Tuesday, November 23, 2010

6 Unique Location Ideas for "The Meeting" During NYC Meetings

With all the natural excitement people feel when coming to Manhattan for a corporate meeting, the last thing attendees want to do is sit in bland, windowless conference room for a work session.  Here are six ideas to spice of the business side of the agenda for your corporate group:

1. View of Liberty While Immersed in History - we have coordinated numerous events and meetings at Ellis Island, and for a small to mid-sized groups, the historic park offers conference room facilities and a short "break-time" walk to a view of the Statue of Liberty and downtown Manhattan.

2. An Atmosphere for "Higher Learning" - if your meetings contains an educational component, New York's colleges and universities offer both modern and architecturally stunning facilities to corporate group in the heart of a beautiful urban campus setting.  St. John's is the leader in this regard and one campus in Manhattan Financial District contains the largest and most comprehensive insurance resource center in the world.

3. The Mecca of "Winners" - while the Knicks and Rangers haven't hoisted a trophy there in a long time, a Madison Square Garden meeting helps project a winning culture for your attendees.  We have close relationships with the venue and with eight smaller rooms and a 5,000 person theatre, MSG can accommodate a corporate group of any size!  Shackman Associates can also piggyback a meeting with a live sporting or concert event afterward.

4. Big Decisions on a Big Boat - perfect for smaller meeting groups or splinter sessions for Association Boards of Directors, we suggest floating a few proposals while floating on a super-yacht on the Hudson or East Rivers.  Yacht-owners have been eager to offset costs in the down economy by renting our their vessels and options include both day trips and overnight accommodations.  

5. Seclusion Amongst 8 Million People - Once reserved for private dinner parties and rehearsal dinners, Manhattan's most creative dining venues are renting out "special", secluded rooms to small corporate groups.  Walking through a restaurant's downstairs kitchen to a private room with VIP service and delicious meeting menu option might make you feel like you're in a Francis Ford Coppola movie, but being uninterrupted in an intimate setting could be priceless for your business.

6. Where the Glass is More Than Half Full - Unique meeting venues are opening throughout the Chelsea and Meatpacking District sections of Manhattan, and as is the case with the newer boutique hotels, several stand-alone meeting spaces in renovated loft-style buildings feature ceiling-to-floor glass that offers attendees spectacular views of the city.

         

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

4 Ways to Enjoy a Slice of Summer at a Winter NYC Meeting

New York City is filled with exciting outdoor venues where the upwardly mobile congregate after work and corporations throw wow-factor cocktail and dinner parties. Maybe it’s the wrong time of the year to be talking about this?

Not anymore.

Manhattan’s outdoor bars and restaurants are using creative ideas and smart engineering to keep the crowds and meeting groups coming. Here are 4 great techniques that venues are using to create the endless summer:

Winter Glass – Sounds somewhat pedestrian but many hotel bars, especially those in the Meatpacking District have been designed to easily transition from summer to winter without sacrificing one degree to warmth or the spectacular views their establishments offer.

Red Robes – One Flatiron District rooftop venue provides meeting attendees with red robes - no, not a Snuggie -to keep patrons warm. If that doesn’t sound fashionable, the city’s best view of the Empire State Building will quickly change your mind.


Retractable Roofs – NFL Stadiums have them and so do some of New York’s best new outdoor venues. This also comes in handy in the summer when the mercury tops 100 (as it did in 2010) or a thunderstorm dampens your incentive trip’s top evening event.

Warm Drinks – When the leaves change, so do the cocktail menus at outdoor venues. Frozen drinks give way to Hot Toddies and other very creative warm beverages that are favorites of Manhattan’s growing army of mixologists.

Shackman Associates has close relationships with many year-round outdoor venues and many, based on the calendar, will go the extra mile to make your group comfortable and “spirited”!

Friday, November 12, 2010

Graffiti in the Ballroom

When Chanel recently reopened its Manhattan store, they encouraged guests to paint some graffiti on their wall.  No, the store isn't below a railroad track somewhere.  It's in SoHo and the wall is doing just fine, thank you!


Chanel used a projection screen and a modified spray paint can with infared technology that inspired an array of very creative designs that would make even the most experienced concrete grafiti artists a tad jealous.  Shackman Associates New York has access to this unique technology and it might be the perfect team-building idea for your next meeting!