lathering up with bailout cash. Instead, they will be rolling bowling balls at one of New York’s fun-filled establishments, that – thanks to group events helping to paying the rent – are managing to survive the recession. They’ll eat New York style Pizza – not caviar, and among the real beneficiaries of these events are a décor shop owner in Chinatown, a by-the-gig Frank Sinatra singer, and scores of wait staff getting another night of pay and extra tips.

Another meeting group in real estate chose a theme not only appropriate in 2009, but critical to our recovery – “A New Start of It, Be A Part of It. ” While their scheduled tour truly captures the Spirit of New York, it has nothing to do with the boat ride. Participants will get a first-hand look at investment opportunities in innovative residential and retail economic development that is happening throughout Harlem. Some of the projects ironically meet a popular criteria of late - "shovel-ready" - and others are already moving full-steam ahead.

So despite knee-jerk reactions from some, holding an event in the business capital of the world is obviously appropriate. That includes those at five-star hotels. For a profitable company that just launched a Nationwide Wellness Workshop Campaign promoting healthy eating in public schools, hosting a food summit luncheon at a famous high-end destination warrants zero grounds for attack. In fact, more companies than ever are using business meetings themselves as a primary tool to “give-back.” We recently worked with Impact4Good to run a corporate team-building event that donated numerous “built-bikes” to area children whose families have been hardest hit by the economy. Additionally, flowers, table-settings and surplus foods from events are regularly donated to hospitals and charities, and catering requests are often made for local produce growers and wineries that in New York, account for millions in economic activity and jobs.

As the public questions what is “appropriate” in the economy of 2009, one thing is clear: The business meeting industry in New York and throughout America plays a critical role in the lives of millions like Larry the Caterer who work in a wide array of professions. Meetings deserve our support – not scorn.