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”!