3 "Tasty" NYC Corporate Incentives

The Bravo TV network recently aired an episode of Top Chef Season 3 in which the remaining competitors were awakened by internationally acclaimed cookbook author Padma Lakshmi and asked to make breakfast for her in a hotel meeting room. Sounds absurd, doesn’t it?

If you’re on a Corporate Incentive trip to New York, think again. You could soon be served a pajama-clad breakfast by one of the best chefs in America. Or other meals too.

Here are three 3 ways to incorporate “I” for Iron Chef in your next “I” for incentive trip:

Chef Incoming! – New York hotels are leading a new trend of contracting with celebrity chefs to provide meals as extravagant as room service for select guests. While that may be beyond most meeting budgets, importing a chef for a luncheon or dinner is a win-win for everyone. For attendees – great food. For the chef – more access to a high-end audience who increasingly shares culinary recommendations with others and online.

Workin’ Out, Eatin’ out – We recommend scheduling activities such as bike tours of Central Park that are followed by a meal at a celebrity-chef restaurant. Many of these venues love mid-day incentive groups and let’s face it, a healthy bike ride through Central Park’s hills will work up a hearty appetite!

Deliciously Raw – If you haven’t noticed, raw food has come a long way from a carrot on a stick. Venues such as Pure Food and Wine are quickly becoming business travel favorites and let’s face it – if former burger-lover Bill Clinton eats there, they must be onto something!

3 Tech Trends Not Named iPhone Take NYC Business Meetings by Storm

If Verizon is going to eat $5 billion to get their version of the iPhone in as many hands as possible, it’s a safe bet business travelers will have plenty of opportunities to try out more gadgets than ever in 2011.

Manhattan, the site of Verizon’s iPhone announcement, has always been the most fertile ground for tech launches. We recently blogged that technology companies are sponsoring, breakfasts cocktail hours and special demos for meeting attendees.

Here are more 4 tech trends, especially attractive in Manhattan, to keep an eye on this year:

1. “Grown-up” Social Media – Have you noticed that tweeting the play-by-play at a meeting or conference has lost some of its cache? Attendees at large meetings in New York - often located at multiple hotels - are using now social media to prepare for the meeting, learn more about other attendees, and schedule one-on-one time off-site. Utilizing sites such Pathable helps DMC’s like ours plan more of the after-hours activities that are poised to make a major comeback in 2011.

2. Mobile Itineraries – Verizon and AT&T may be jockeying for iPhone supremacy, but the real battle in New York for business travelers is among consumer-originating itinerary providers like Dopplr, TripIt and WorldMate. Furthermore, potential sponsors including Amadeus, Concur, Rearden Commerce, Sabre, Travelport TRX, are putting their mobile development and marketing dollars into what has been coined as traveler-centric buyer.

3. Event GPS -  New York’s September 2010 Fashion Week ushered in Fashion GPS and the technology was massive success. Event GPS provides a web-based platform that electronically tracks and manages exhibitor locations, guest lists and invitations in real time. I expect GPS to continue its emergence as a renovated Javits Center hosts larger EXPOs going forward.

4. Apps for International Meetings – With the emergency of TelePresence at New York hotels and conference centers, meeting attendees may need to simultaneously communicate in a virtual setting with colleagues in multiple languages. Mobile Apps such as iTranslate, which offers quick and easy translations for over a dozen different languages, will emerge as great tools for getting business done during meeting like a finance conference at the Downtown W. They are even better for international business travelers who don’t want to stuff their bags with pocket dictionaries!

New Year – New Mascot!

Team Shackman is welcoming the newest member to our family.

Meet Mocha

Coming in at 3.2 pounds, this little bundle of fluff has been dubbed “The Distractor” for his incredible ability to put all things to a halt when he comes walking by. We know his passion for events is already developing and we look forward to Mocha being the lap warming member of our team.

2 New Locations to Skate UNDER the Stars

Winter in Manhattan is synonymous with two world famous ice skating rinks at Rockefeller Center and Central Park.  However, they can get a tad crowded, can't they?

Here are two new unusual ice rinks - downtown, no less! - that might leave a lasting impression on your next visit.  At the very least, a few spills on the ice can be soothed be a beverage that will surely warm the soul!

Ice Rink at the W Hotel

As first reported in the Observer, the W's ice rink on the fifth-floor terrace bar, open through Thursday, not only boasts an exclusive location but also boasts a most-unique view of the World Trade Center site.  As part of the rink, the terrace bar will be open with a special set of drinks - fortunately, no one can take them on the ice!  

Not Your "Standard" Rink

The Standard hotel is also getting in the ice skating business.  Those yellow summer Lounge chairs on the patio are gone and in its place is a sea of white.  And instead of long lines of tourists around 52nd and 5th, your group can step right into the Standard's Biergarten, which is also one of New York's best winter heated outdoor bars.

  

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.

         

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”!

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!

Not only the best place to live...NYC The Best to Meet!

The Harris Poll has once again found that New York City is the top preferred destination for living in the US.  Here are 10 reasons why New York is the best place to meet as well!

1. Booking New York City guarantees record-breaking attendance because we’re a popular destination with energy, diversity and things to do all year. Attendees come early, stay late, bring spouses and enjoy doing business here.
2. As a global transportation hub, we’re easily accessible from around the world, so airfare is competitively priced getting here. And, once here, there are many reliable, inexpensive options available 24/7 to get around the City.
3. From Radio City Music Hall to Ellis Island, the City’s event venues are plentiful, flexible, beautiful and special.
4. New York City is the professional capital of the world in finance, media, retail, services, fashion, publishing, entertainment and other significant sectors.
5. We have more than 75,000 hotel rooms and 18,000 restaurants to choose from and offer one of the most progressive arts and cultural scenes in the world.
6. We’re the greenest large city in the US (Public Lands Trust).
7. We’re the safest large city in America (FBI statistics).
8. We’re the world’s hottest city (Condé Nast Traveler).
9. . We’re truly a city that never sleeps: find anything anytime, 24/7.

10.  Shackman Associates New York provides planners with plenty of creative options, as well as direct assistance with meeting logistics and events.

Rock it Out on Broadway (and everywhere) in NYC

If you never saw the Beatles live, Rain - opening October 26 at the Neil Sikmon Theatre - comes very close to the real thing.  Rain offers the full range of The Beatles' discography live onstage, including the most complex and challenging songs that The Beatles themselves recorded in the studio but never performed for an audience.  The multi-media concert recaptures the era through all phases of The Beatles astounding musical career including Shea Stadium, the psychedelic late 60s and The Beatles long-haired hippie, hard-rocking rooftop days.

And Rain isn't the only way to connect with the Beatles while in New York.  Rock tours provide groups unique access to the cultrual history of music, art, fashion and different neighborhoods that helped New York City form a rock n' roll culture, including where the beatles first lived when they arrived in New York.  Tours also feature East Village landmarks that were shaped and influenced by Rock, Punk and Glam during the 1960’s and 70’s. Your group can see the places that made dThe Ramones, New York Dolls, Andy Warhol, The Fillmore East, Velvet Underground, CBGB’s institutions locally and around world.

Tapping into Tapas on Columbus Day

To celebrate Columbus Day we're injecting a little touch of Espana into Manhattan.  There's no way to better get in touch with your explorer self than venturing into one of New York City's many great Tapas bars. 

Here are two that could also be a perfect fit for a corporate meeting:

Sala One Nine
Located in the heart of the Flatiron District, Sala is sure to quench anyone's obsession with olives.  Sala offers numerous choices for on-site meeting catering including after-hours cocktail parties.  We like the Traditional Tray that offers six varieties of Tapas and caters up to 18 people.

Solera
Located in a midtown brownstone, Solera has a private event room available for groups and is the perfect venue for an intimate casual dinner for small incentive groups.  Solera boasts a top collection of authentic Spanish wines in New York.



  

Reeling Them In - 3 Ways to Boost Meeting Attendance

The signs of recovery are definitely there in the meetings industry, but some prospective attendees remain a little gun-shy about actually booking the flights, reserving hotel rooms and allocating a budget for those after-hours events. Here are 3 ways to lure them into action:

1. Piggyback an incentive - we recently managed a group client trip to attend a Vision Expo. Our client decided to follow-up the trade show with an incentive trip for top performers. This obviously helped increase attendance and enthusiasm for the expo itself!

2. Technology sponsors - corporate meetings have been utilizing sponsors to help pay for breakfasts or after-hours cocktail parties. The side benefit is that exciting sponsors draw more attendees. Because many of the newest gadgets entering the consumer market are released in New York City, meeting attendees here are getting first looks and tries at the coolest mobile products and apps.

3. Book a hot hotel - New York City's hotel industry is booming. Behind all this activity are exciting new hotels with whom Shackman Associates already has great relationships - the W Downtown, Eventi in Chelsea, and the Intercontinental Times Square. These properties offer spectacular amenities, plenty of meeting space and quick access to the city's most desired dining and entertainment venues.

New York "Raises Its Game" for UN Week

As President Obama prepares his speech to the international community, we can look at our office window today on 56th Street and watch delegates, related diplomats and their security details all here for the United Nations General Assembly and making their way down Second Avenue en route to the UN. While International visitors here for meetings love the variety of culturally diverse dining venues, stores and bars, during UN week these establishments are delightfully alive with a unique cosmopolitan vibe.

It’s also that time of year when Manhattan’s East Side becomes a quasi-military zone.

In 2010, this is enhanced by two factors – first, delegates will stay an additional three days to discuss the Millennium Development Goal project; and secondly, President Obama plans of spending multiple days in the city.

Despite the inconveniences and random motorcades, New York City will hardly miss a beat. Unlike a smaller city that would essentially shut down for an event the size of the UN General Assembly, New York simply offers many alternative neighborhoods, hotels, transportation options and coveted meeting venues.

Right on the heels of the much celebrated Fashion Week, UN Week is not only a reminder why New York is a fantastic draw for international business travel, it proves that even at the height of disruption, Manhattan is THE destination for any meeting that is focused on getting business done.

Fashion Week in Review - Success from Evolving!

Conventions and trade shows sometimes have a nostalgic feel when they are held at the same time and place every year. Before 2010, New York’s Fashion Week was synonymous with the “tents”.

Getting access to those coveted tent shows - all outdoor - in Bryant Park was the name of the game, and when the show moved to Lincoln Center this fall, there were some who probably missed that.

But New York is always evolving, and nowhere can that been seen more than at Lincoln Center. It’s not just a place for concerts anymore. Fashion buyers and media were treated to a 100,000-square-foot site and the revisions made to its look, layout, and technology.

The renovated Lincoln Center is a fantastic venue for shows. While the “tents” remained, constructing the floor (approximately 448 feet by 272 feet) for a massive show like Fashion Week went far more efficiently because the structure frame, despite having to be built over existing planters, did not have to take into account the lawn and the “sinking into grass” effect experienced at Bryant Park.

And then there was Fashion GPS, a Web-based program that electronically tracks and manages designers' guest lists and invitations in real time. Bryant Park was an Internet nightmare with shaky connections that were sometimes worsened right off-site with weather-driven challenges. Lincoln Center, on the other hand, was fully equipped with every modern technology amenity, making paper invites to shows a thing of the past.

And in a world where news travels instantly, the ability of influential bloggers to post new entries, Flickr photos and TwitPics with mobile technology took this year’s Fashion Week to eye-popping levels.

Fashion Week’s success in 2010 is an example of a bigger evolutionary trend that positions New York as a worldwide meeting and EXPO information capital.

Sounds of Middle Earth in Midtown

The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, will be presented live to film at Radio City Music Hall for two performances only, on Friday, October 8th and Saturday, October 9th, 2010 at 7:30PM.


Following the success of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring concert last October, the Academy Award®-nominated film The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers gets the same treatment at the world-famous Radio City Music Hall. Beneath an immense 60-foot screen, Howard Shore’s Grammy®-winning complete original score will be performed live to Peter Jackson’s award-winning epic. www.TheRadioCityLOTRconcert.com

The music of Middle-earth will be brought to life by more than 300 musicians Switzerland’s 21st Century Symphony Orchestra, The Grammy Award ® - winning Brooklyn Youth Chorus, The award-winning Dessoff Symphonic Choir and renowned soprano Kaitlyn Lusk, all under the direction of celebrated Maestro Ludwig Wicki.

Last fall, over 10,000 people filled Radio City for The Fellowship of the Ring shows. The New York Times said “the music of Middle-earth soared at Radio City Music Hall,” while Entertainment Weekly said “it was a terrific night at the theater…Too bad we’ve got to wait until Oct. 9, 2010 to see The Two Towers in the same fashion.”

From Pigskin to Parties

Autumn and American Football go-hand-in-hand and The New Meadowlands - just a ten-minute drive from Manhattan - is the latest NFL football to open and is an ideal location for a corporate meeting and incentive group. The New Meadowlands can host events whether or not it’s GameDay and Shackman Associates has long-standing relationships with Sports and Exposition Authority personnel who manage luxury corporate boxes and restaurants in the stadium.


Despite past controversy over Public Seat Licenses, the New York Giants just announced that blocks of single-game tickets will now be sold directly. Besides NFL games, special sporting events such as FIFA soccer matches and some of 2011’s hottest concerts, including U2’s rescheduled world tour will be held at The New Meadowlands.

Add Yankee Stadium and CitiField to the mix and New York now boasts America's three premier sporting venues

Swan Lake Back on Broadway!

Matthew Bourne's Swan Lake, the modern re-interpretation of the legendary ballet that won three 1999 Tony Awards, will return to New York this fall at the New York City Center Oct. 13-Nov. 7.
We enjoy a close working relationship with the show’s organizers and can help acquire fabulous seats for meeting and incentive groups. Call us today for more information!

Viva Italia!

New York has always had a love affair with Italian food. It’s about to become BIG love. Thanks to Mario Batali and Joe Bastianich, a new 37,000 square-foot Flatiron District mecca of Italian delicacies – Eataly – opens on August 30.


With Eataly, Mario and Joe have created 20 food departments, restaurants, bars, gourmet grocers and butchers. Not just a dinner venue, Eataly will offer numerous options for breakfast and lunch – not to mention enough Olive oil sampling to make even Vito Corleone jealous!

Sugar Sushi Invades Manhattan!

The world-class chefs at Nobu have an unlikely new rival for our sushi affection - Pop Tarts!  With hoards of sweet delights (including sugary sushi), Pop Tarts has just opened its new flagship store in the center of Times Square. The menu also includes the Fluffer Butter, marshmallow spread sandwiched between two Pop-Tarts frosted fudge pastries; the Sticky Cinna Munchies,cinnamon rolls topped with cream-cheese icing and chunks of Pop-Tarts cinnamon-roll variety.  Don't forget the "popping" light show every hour!      

New York’s Newest Hotels Fit Every Type of Meeting

New hotels are booming in New York City and no one will ever confuse them with the term “old school.”

Shackman Associates New York has developed close relationships with five exciting properties that among them, can meet any need your meeting or incentive group may have:

Going “Big” Apple

With the expansion and renovation of the Javits Center, The Intercontinental Times Square offers 607 guestrooms that feature 42" flat-screen TVs and floor-to-ceiling windows. It is right around the corner from the Javits and represents the largest new hotel since 2002. It will also be the largest hotel in New York to achieve green certification from Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED), a distinction that corporate and government groups increasingly demand when booking meeting space. Because of the pricey single room rates, Shackman Associates’ relationships with group booking personnel are essential to keep your group on-budget.

Downtown Moving Upward with Finance and Tech

The newest W Hotel in Downtown Manhattan provides meetings close proximity to the power of Wall Street with access to unprecedented business technology – both in the guest room and throughout the 1,933 square feet of meeting space. Next to the new World Trade Center site, the W is perfect for a new breed of financial meetings that need data and an ability to connect with participants from around the world.

New Breed of Boutique

How many boutique hotels do you know have 20,000 square feet of meeting space? Here’s one - The Eventi hotel, which recently opened in the trendy Chelsea section of Manhattan. With a capability to accommodate over 300 guests at a sit-down event, The Eventi also is a competitor in the outdoor high-rise bar scene. Shackman Associates has also coordinated numerous after-hours events in the adjacent Meatpacking District.

Style on a Budget

Swanky without being snobby, Fashion26 is located just steps from the Fashion District and is an ideal hospitality choice for a small meeting on a budget. With very low room rates by New York standards, the hotel accommodates meetings up to 80 people and offers quick access to exciting dining and entertainment venues with whom we have built close relationships. If you don’t like crawling on the floor to plug in your laptop, Fashion26 has you covered with outlets above the desk. And did we mention those tasty cupcakes from “Crumbs?”

Hot Hotel in a Hot Neighborhood

You’re not going to find a more authentically New York neighborhood than Nolita and The Nolitan is the first luxury boutique hotel to open there. With 55 rooms, the Nolitan is the perfect venue for a select corporate incentive group looking for a sanctuary in the big city. While this venue offers a taste of luxury “living” in Manhattan, Shackman Associates can help you maximize your ventures outside to Little Italy just blocks away, exclusive shopping in SOHO and NOHO reachable within minutes, and exciting after-hours venues throughout Lower Manhattan.

With even more hotels opening this Fall, we will keep you updated on their progress and exciting new amenities.

In NYC for an Expo? Add a meeting or incentive to save time and money

Meeting planners looking to stretch every dollar possible can save both money and time by co-locating a face-to-face meeting or incentive program with a previously scheduled event.


For example, we recently developed an incentive program for an eye-glass company who was in town at the same time for the Vision Expo. While the incentive program itself did not cut corners, co-locating it with a major trade show afforded our client two advantages - both in money and perception. First, the company's top performers were able to consolidate time and save airfare by traveling only once. Secondly, with incentive programs coming under so much scrutiny from politicians in Washington, DC, the meeting planners we worked with loved keeping the incentive event very low-profile by having a business-only event to boast at the same time.

Co-locating can also take place within the same company. For example, we have also just scheduled a business conference for a Pharmaceutical client in 2011...who is holding an incentive program for part of the group immediately afterward. The same advantages I mentioned above apply here - one airfare and hotel reservation per person, low-profile, and huge time savings.