Soccer Team-Building in Manhattan with a Unique Twist

International corporate groups attending destination meetings in New York City already know how big futbol (soccer) is in their own countries, and even without a World Cup this year, it has also become bigger than ever here in the US.

As more of the world's top talent plays here, experts who teach and train them are coming here as well. These experts can help provide your meeting attendees with a unique team-building idea at one of New York's fields. One of the most unique venues is located on the Hudson River near Houston Street. With two outdoor regulation fields located in the middle of a parking garage, your attendees can refine their skills on the soft turf with an amazing backdrop of the World Trade Center in the background!

New on Broadway:" It Shoulda Been You" is a Hilarious Dysfunctional Wedding

We love everything David Hyde Pierce (Frazier) has been in, so wouldn't it make sense that he would direct something on Broadway that is hilarious? With "It Shoulda Been You", we were right on the money.

The show starts off by roping you into thinking that this could be just another boiler plate Broadway musical, then it blows up with so many twists and turns that you are left breathless. The production has an amazing cast, led by Tyne Daly, who make the most dysfunctional wedding you have ever attended look like a piece of cake. No pun intended! However, the families in this show are about crazy as they come.

Shackman Associates provides destination corporate meeting, association convention and incentive travel program group with unique Broadway experiences that have included backstage tours and interaction with key performers.

Luxury Event Lighting to Keep Earth Day Alive All Year

With warmer weather (hopefully) here to stay, holding a corporate event or gala outdoors is a great idea. We have found a lighting option for these kinds of events that offers both a touch of luxury and sustainability.

After all, it's Earth Day!

We recommend using inflatable solar lanterns and best one is the Luci Lux by MPowerd, located right here in New York City. Its sleek, frosted design creates a brilliant but warm glow for any type of corporate gala or cocktail party. More importantly, Luci solar lights are helping children in developing countries read and study at night!

Event Photos Where Attendees Can Let Loose in Front of the Camera

Photo booths have been increasingly popular at corporate events, and they are getting more creative and exciting than ever.

We are using one next week at an iconic New York City venue, and one of the cool features that sold us was matching backgrounds with the time of day. So if your event is in the evening, photos of attendees against a skyline backdrop will show the early evening sun that is typical in late April.

You can brand the photos with your corporate logo or themes from the meeting, and your attendees will receive a web gallery of images that can be downloaded and shared in 2 to 3 business days. And some of those images can get a little crazy! With tables of crazy hats and wigs by the photo booth, your group can really let loose in front of the camera!

Sip the South Bronx at a Hip New York Brewery

If your destination corporate meeting group is looking for a new kind of tasting experience, try heading north to the Bronx Brewery. It's a really cool venue located in an industrial area of the South Bronx. One could imagine it's exactly what Williamsburg used to look like before gentrification.

We recommend a flight  (5 tastings each) plus a growler to get your event rolling. The Belgium beer is great, but our favorite is a more unusual brew infused with sage. The bartenders are detailed in describing each type of beer, and although it is usually reserved for Saturdays, we might be able to help you add a tequila tasting as well!

Dr. Zhivago Opens on Broadway

The wait is over! Doctor Zhivago, based on Boris Pasternak’s Nobel Prize-winning 20th-century epic Russian masterpiece, opens on Tuesday, April 21.

The production stars Tam Mutu (Donmar Warehouse’s City of Angels), who is making his Broadway debut as the passionate Doctor and poet Yurii Zhivago, Kelli Barrett (Wicked) as the alluring Lara Guishar, Tony Award nominee Tom Hewitt (Rocky Horror Show) as the cynical bourgeois magistrate Viktor Komarovsky, Paul Alexander Nolan (Jesus Chris Superstar) as political radical Pasha Antipov, and Lora Lee Gayer as Tonia Gromeko, Zhivago’s devoted wife.

Doctor Zhivago will be directed by two-time Tony Award winner Des McAnuff (Jersey Boys), with a book by Academy Award nominee Michael Weller (Ragtime), music by two-time Grammy Award winner and Tony Award nominee Lucy Simon (The Secret Garden), lyrics by Tony Award nominee Michael Korie (Grey Gardens) and Emmy Award nominee Amy Powers (Ella Enchanted), and choreography by Tony Award nominee Kelly Devine (Rocky).

Doctor Zhivago, an epic romance, is based on the search for love during the final days of Czarist Russia, the First World War and the Russian revolution. Despite his aristocratic background, Zhivago is a political idealist whose life is influenced by the history around him. He is torn between a life with his devoted wife, Tonia, and the passionate and mysterious Lara Guishar. However, Lara is being pursued by many others as well. For Zhivago, he cannot live without her! 

Shackman Associates provides destination corporate meeting, association convention and incentive travel program groups with unique Boradway experiences that have included backstage tours and interaction with key performers.

Play Ball and Eat Well!

After a week at home for the New York Yankees, the city's other team, The Mets are playing their home-opener today in spectacular Spring weather, and experiencing a day or evening at the ballpark is a fan favorite of destination corporate meeting attendees.

In 2015, the experience is getting even better, especially when your attendees get hungry.

Citi Field has especially ramped up its game with dining options that include gourmet panini, grilled cheese sandwiches from Pressed by Lure chef Josh Cappon, s'mores-dipped bacon from NYC's Pig Guy, and seafood sliders. However, we're the most excited to try the new Mac and Cheese Frites!  

Shackman Associates New York can help your destination corporate meeting, association convention or incentive travel program group create unique sports experiences at both Yankee Stadium and Citi Field that include cocktail receptions on the field and team-building activities in batting cages.

Experience the Story Behind the Story of Peter Pan on Broadway

"Finding Neverland" is becoming one of Broadways hottest tickets. The productions follows the life of playwright J.M. Barrie as he writes the story of Peter Pan. Although Barrie was already a well known writer, he got into slump. He then finds the inspiration he's been missing when he meets a beautiful widow, Sylvia, and her four young sons: Jack, George, Michael and Peter.

Barrie's relationship with a woman other than his wife becomes a scandal, but he loves watching her boy's adventures. This leads him to create the magical world of Neverland, and rolls the dice by writing a play unlike any the high-society London theatergoers have ever seen. It's a tremendous risk.

Peter is the child that he names the character of his story after. He's a little boy who is growing up way too fast and reminds Barrie that "life is too absurd, to take so seriously." Barrie wanted to write a play that reminded people that we all have an inner child screaming to get out again.

"Finding Neverland" is funny, romantic, and even a little tragic. The play stars Matthew Morrison (Glee) as James M. Barrie, Kelsey Grammar (Frasier) as Captain Hook and Laura Michelle Kelly as Sylvia Davidson.

Shackman Associates New York provides destination corporate meeting, association convention and incentive travel program groups with unique Broadway experience that have included backstage tours and interaction with key performers.

Healthy Food Delivered to Your Destination Corporate Meeting

Did you have a quirky aunt who called you a "good egg" when you were young?

While that experience is completely unrelated to this blog post, the phrase "good egg" is altering how destination corporate meetings in New York City eat healthy. Your attendees can use an app with the same name for a lunch where they can select from packages such as Fruit and Veggie Medley with seven kinds of seasonal produce, packaged healthy meal preparations, and hundreds of a la carte items that include everything from kale chips to tofu.

All delivered.

These services are fitting with a trend of on-site private kitchens during business components at destination meetings. This is especially relevant when meeting at one of New York's evocative meeting venues.

 

New French "Eataly" in NYC Features an Invitation-Only Dining Experience

We recently checked out the opening of LeDistrict in Lower Manhattan. It's the French equivalent of Eataly and has a few interesting twists.

Besides its waterfront location across the street from the new World Trade Center and the W Downtown, LeDistrict is rolling out a dining option at L'Appart that is ideal for corporate incentive groups. It's a highly intimate experience, away from the rest of the market, where the chef assembles dishes from a seasonal, rotating menu. It's invitation only, which is what we are here for!

In addition to L'Appart, we also like LeBar, which could be a great summertime after-hours option for your attendees.

Experience New York's First Ever Cider Tasting Destination

We recently checked out an exciting new venue in Manhattan's Lower East Side where your destination corporate meeting attendees can enjoy the city's first-ever private cider tasting experience.

How big is cider-tasting getting? One year ago, you could have experiences every single high-end cider that was available. The number of ciders has increased so rapidly that your attendees can be choosy and creatively put a list together that has diversity. We recommend American ciders, especially the Farnum Hill Semi Dry, Spanish ciders from the Basque region of both sides of the Spanish/French border, and Breton ciders from northwestern France. You can also try ciders from Savoie in France, Canada, Germany, the UK, Ireland, and Chile. Even Japan is getting into the act!

If your attendees like beer tasting, they will love some of the beer-inspired ciders blended separately with different yeasts and then aged. Your group will also get an inside look on how ciders are made. Experts will explain how each cider goes through the fermentation process and how they are all different. They will also show how to avoid turning cider into vinegar if your get inspired to try it at home!

It's a really cool experience that is enhanced with a vegetarian food pairing for each cider.