Hugh Jackman Continues Parade of Big Stars Coming to Broadway

If your corporate meeting group is looking for a unique experience in New York, Shackman Associates New York is pleased to report that Hugh Jackman is bringing concert act to Broadway for an eight-week run. Previews begin October 25 at the Broadhurst Theatre. The limited run closes January 1.

Backed by an 18-piece orchestra, Tony Award winner Jackman will perform a selection of his favorite musical numbers, including tunes fromThe Boy from Oz.

Jackman's stage credits include Oklahoma! at Britain's National Theatre and award-winning work in Sunset Boulevard and Beauty & the Beast in his native Australia. Known for his film roles in the X-Men trilogy, Jackman will be seen in the film version of Les Miserables.

Harvesting Corporate Incentives

It’s harvest season in New York and that includes several wineries right here in Manhattan.  If you’re planning a 2012 meeting in New York and looking for a convenient teambuilding event, city wineries have become ideal venues.

You’re probably wondering where a winery could find acres of land in Manhattan to rival the valleys of California or North Fork of Long Island.  The wineries here are very different, but the varietals offered (or created by you) are quite refreshing!

For example, one venue in Manhattan offers classes that are fun for teambuilding and features a concert stage for exclusive corporate meeting galas.  Another venue in Brooklyn is more intimate, harvests award-winning house wines and we have relationships that can provide corporate groups an exciting event throughout the entire facility, including its outdoor component (perfect for food vendors) and renowned picture booth.

While many New York restaurants serve wine from Long Island’s multiple vineyards, your group can enjoy a unique experience by harvesting a Fall event for your company here at a city winery.

QR Invades Fashion Week!

QR is about to become this year’s craze at Mercedes Benz New York Fashion Week, which starts on Thursday.

No, it's not a designer - instead, QR (Quick Response) is a 2-D barcode that can be scanned by a smart phone's camera and transfer information. Based on the type of code it is, it might direct the viewer to a website, make a phone call, deliver a vCard, or view a map and picture.

Diesel just launched an innovative campaign where customers can scan a QR code on a product, and be redirected to the Fan Page where they can check out other looks and the content available on the page.

Thousands of bloggers who attend major shows like Fashion Week will incorporate QR codes they see at the tents into mobile blogging.  By incorporating Fashion GPS that was so successful last year, QR at designer booths, and mobile shared-image communities such as Instagram, bloggers will have more influence than ever!

New Luxury Signature and Boutique Hotels in Midtown Manhattan

Shackman Associates New York has reviewed exciting boutique hotels in Chelsea, Nolita, and Downtown that host meeting and corporate incentive groups.   This exciting trend has now reached Midtown with two properties – The Setai and Chatwal – that offer almost 5,000 square feet of corporate meeting space. 

The Setai offers meeting groups close proximity to Bryant Park and an event venue that directly overlooks Fifth Avenue.  The Chatwal’s modern amenities compliment an atmosphere that take meeting groups back in time to the heyday of New York’s famous Lamb’s Club, Built in 1905, this Stanford White-designed building was a clubhouse for The Lambs, America’s first professional theater club, and served as home away from home for its members such as Charlie Chaplin, W.C. Fields, John Barrymore, Spencer Tracy and Fred Astaire. These infamous notables spent many a night in their “grill room” swapping tales, and breaking into song.

With luxury making a comeback at corporate meetings and incentives, New York City continues to roll-out spectacular hotels on iconic properties.

Photo courtesy of NYCGo

Shackman Finds Secret NYC Restaurants for Meeting Attendees

Travelers often associate a business trip to New York City with a meal at one of the city's high-profile eateries.

At Shackman Associates, we can help meeting attendees find Manhattan's "secret" restaurants, which dining experiences small business groups will remember.  Some venues are initimate enough  - like the Wine Cellar at 21 - to accomodate a private lunch or dinner meeting of association executives.  Others are located in quiet neighborhoods that are close enough to hotels and nightlife without being inundated with tourists. 

For example, one venue just 5 blocks from the Gansevoort Hotel in Chelsea offers a private upstairs party room that few people know about and a lively lounge downstairs to continue an after-event celebration.  These kinds of venues are perfect for small incentive groups.
Want to eat New York's world-class sushi and avoid the lines in Midtown?  We are familiar with several Upper West Side establishments who can accommodate groups with an incredibly fresh menu of creative plates.

Copacabana Re-Opens in Times Square!

The Copacabana is making its comeback in Times Square with their new 25,000 square foot restaurant and dance club. The Copa, which has been without a home since 2007, has taken over the former China Club space near Times Square. After undergoing a full renovation, the space will reopen as a restaurant and dance club, complete with a glass enclosed rooftop, nightly live music acts, a 16-seat bar and 125 varieties of rum.  Of course, the"retro-glamorous" Supper Club vibe is back too. The chef will be Alex Garcia, the Nuevo Latino fixture who opened Patria with Douglas Rodriguez before going on to launch Calle Ocho, and then Gaucho Staek Company and Carniceria in Brooklyn

The four story space officially opens to the public on July 12^th boasting the beloved Copa Dancers.

Hoping Metrazur Finds a New Home!

In true New York spirit, our team bid one last fond farewell to a New York Landmark. Home to over a decade of some of the best food in such an iconic setting, Metrazur is closing its doors as of July 1^st.

As an ode to the restaurant, we each listed our favorite dishes from over the past 11 years:

Allison: Any of their Seasonal Soups – fresh & filling
Emily: Happy Hour Cosmopolitans!
Ilana: Hand Cut Ahi Tuna Tartare with Taro Root Chips
Javier: Seared Sea Scallops with Crab Meat, Frisee, Lemon, Scallion Smoked Paprika, and Red Pepper Sage
Jeff: The Raisin Bread!
Karen: Lobster Cobb Salad
Krista: The Nero Di Seppia Risotto with Wood Oven Prawns
Mayra: Dessert… The Warm Chocolate Chip & Banana Financier… Yum!

PS…We hear that Metrazur is looking for a new outpost – so stay in touch with us to find out where and when!

Hold a Meeting at NYC's Most Intimate Museums and Iconic Venues

If you were attending an architectural conference in New York, how great would it be to enjoy a special lunch in what is considered one of the world’s “Great Buildings?”

And while it is not exactly a museum, how about a dinner for a financial meeting on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange?

Shackman Associates New York has helped meeting groups hold unique events in both iconic and unique venues in Manhattan.  As summer tourists jam major museums, we recommend lesser-traveled venues with incredible exhibits and charm.  For example, New York City is home to museums where high-quality art can be viewed comfortably in two hours and features paintings from the great European artists most meeting attendees would recognize.  Some museums were originally private art collections in mansions, are presented to help visitors enjoy the artwork in the same manner as mansion-owner, and include ornate furniture and grand architecture that can be enjoyed as much as the exhibits themselves!

We recently held a dinner for an association at the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Temple of Dendure exhibit with live performers.  Whether your meeting wants to think big or intimate, New York has plenty of venues to satisfy your thirst for a unique museum experience!   

Association Dinner at the Temple of Dendur

Celebrate America in Style at Your 2012 Meeting

New York City’s July 4^th Fireworks Show is returning to the Hudson River and is considered the one of the best in the world. 

With July 4^th landing in Mid-Week for 2012, piggybacking a destination meeting around the 4th could provide your attendees a unique experience, especially if your group is International.  For example, we are taking clients on a site inspection during this year’s Independence Day in anticipation for their 2012 meeting.   

While New Yorkers scramble to find rooftops and crowded piers to watch Fireworks, we suggest rooftop venues where we have close relationships with proprietors or better yet, a yacht cruise.  There are chartered yachts available for Hudson River cruises and if you want something more exclusive, we work closely with private yacht companies who can provide your meeting attendees with an unforgettable experience on the water.   

Meetings Go Flash Mob in New York

AT&T has been airing a brilliantly funny commercial featuring a Flash Mob - scheduled for Grand Central Station - that goes horribly south when one of the participants doesn’t get a text message postponing the event for 30 minutes.

Fortunately for meeting groups, “Oops Mobs” can be avoided with expert planning and close relationships DMC’s have with popular Mob venues. We’re organizing Flash Mobs throughout the city, including a recent one at Top of the Rock at Rockefeller Center.

Meeting attendees love the idea of showing up a landmark they want to see in a very unique way. It’s certainly not your average tour of New York and that’s what makes Flash Mobs so memorable. They are increasingly supplementing board rooms, ballrooms and conference rooms as the hot corporate and incentive teambuilding venue in New York City.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bd8ppk0UCx8

Splish, Splash! Cool Off by New York's Spectacular Hotel Pools for Meetings, Incentives and Events

Manhattan offers meeting groups choices of poolside venues that would make any cul-de-sac subdivision in Arizona or Florida jealous. 

There are nine premier pools in New York that combine meeting elements by day with spectacular evening pool venues overlooking the city skyline.  Shackman Associates New York puts its relationships with hoteliers to work in creating unique summer pool experiences that locals often claim is one of the best reasons to live in Manhattan.

Unique Shows and Big Stars Take Broadway by Storm

We are fortunate to have top stars and writers leading a new breed of musicals and plays In New York City:
The House of Blue Leaves. While the production is not new, it now boasts stars Edie Falcofrom The Sopranos and Ben Stiller who has starred in multiple Hollywood box office hits including Meet the Parents.

Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo. Starring comedian Robin Williams, the lives of two American Marines and an Iraqi translator are forever changed by an encounter with a quick-witted tiger who haunts the streets of war-torn Baghdad attempting to find meaning, forgiveness and redemption amidst the city’s ruins.

The Book of Mormon follows two young Missionaries, a go-getter and a nerd, who are sent to Uganda to convert citizens to the Mormon religion. Composed by South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone with Avenue Q’s Robert Lopez, the production features the animated TV series’ signature brand of intelligent yet over-the-top humor.

Marie and Bruce. If you want to experience theater like a real New Yorker, Off-Broadway productions are featuring A-List talent. A remake of Marie and Bruce opened on April 7 and stars Oscar-winning actress Marissa Tomeiand Frank Whaley of Pulp Fiction.

ShackmanAssociates has close relationships with production companies throughout Manhattan and has worked with groups to secure unique theater experiences.

11 Ideas for NYC Meetings and Events in '11 - #1 Food Trucks!

Every New Yorker knows you really haven’t dined in Manhattan unless you sample the street food.  Food trucks and carts have become so competitive and unique, the city now holds a major competition every September with thousands of attendees. Even Iron Chef Bobby Flay couldn’t out-duel a curbside chef on a recent episode of “Throwdown".
Shackman Associates New York has incorporated food trucks into meetings and it’s getting rave reviews. Our favorite ideas include:
Welcome Trucks – try greeting meeting attendees on arrival with one of New York’s top trucks outside the hotel. We have used cupcake vendors.

Walk and Waffle – After a group walking tour of Central Park, we provided a Waffle Truck for attendees to refuel with tasty energy.

Hot Dogs in the Ballroom – New York is famous for its street dogs. If your meeting needs a quick break, we bring the hot dog cart to you with all the delicious fixings.

Spiderman Returns from the Dark

It’s baaaack. After taking a deep breath for a month and with some re-tooling, Spiderman Turn Off The Dark returned to the Foxwoods Theater last week for several preview performances for its second opening in June. We checked it out on Saturday. Among the notable changes is the new beginning that, quite frankly, makes more sense and returns the show to its comic book roots.


Although the show’s recent controversies have made it a hot ticket and its Playbill sometimes doubling as an injury report, Spiderman is still a must-see among a new breed of exciting Broadway production. After all, Bono is still the man behind the music!

Boot Camps, Latin Beats and Bike Lanes - 3 Warm Weather Ideas to Keep Your Meeting Fit and Fun

We are constantly being asked by meeting groups to ensure hotels have fitness facilities for attendees. Many of them, especially the properties that have recently opened, do. But isn’t spending a free hour or two isolated in a hotel gym a drag when it’s absolutely beautiful outside?


Here are 3 fit and fun-loving group ideas to keep your meeting attendees active.

1. Central Park Fitness Boot Camps – Tired of step-classes in a sweaty gym? New York’s top personal trainers like Duke Diet model Josh Margolis conduct “Boot Camps” for corporate groups in green pastures with spectacular views of Manhattan’s skyline.

Photos Courtesy of Josh Margolis - Mind over Matter NYC

2. Salsa, Anyone? - While it’s not hard to find a restaurant or club that offers Salsa lessons, it’s even better to hold a group Summer Salsa Night in Riverside Park with the cool breezes of the Hudson River. This venue idea offers a great evening of music and more views of the skyline with the backdrop of the George Washington Bridge and Palisades Mountains to the north.

3. New York now a Biker’s Paradise – We have arranged many bike tours of Central Park and with the Mayor’s enthusiastic expansion of designated bikes lanes, we can help your meeting map out diverse and exciting routes throughout Manhattan.

UPDATE: We have just organized a 100-meeting-attendee bike tour of the West Side along the Hudson River which then routes our cyclists across lower Manhattan and over the Brooklyn Bridge!

Raptors and Ribs in New York

In a city where people think big, it's no surprise that the world's largest dinosaurs also liked Manhattan. 

While we are a few million years removed from the days when a pack T-Rexes moved at the speed of a cabbie down Broadway, The American Museum of Natural History's newest special exhibit offers your group the next best close encounter with the World's Largest Dinosaurs.  The exhibition features life-size bones and cutting-edge research on gigantic Sauropods, including the Mamenchisaurus, which was thought to be the largest living creature to ever exist on earth. 

Pre-historic Manhattan residents that size were probably hungry often - too bad they didn't have a venue like Dinosaur Barb-B-Que to satisfy their appetite.  Your group, however, does!  Considered by locals as the best wings and barbecued ribs on the East Coast, Dinosaur Barb-B-Que offers a unique, fun flavor of New York your meeting or incentive group will savor.

Dora Will Explore Times Square One More Time

With the Macy's flower show in full bloom, it should be noted that the store's biggest event - The Thanksgiving Day Parade - will stay on its current route down Broadway for one more year. In 2012, however, that may change.


Parade organizers have discussed moving the parade to 6th Avenue, which may create great uncertainty for any visitors looking for a top viewing location.. Over the years, SANY has helped meeting groups, especially those traveling from international destinations who have extended events into Thanksgiving, obtain great indoor venues from which to view the parade.

2011 may be a once-in-a-lifetime last chance to witness the Macy's Parade along its most revered and iconic route. Otherwise, be sure that we will be looking for new venues along the new parade route – wherever that may be.

Parks and Recreation (Not the TV Show!): NYC Gets Greener

Did you realize that New York City has more miles of waterfront than Seattle, San Francisco, Chicago and Portland combined?

It also has the highest percentage of land used for parks - 19.5% than any other high-density in the US. If you want the great outdoors as a important component of your corporate meeting, things are about to get even better in the Big Apple.

Mayor Bloomberg just announced 20-year, $700 million capital funding project that will help acquire 50 acres of new waterfront parks, expand and improve 10 existing parks and develop 14 new greenways and esplanades. New boat launches are under consideration as well as integrating city heliports into parks for showing weekly movies during the summer.

One of the most unusual outdoor marvels in New York - High Line Park – will open Phase II this Spring. Built on an elevated platform and running 1.54 miles through Manhattan’s trendy Chelsea section, High Line is a sustainable-living success story because it replaced rotting rail tracks that were once an eye-sore and potentially, a long-term environmental hazard.

Want to learn exactly how green New York is? Check this out:

Lights, Not Dark, Briefly Turned Off for Spider Man - Consumers Remain Turned On

One of the most technically elaborate and controversial Broadway musicals of all time, Spider-Man Turn Off the Dark is ironically turning off the lights for a brief hiatus.  We expect demand to continue and will facilitate meeting planner requests as production resumes. 

Spider-Man Turn Off the Dark brings the Manhattan skyline to life on stage and features incredible aerial stunts as Spider-Man flies over the audience to fight his foes.  The musical features a rock score penned by famed U2 musicians Bono and the Edge.

Current cancellation dates are as follows:

All performances from April 19, 2011 to May 11, 2011 have been cancelled. Preview performances will resume on May 12, 2011.



Photo courtesy of http://www.broadway.com/

Additionally, performances on June 12, 14 and 15 have been cancelled. 

Spice up Your Meeting with Dancing Desserts, Cult Wines and Seductive Lambs

Remember when the typical choice for meeting food was “the chicken” or “the beef”?

Menus have become more interesting. Much more interesting! New York City is home to some of the world’s most unique venues for usual food and beverage pairings. Here are three we recommend for your next business trip or corporate meeting:

1. The Priscilla, Queen of Broadway Cupcakes – We’ve been known to score exclusive backstage passes at Broadway shows for meeting groups and now they can be paired with the city’s first-ever Broadway-inspired cupcake! The Rockefeller Center’s Magnolia Bakery recently teamed up with Academy Award-winning designers Tim Chappel and Lizzy Gardiner's to develop a pistachio cupcake based on the stage musical’s trademark dancing cupcake costumes. Pistachio meringue butter cream is topped with a meringue kiss, bright edible confetti and iridescent "disco dust!"

Courtesy of http://www.broadway.com/
2. Suds and Seduction at Jimmy’s 43 – If you have visited the Delirium Café in Belguim, Jimmy’s is its US brother without the overwhelming feeling of having to pick from one of 2,000 beers. Jimmy’s also has perhaps the best slow-roasted lamb riblets on either continent. They are “Marvin Gaye of meats” the wait staff will tell you! Jimmy's selection of lamb plates comes from 3-Corner Field Farm, a renowned producer of grass-fed lamb. For meeting groups, we recommend pairing the riblets, rich lamb tongue, creamy fried brains and veal cheeks with a tasting of the venue's renowned foamy IPA's.

3. Chambers Street Wines – The owners describe their selections as “cult wines” partially because every item in the store is made from low-sulfur US wineries and bottled without pesticides or herbicides. Chambers Street works with groups to organize wine tastings at the store or on location at your meeting.