Not only the best place to live...NYC The Best to Meet!

The Harris Poll has once again found that New York City is the top preferred destination for living in the US.  Here are 10 reasons why New York is the best place to meet as well!

1. Booking New York City guarantees record-breaking attendance because we’re a popular destination with energy, diversity and things to do all year. Attendees come early, stay late, bring spouses and enjoy doing business here.
2. As a global transportation hub, we’re easily accessible from around the world, so airfare is competitively priced getting here. And, once here, there are many reliable, inexpensive options available 24/7 to get around the City.
3. From Radio City Music Hall to Ellis Island, the City’s event venues are plentiful, flexible, beautiful and special.
4. New York City is the professional capital of the world in finance, media, retail, services, fashion, publishing, entertainment and other significant sectors.
5. We have more than 75,000 hotel rooms and 18,000 restaurants to choose from and offer one of the most progressive arts and cultural scenes in the world.
6. We’re the greenest large city in the US (Public Lands Trust).
7. We’re the safest large city in America (FBI statistics).
8. We’re the world’s hottest city (Condé Nast Traveler).
9. . We’re truly a city that never sleeps: find anything anytime, 24/7.

10.  Shackman Associates New York provides planners with plenty of creative options, as well as direct assistance with meeting logistics and events.

Rock it Out on Broadway (and everywhere) in NYC

If you never saw the Beatles live, Rain - opening October 26 at the Neil Sikmon Theatre - comes very close to the real thing.  Rain offers the full range of The Beatles' discography live onstage, including the most complex and challenging songs that The Beatles themselves recorded in the studio but never performed for an audience.  The multi-media concert recaptures the era through all phases of The Beatles astounding musical career including Shea Stadium, the psychedelic late 60s and The Beatles long-haired hippie, hard-rocking rooftop days.

And Rain isn't the only way to connect with the Beatles while in New York.  Rock tours provide groups unique access to the cultrual history of music, art, fashion and different neighborhoods that helped New York City form a rock n' roll culture, including where the beatles first lived when they arrived in New York.  Tours also feature East Village landmarks that were shaped and influenced by Rock, Punk and Glam during the 1960’s and 70’s. Your group can see the places that made dThe Ramones, New York Dolls, Andy Warhol, The Fillmore East, Velvet Underground, CBGB’s institutions locally and around world.

Tapping into Tapas on Columbus Day

To celebrate Columbus Day we're injecting a little touch of Espana into Manhattan.  There's no way to better get in touch with your explorer self than venturing into one of New York City's many great Tapas bars. 

Here are two that could also be a perfect fit for a corporate meeting:

Sala One Nine
Located in the heart of the Flatiron District, Sala is sure to quench anyone's obsession with olives.  Sala offers numerous choices for on-site meeting catering including after-hours cocktail parties.  We like the Traditional Tray that offers six varieties of Tapas and caters up to 18 people.

Solera
Located in a midtown brownstone, Solera has a private event room available for groups and is the perfect venue for an intimate casual dinner for small incentive groups.  Solera boasts a top collection of authentic Spanish wines in New York.



  

Reeling Them In - 3 Ways to Boost Meeting Attendance

The signs of recovery are definitely there in the meetings industry, but some prospective attendees remain a little gun-shy about actually booking the flights, reserving hotel rooms and allocating a budget for those after-hours events. Here are 3 ways to lure them into action:

1. Piggyback an incentive - we recently managed a group client trip to attend a Vision Expo. Our client decided to follow-up the trade show with an incentive trip for top performers. This obviously helped increase attendance and enthusiasm for the expo itself!

2. Technology sponsors - corporate meetings have been utilizing sponsors to help pay for breakfasts or after-hours cocktail parties. The side benefit is that exciting sponsors draw more attendees. Because many of the newest gadgets entering the consumer market are released in New York City, meeting attendees here are getting first looks and tries at the coolest mobile products and apps.

3. Book a hot hotel - New York City's hotel industry is booming. Behind all this activity are exciting new hotels with whom Shackman Associates already has great relationships - the W Downtown, Eventi in Chelsea, and the Intercontinental Times Square. These properties offer spectacular amenities, plenty of meeting space and quick access to the city's most desired dining and entertainment venues.