Jazz at the New York Super Bowl. Or corporate destination meeting!

If your corporate group got a little spoiled on jazz at last year's Super Bowl in New Orleans, you will hardly miss a beat this week if you know where to go in New York City.

We recommend four diverse after-hours options:

1. Smoke. Near Columbia University, this venue is for the jazz purist looking for a supper club experience.
2. Cafe Du Soleil. Close to smoke, it combines a traditional French cuisine with up-and-coming jazz artists on Friday night.
3. Bill Saxton's in Harlem.  This old-school, Prohibition-era jazz speakeasy is as good as it gets.
4. Arthur's. Located in the West Village, it's not for a large group based on its size.  But Arthurs is lots of fun if you love a funk twist to your jazz music and don't mind dancing until late at night!

Some of the most talented musicians and bands in the world are located in New York and Shackman Associates New York can provide this special kind of entertainment for private corporate parties at major events like the Super Bowl.  Jazz is also a great option for corporate meeting, association convention and destination incentive galas or cocktail hours.  It can be amazing at a summer New York City corporate meeting where a jazz event can be held outdoors.

NYC mass transit adds to its schedule for Super Bowl week

If your company is planning an event around the Super Bowl, consider staying on the other side of the river.  The East River.  The Long Island Railroad today announced it is adding to its train schedule for major routes, which means more off-peak trains after enjoying a corporate event in Manhattan. Whether you are entertaining clients or holding a team building event, mass transit is an obvious choice to optimize your Super Bowl week experience.

4 last-minute ideas for a corporate trip to the Super Bowl

It’s not too late to plan a last-minute corporate trip to the Super Bowl, especially if you get creative.

We have been bringing in concierge cars from as far away as Washington, DC and have pulled out all the stops on everything from gift bags to unusual corporate parties in the Big Apple.

Regardless of the weather, New York can accommodate events like Super Bowls better than any other city simply based on all the dining and entertainment options.

 4 last-minute Super Bowl week ideas for corporate groups:

1.     Be your own Super Bowl halftime show.  It’s a hot trend in corporate meetings where top musicians in Manhattan work with corporate groups in a recording studio.

2.     Ice skating – not roller derby.  Skip the overcrowded touristy ice rinks and opt for the covered outdoorLeFrak at Lakeside Park in Brooklyn.

3.     Go Off-Broadway for shows like “NEWSical the Musical”.

4.     Taste of New York City at Distilleries.  Still under the radar, these are laboratories that produce unique microbrands such as Uncouth Vermouth.  Tastings with samples no one has heard of makes this event idea more exclusive and experiential than ever!

Tavern on the Green to re-open in February

Tavern on the Green is about to re-open with new owners after a major renovation.  Although it will not exactly resemble its iconic predecessor, the venue still has one of the the best locations in Manhattan and will include 300 indoor seats, a bar and 300 more seats in its outdoor terrace when the weather gets warmer.

The new Tavern on the Green will also focus on sustainability as its menu by chef Katy Sparks will primarily come from locally sourced products.

Off-Broadway: "Real Housewives" star cameos with "NEWSical the Musical"

"NEWSical the Musical" is a hilarious spoof-centric Off-Broadway production that rips its ever-changing script from the headlines and makes fun of almost anyone and everyone who is "in the news".

Grammy Award winning singer-songwriter and reality television star Kandi Burruss has just joined the cast for a brief cameo that runs through January 26 and her appearance is just another reason why this Off-Broadway smash comedy is worth considering as an entertainment option for your corporate meeting group.

"NEWSical the Musical" has frequently attracted TV and music-industry stars as well as long-time Broadway actors who "take breaks" to appear in the production. There is no book to read or first production to compare it against, but we're guessing you can count on high-profile "train-wreck" stars being frequently spoofed!

Shackman Associates New York provides corporate meeting, association convention and destination incentive groups with unique Broadway and Off-Broadway experiences that regularly include backstage tours and interaction with key performers.

Broadway: Hugh Jackman returns to the stage

Broadway's #1 all-time draw, Hugh Jackman, is set to return in 2015 as the lead in "The River".

Jackman will play a reclusive fisherman whose strange invitation creates a bizarre love triangle that includes some disturbing hobbies and a Gothic twist.  It's certainly not your typical "other woman" cliche, and with Jackman as the lead, we are expecting very high demand way out in front of the opening.

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

Food at Corporate Meetings: Say Cheese!

Chefs at top corporate meeting hotels in New York City are harnessing the complex flavors of their dishes with all kinds of cheese creations.  And there seems to be no limit to what qualifies, including sushi. 

That might be extreme for some palates, but the days of typical cheese plates or multi-cheese-only banquet offerings are certainly getting some very provocative newcomers. 

Here is one cheesy idea we never thought we would like, but did: Cheese on Ramen.

Think we are crazy? Try a smoked salmon mazeman for a lunch break idea, which is a ramen topped with lox and small balls of deep-fried cream cheese.  In a typical ramen soup, there is more broth. But in a mazeman, the broth is cooked until it’s thick, and then combined with butter, so the base of the noodle dish is already creamy and combining with the smoked fish.

If your attendees are checking out Koreatown or if you are planning a off-site authentic dining experience at new haute Korean dining venues throughout Manhattan, cheese is making its way into dishes.  Although dairy is not traditional in Korean cooking, one venue estimates that 70% of orders come from one dish where a mozzarella and cheddar cheese topping is added to a typically popular rice cake stewed in a spicy blend of pork and kimchi.

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Broadway Update: "Of Mice and Men" to open in April with James Franco

"Of Mice and Men" is coming to Longacre Theater on Broadway in April.  The cast features Golden Globe winner and Academy Award nominee James Franco from "127 Hours and Milk", Chris O’Dowd from "Bridesmaids" and "The IT Crowd", Leighton Meester from "Country Strong" and "Gossip Girl", and Tony Award winner Jim Norton from "The Seafarer".

Many of us remember "Of Mice and Men" as the ultra-depressing book we had to read in school.  It's about two migrant ranch hands during the Great Depression who strike up an unlikely friendship. James Franco will star as George, and O'Dowd as Lennie. a mentally disabled man who'll be played by Chris O'Dowd.  It is Meester who might have the most fascinating role as a beautiful but egotistical temptress. If you have watched "Gossip Girl", her character is kind of a Depression version of Blair Waldorf with a lot less privilege, no designer shoes and a very humble address. 

Loews Regency Manhattan Re-opens Today!

The Loews Regency is back!  This iconic hotel destination Manhattan is bigger and better than ever after $100 million in renovations and major transformation in style by Rottet Studio.  The property now has 379 rooms that are brighter and bigger and feature Frette linens and bathrobes, smart televisions and complimentary high-speed internet access.  Amenities include a hair salon by Julien Farel and multiple restaurants by Dan Silverman, who is best known for the Standard Grill and the Union Square Cafe.

The Loews features over 4,100 square feet of meeting space, with its largest meeting room providing attendees with 1,728 square feet of meeting space.

And the famous "Power Breakfast" is making a return as well! From 7:00 am to 10:00 am, on any given weekday morning, black cars with their drivers waiting line up three deep outside the hotel.  Inside, the tables fill with New York’s upper echelon — movers and shakers from the worlds of Wall Street, business, media and politics.  It's a 35-year morning ritual!

What's Brewing and Mooing: NYC taprooms add great food to their menus

New York breweries have already been booming as venues for corporate meeting groups.  Creating menus that pair great food with home-grown beer is making them even more delicious as an option.

One venue in Manhattan combines its very lengthy menu of rare beers with a "feast" for groups of 8-40 people from its own butcher. This includes three courses  of 10-12 preparations out of the animal including every bit from head to tail.

For groups that have both beer enthusiasts and attendees who know nothing about it, we have found a great option in Greenpoint, Brooklyn.  Your group can enjoy creatively-named selections such the EvilTwin/Avery collaboration brewed with Tequila.  Other samplings like Viking Blod (19% ABV) will certainly loosen up your group, but new breweries are changing beers all the time, so if you book a destination meetings for as early as Spring 2014, there is a good chance you will see something different.  But just as good.