Broadway: King Charles III would make Shakespeare Proud

If you have scheduled a destination corporate meeting in New York City over the next 11 weeks, you might want us to help you check out King Charles III on Broadway. 

The play will take your attendees to the not-to-distant future where Charles, Prince of Wales, finally becomes King of England. He's an idealist, but is surrounded by vultures: a treacherous family, sneaky politicians, and a disloyal court.

What begins as a satire on the royal family and the English transforms into a production with the royals behaving much as their public personae. But the plot deepens into something Shakespearean in its intensity. In fact, there are many Shakespearean allusions, including an unexpected ghost who is one of the forces against Charles. Then there is the Duchess of Cambridge, played by Lydia Wilson, who has learned her trade at Lady Macbeth's knee, and children you would swear were King Lear's.

King Charles III is a fantastic, mature play with a limited engagement.

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

A Farm-to-Table Destination Meeting Menu Makes History as Animal Welfare Approved

New York City has seen explosive growth in farm-to-table menus for destination corporate meeting dinners, and now your attendees can experience a unique "upstate" taste in Manhattan at the only Animal Welfare Approved restaurant in the world.

Animal Welfare Approved is the most rigorous certification we have found for humane treatment of animals, and it's awesome to be able to enjoy delicious gourmet meat that don't require innocent animals to suffer so your group can eat them.

The burger menu is quite good - juicy, flavorful, well-seasoned, with a fantastic balance of flavors in the toppings. We tried the Uncle Dude, which is a standard 6 oz. (grass-fed and finished) beef-burger with cheddar, bacon, carrot jalapeno relish, and chipotle mayo.

However, if you want something more experiential, try a pig heart tasting!

The story behind this venue is also intriguing as the proprietor/farmer was once primarily responsible for developing the W brand for Starwood Hotels.

A Corporate Event in a Candy Shop is a Sweet Idea!

If your destination corporate meeting attendees have sweet tooths, we have found a meeting and event venue in Harlem that will deliver because, well, it's a candy store!
 
This is where Willy Wonka would shop for candy if he lived in New York City, and it's an ideal option for a daytime meeting or small lunch event where your corporate group can collaborate in an incredibly festive and delicious private room.

This is a bright and colorful candy shop that really throws one into nostalgia-land with a pretty extensive assortment of candy items. Some are a real blast from the past. Your attendees can enjoy a mix of today's candies and sweets that include chocolates, gummy bears, sodas, ice creams, hard candies, and gumballs. But the retro candies are what we like the best. This includes Candy Cigarettes, Abba Zabba, Double Bubble, Tootsie Rolls, and Peanut Clusters.

The Meeting Break Coffee That Looks Like Beer

If you are attending IBTM World and are wondering if this post is about eight hours too early, think again.

The newest coffee trend in New York City might look like a pint of beer, but it isn't. It is Nitro cold-brew iced coffee, and you can supply at meeting breaks with chilled cans that look like PBRs (Pabst Blue Ribbon, which is a cult classic brew in the US).

What exactly is nitro cold-brew iced coffee. The secret is adding nitrogen to cold-brew coffee and then pulling on a a pressurized tap, which creates a bubbly drink that has a head of foam.

The nitrogen completely changes taste of the coffee, but it doesn't taste like beer. Instead, your destination corporate meeting attendees will enjoy a creamy flavor that finishes with notes of chocolate and coffee. Ironically, we are told people who typically take milk with their coffee tend to drink the nitro version black.

Bottoms up at 9am!

Cheeky, Sexy Burlesque Event Ideas in New York City

Burlesque shows have become so popular as an event idea that the inventory can make choosing one a little tricky. The good news: we are always looking too, and have found a great venue in the Lower East Side.

Quality of burlesque is ridiculously good, which include wonderful costuming, exceptional theatrics, beautiful dancers of great skill and grace, with top showmanship, fabulous storytelling (there is Tinkerbell having a sexual hissy fit at Peter Pan and his interest in Wendy) and energy.

It gets weird and and quirky without going over the top.  For example, it features two men who do the Top Gun outfits/music and simulated making love/courtship via aerial gymnastics; it's fun, cheeky, sexy, and without being skeezy.

Want to get in the act? We have found burlesque classes that are awesome team-building ideas!

The World's Most Top-Secret Workout Class Comes to New York

As destination corporate meeting attendees are continually looking for ways to find more options for fitness and healthy activities while on the road, New York City's hotels and luxury gyms are rolling out unique new programs to meet the demand.

One of the hottest, and most secret workouts has been instructed by Russell Bateman, whose clients include some of the world's top models and acting talents. Although many of his super-intense classes have been invite-only, Bateman is is introducing his concepts to gyms in Manhattan.

Some of the key workout moves your attendees will learn are the crab walk, inverted call climb, partner leg bicycle, and delayed push-ups.

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Boutique Hotel Provides Triple Flexibility for Small Destination Meetings

With so many hotels, meeting options and dining venues available to destination corporate meeting attendees in New York City, convenience at one location sometimes underrated.

The challenge, of course, is delivering on diverse and specific needs of each group.

We have found one boutique hotel in Midtown that provides luxury, style and flexibility small meeting groups are seeking. It features Library meeting rooms with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking 44^th Street that accommodates 10 guests. It also provides a private suite ideal for breakout sessions with a private dining option for 15.

Need something a little larger? Your attendees and enjoy space accommodating up to 20 guests for private dining events, 30 guests for cocktail receptions and up to 25 attendees for meetings.

Overall, New York's boutique hotels are becoming more flexible than ever for meeting groups while creating the intimate vibe attendees love, especially when it's a short walk from major attractions such as Times Square!

Heat Up Corporate Cocktail Hours with Charred Ice

One of the hottest drink trends in New York City is charred ice cubes in summer cocktails. If you choose to serve bourbon or anything that features honey or lemon, try adding a one of these cubes.

They are as black as you would think they would look!

Mixologists are using smoke guns to burn wood chips and they are then hosing the smoke into plastic bags half-filled with water. The bag then sits for about 12 hours to infuse the water. Add in a little burnt sugar, and your attendees will enjoy a unique summer drink experience!

Add Spice to White and Red by Serving Orange Wine at Corporate Events

Orange wine might sound like someone overthought the room with a new trend, but these varietals are ironically centuries old, and are becoming a hot drink idea in the US.

Orginally founded in the Republic of Georgia, orange wines are like nothing you might imagine. We tried a few and our favorites are one that tastes a little smokey and one that hits with flavors of honey that transform into a grapefruit. Wow!

The critical component to these wines is pairing them with the right food, ideally cheeses and cured meats. We have found multiple venues in New York that are specialists in this category, and at the very least, this is an event idea your attendees will certainly talk about!

A Luxury Touch of Paris Coming to NYC?

We are hearing that the Sony Building on Madison Avenue could become New York's version of the Bristol Hotel.

Hôtel Le Bristol is a world-renown five-star property located in Parid in the heart of the fashion, design, and art district. Hôtel Le Bristol opened in 1925 and is famous for its historic architecture and luxurious interior. The hotel is part of the Oetker Collection, Masterpiece Hotels which is owned by one of Europe's richest families.

Manhattan's Pier 57 Becomes a Food Playground for Anthony Bourdain

Anthony Bourdiain, the world's most famous traveling foodie, is opening a major dining and food venue at Pier 57 in Manhattan. Bourdain's food hall will be located on the corner of West 15th Street and the Hudson River, and will include a farmers market with an oyster bar, bakery, tapas bar and more.

According to Eater, the food hall, opening in early 2016, will also feature 100 vendors, some as permanent fixtures and others rotating in for a few weeks at a time. Bourdain's group is also planning a rooftop beer garden and says the entire venue will be highly experiential for people visiting New York.