New York "Raises Its Game" for UN Week

As President Obama prepares his speech to the international community, we can look at our office window today on 56th Street and watch delegates, related diplomats and their security details all here for the United Nations General Assembly and making their way down Second Avenue en route to the UN. While International visitors here for meetings love the variety of culturally diverse dining venues, stores and bars, during UN week these establishments are delightfully alive with a unique cosmopolitan vibe.

It’s also that time of year when Manhattan’s East Side becomes a quasi-military zone.

In 2010, this is enhanced by two factors – first, delegates will stay an additional three days to discuss the Millennium Development Goal project; and secondly, President Obama plans of spending multiple days in the city.

Despite the inconveniences and random motorcades, New York City will hardly miss a beat. Unlike a smaller city that would essentially shut down for an event the size of the UN General Assembly, New York simply offers many alternative neighborhoods, hotels, transportation options and coveted meeting venues.

Right on the heels of the much celebrated Fashion Week, UN Week is not only a reminder why New York is a fantastic draw for international business travel, it proves that even at the height of disruption, Manhattan is THE destination for any meeting that is focused on getting business done.

Fashion Week in Review - Success from Evolving!

Conventions and trade shows sometimes have a nostalgic feel when they are held at the same time and place every year. Before 2010, New York’s Fashion Week was synonymous with the “tents”.

Getting access to those coveted tent shows - all outdoor - in Bryant Park was the name of the game, and when the show moved to Lincoln Center this fall, there were some who probably missed that.

But New York is always evolving, and nowhere can that been seen more than at Lincoln Center. It’s not just a place for concerts anymore. Fashion buyers and media were treated to a 100,000-square-foot site and the revisions made to its look, layout, and technology.

The renovated Lincoln Center is a fantastic venue for shows. While the “tents” remained, constructing the floor (approximately 448 feet by 272 feet) for a massive show like Fashion Week went far more efficiently because the structure frame, despite having to be built over existing planters, did not have to take into account the lawn and the “sinking into grass” effect experienced at Bryant Park.

And then there was Fashion GPS, a Web-based program that electronically tracks and manages designers' guest lists and invitations in real time. Bryant Park was an Internet nightmare with shaky connections that were sometimes worsened right off-site with weather-driven challenges. Lincoln Center, on the other hand, was fully equipped with every modern technology amenity, making paper invites to shows a thing of the past.

And in a world where news travels instantly, the ability of influential bloggers to post new entries, Flickr photos and TwitPics with mobile technology took this year’s Fashion Week to eye-popping levels.

Fashion Week’s success in 2010 is an example of a bigger evolutionary trend that positions New York as a worldwide meeting and EXPO information capital.

Sounds of Middle Earth in Midtown

The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, will be presented live to film at Radio City Music Hall for two performances only, on Friday, October 8th and Saturday, October 9th, 2010 at 7:30PM.


Following the success of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring concert last October, the Academy Award®-nominated film The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers gets the same treatment at the world-famous Radio City Music Hall. Beneath an immense 60-foot screen, Howard Shore’s Grammy®-winning complete original score will be performed live to Peter Jackson’s award-winning epic. www.TheRadioCityLOTRconcert.com

The music of Middle-earth will be brought to life by more than 300 musicians Switzerland’s 21st Century Symphony Orchestra, The Grammy Award ® - winning Brooklyn Youth Chorus, The award-winning Dessoff Symphonic Choir and renowned soprano Kaitlyn Lusk, all under the direction of celebrated Maestro Ludwig Wicki.

Last fall, over 10,000 people filled Radio City for The Fellowship of the Ring shows. The New York Times said “the music of Middle-earth soared at Radio City Music Hall,” while Entertainment Weekly said “it was a terrific night at the theater…Too bad we’ve got to wait until Oct. 9, 2010 to see The Two Towers in the same fashion.”

From Pigskin to Parties

Autumn and American Football go-hand-in-hand and The New Meadowlands - just a ten-minute drive from Manhattan - is the latest NFL football to open and is an ideal location for a corporate meeting and incentive group. The New Meadowlands can host events whether or not it’s GameDay and Shackman Associates has long-standing relationships with Sports and Exposition Authority personnel who manage luxury corporate boxes and restaurants in the stadium.


Despite past controversy over Public Seat Licenses, the New York Giants just announced that blocks of single-game tickets will now be sold directly. Besides NFL games, special sporting events such as FIFA soccer matches and some of 2011’s hottest concerts, including U2’s rescheduled world tour will be held at The New Meadowlands.

Add Yankee Stadium and CitiField to the mix and New York now boasts America's three premier sporting venues