Corporate Meetings and Broadway: Motown in Manhattan

"If there ain't no mountain high enough", the cast of new Broadway production of "Motown" sure is serious about reaching any peak they choose to climb.  In addition to offering toe-tapping renditions of favorites from singers Diana Ross, Smokey Robinson, Berry Gordy and Martha Reeves, "Motown" might be the most extensively costumed show in decades.

It features approximately 350 outfits and 135 different wigs.  For example, with 26 outfit changes, "Motown" follows the career of Diana Ross from ages 15 to 39. 

Shackman Associates New York provides unique Broadway experiences to corporate meetings and destination incentive groups that has included back-stage tours and interactions with key performers.

Yo Adrian! Rocky headed to Broadway

The cast hasn’t been announced, but Rocky, after a well-received world premiere last fall in Germany, is headed to Broadway in 2014.  We're hoping it includes a great dance production to “Eye of the Tiger”!

Brooklyn Update: New Hotel on the Way by London Olympic Park Designer

The culture district that includes the Brooklyn Academy of Music has become so hot that a new hotel is now on the way.  Construction will begin this fall on a 200-room hotel in Downtown Brooklyn and will be complimented by multiple cultural projects.

The hotel is being designed by Thomas Leese, who has received rave reviews for the London 2012 Olympic Park.

Meeting Food Trends: A French Twist in New York

French food has never been hard to find in New York City.  However, a generation of hotel chefs and venues that cater to corporate meetings are taking the cuisine to new and exciting levels.

Traditional dishes such as Paris-Brest, a which is a ring-shaped pate a choux pastry stuffed with hazelnut cream, are being treated to unusual additions like Snickers Bars.  Meat-studded cassoulets are being replaced with beans as the principal ingredient, sweet bread medallions are taking the form of tasty nuggets, and the traditional French rack of lamb is getting an Asian infusion by celebrity chefs that features the neck as a key delicacy.

Additionally, some French-themed hotels are offering meeting groups options to incorporate healthy menus in meals for attendees that are usually served to dinner patrons.  The major shift we are seeing in French cuisine at meetings also includes creative new versions of fan favorites like French Toast and Pommes Frites.

Finally, all of the changes are creating more competition among venues, hotels and chefs, which is providing meeting planners better prices for galas, meeting breaks and off-site breakout dinners for destination incentives. 

Pier 57 Restoration on the Way!

If your corporate meeting is looking at hotel accommodations in Chelsea or the Meatpacking District, it will soon have 425,000 square feet of retail and restaurants with in walking distance at Pier 57 on the Hudson River.  The new restaurants will be built from repurposed shipping containers.

The renovated pier will include an amphitheater that will be constructed from old airplane fuselages..  The Tribeca Film Festival will use 100,000 square feet as a permanent outdoor venue. 

Pier 57 will also feature cooking schools, art galleries and music recording studios.  We have recently seen major interest from meeting planners for these kinds of venues. 

New York Botanical Garden Welcomes 7,000 Orchids

More than just a spectacular venue for events, The New York Botanical Garden is one of the truly special urban utopias in the world.

The garden's Annual Orchid Show, which runs through April 22, 2013, features 7,000 orchids that are on display in the country’s largest curated event of its kind.  The show dramatically transforms the landmark Enid A. Haupt Conservatory into a tropical rainforest.  Even without the orchids, the conservatory is a unique corporate and incentrive destination meeting venue accomodating 120-300 attendees for a variety of event ideas.  For example, one could easily imagine Victorian or Edwardian ladies and gentlemen enjoying an afternoon or evening "amongst nature" once upon a time.

In 2013, Hurricane Sandy storm-damaged trees from the Garden's grounds will be incorporated into the show as a design element. Nearly 300 of the Garden’s specimen trees were either uprooted or otherwise destroyed. 

As one would expect, scheduling an event at the New York Botanical Garden is quite competitive and Shackman Associates New York's network of contacts help incorporate venues like the botanical gardens into destination meeting galas and group intineraries.

Macy's Herald Square Now a Food Destination Too!

Shackman Associates New York has frequently scheduled exclusive shopping experiences at top Manhattan venues, but many meeting attendees still love checking out Macy's because it's the flagshop store from what they know at the mall and see on TV every year on Thanksgiving.

However, it hasn't been known for its food.  Until now.

The opening of Stella 34 Trattoria is transforming the 6th floor at New York's most famous department store into its own destination dining experience.  The venue features homemade pasta, multiple seafood plates, a Prosecco bar with Bellini's, three wood-burning stoves and a very sleek vibe that features a modern decor with lots of windows.

Stella 34 Trattoria, which is becoming it's own "Eataly", is one component of a $400 million renovation project at Macy's 111-year-old store and seats 180 people.

Screening Rooms: Driving explosion of New York City film festivals and ideal for corporate presentations

While Robert DeNiro's Tribecca Film Festival is the biggest, NYC is seeing explosive growth in these kinds of events.  Hotels are taking notice and have incorporated beautiful screening room venues into their list amenities. 

We recently visited one in SoHo during the Wildlife Conservation Film Festival.  With 150 seats, the screening room earned rave reviews from top conservation experts who flew in from around the world to attend the event.  In addtion to the screening room, the hotel developed multiple, adjacent rooms that accomodate pre- and post- film receptions. 

You don't need to be showing films to make a screening room and major component of your next corporate or association meeting.  With the latest digital technology, they are ideal for interactive  presentations and Q&As.

Corporate Meetings on Broadway: Tom Hanks to make his debut!

Tom Hanks isn't just a great actor - he's a Lucky Guy.   At least he's playing one on Broadway!

With previews opening in March, Academy Award-winner Tom Hanks will make his Broadway debut in Lucky Guy, where he will take on the role of tabloid columnist Mike McAlary.  As he investigates the scandal and corruption of graffiti-ridden New York in the 1980s. Hanks will be joined by his former co-star of the hit comedy Bosom Buddies, Peter Scolari.  Scolari will star as columnist Michael Daly, and will be joined by Christopher McDonald as lawyer Eddie Hayes and Peter Gerety as editor John Cotter.

The cast will also include Michael Gaston (A Day in the Death of Joe Egg) as Jim Dwyer, Dustyn Gulledge (As You Like It) as Dino Tortoricci, Deirdre Lovejoy (Six Degrees of Separation) as Louise Imerman/Debbie Krenek, Danny Mastrogiorgio (Golden Boy) as Bob Drury, Richard Masur (The Grapes of Wrath) as Jerry Nachman/Stanley Joyce and Stephen Tyrone Williams (Harper Regan) as Abner Louima.

Resorts World Casino in NYC Opens Major Event Venue

New York City just added 70,000 sqaure feet of event, trade show and corporate meeting space.  While a plan to replace the Jacob Javits Center with a new facility in Queens has been hotly debated among public officials, developers of the Resorts World Casino at Aqueduct ready finishing off Phase II of its mega-complex to attract major industry trade shows, large banquets, corporate and association meetings and concerts. 

Having first opened in 2011, Resorts World is the highest grossing slot facility in the United States and is considered one of the safest gaming venues in the world.  It also recently opened a steak house and a fine dining Chinese venue. 

The New York CityMetropolitan Transportation Authority has been continually expanding transportaion access to Resorts World, and the complex, including Aqueduct Racetrack, is located within 5 minutes of JFK Airport. 


Photo courtesty of AMNY.

Broadway Update: Skyfall writer looks to bring Bette Midler back to Broadway

John Logan, the playwright responsible for the newest James Bond movie Skyfall and other huge hits such as The Aviator, Hugo and Gladiator, has his sights set again on Broadway and his next production is one-woman show based on the life of Hollywood super-agent Sue Mengers.

His preferred choice to play Mengers is super-actress Bette Midler.

 

Logan's first Broadway credit was Red, which received six Tony Awards in 2010, including Best Play. He also wrote off-Broadway's Never the Sinner. In addition to a new Alice and Wonderland play starring Judi Dench and Ben Wishaw, Logan is also writing the next two Bond films.

Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree is Here!

New York Business Travel Ready for a Quick Recovery from Hurricane Sandy

The New York City area had a rough week and our hearts go out to millions of wonderful people throughout the East Coast, especially in coastal areas of New Jersey, Staten Island, Rockaway and Long Island, who have suffered unimaginable loss. 

 

The business travel industry, while hit hard last week, is prepared for a quick recovery.  Most, if not all of our hotels have weathered the storm, and with power fully restored in Manhattan, are ready to accommodate business travelers and corporate meetings with the world-class service and amenities people expect in New York.

 

We had two meeting groups in town last week and everyone worked around the challenges with a positive attitude.  More importantly, our attendees witnessed first-hand the never-quit spirit of New Yorkers, who not only overcame a major natural disaster as individuals, but also made it a priority to help their neighbors in a time of need.

 

New York will be back better than ever.

World's Biggest Ferris Wheel Gets Approval for NYC

We previously blogged that the World's Larget Ferris Wheel was being planning for New York City in Staten Island.  We are happy to report that the project has been approved by the city government and here is a latest rendering of what it will look like:

Morning Mimosas at the Statue of Liberty

Cruising around the Statue of Liberty does not have to an evening-only event.  Destination corporate meeting and incentive attendees are choosing morning excursions that are equally spectacular and often sail through much calmer water on the Hudson River.

Shackman Associates New York can develop morning cruises that include extravagant breakfasts, amenities for business component or speakers, and even a mimosa or two. 

"The Heiress" Returns to Broadway

Broadway's newest production,"The Heiress", has a rich stage and film history.

Die-hard movie fans might remember "The Heiress" as the Academy Award-winning 1949 movie starring Olivia de Haviland and Montgomery Clift.  But the film was adapted from a 1946 Broadway production of the same story.  The Broadway production was then remade in 1995 and another movie was released in 1997. 

The play follows the story of Catheine Sloper, a wealthy woman who can never please her father.  When she meets the man of her dreams, Catherine's father thinks her new love is only in it for the the money.  Instead of proving everyone wrong, the charming Morris Townsend is a no-show for a planned elopement, runs off to California, and returns to New York to find that Catherine has inherited a massive estate.  He again turns on the charm, but Catherine has other plans - revenge!

Acclaimed actess Jesica Chastain makes her Broadway debut as Catherine, and the play opens this month at the Walter Kerr Theatre. 

Shackman Associates specializes in providing unique Broadway experiences for corporate destination meeting and incentive groups that have included backstage tours and interaction with leading talent.


Jessica Chastain stars as Catherine Sloper in "The Heiress".
Photo courtesy of BroadwayWorld.

UN Week or Oyster Week? It's always a "week" in NYC

Whether it's hundreds of countries with diplomats for the annual UN General Assembly or 11 oyster restaurants, there is always a "week" going on in New York City.

This week, the two have merged.

Many meeting planners try to send corporate groups to cities when a special event is happening because it's a great option for after-hours entertainment.  In New York, special events are happening all the time, which provides meeting planners more flexibility to plan meetings for "off-season" periods to save money. 

And if you are curious who is hosting "Oyster Week", here are the 11 venues:

Grand Central Oyster Bar; Lure; Bluefin; Atlantic Grill - Upper East Side; Blue Water Grill; Ocean Grill; Atlantic Grill - Lincoln Center; Monument Lane; Ulysses Folk House; Wild Edibles; and the City Crab and Seafood Company.

Shackman Associates New York has helped corporate groups get exclusive access and amenities at leading venues like these and New York raw fish offerings are so plentiful and delicious, Oyster Week can really be any day of any week you want!

Christopher Columbus gets "Discovered"

Discovering Columbus, a new skyscraping exhibition by Japanese artist Tatzu Nishi, is open for visitors, and poised to be the talk of the city for months.

Nishi and the Public Art Fund have built a fully decorated living room — six stories up — around that very famous marble likeness of Christopher Columbus that sits in his namesake Circle.

The controversial exhibit opened on Thursday, September 20 and runs through Saturday, November 18
at Columbus Circle.

 

New on Broadway: Scarlett Johansson

Another Hollywood A-lister is on her way to Broadway.

Scarlett Johansson will play the role made famous by Elizabeth Talyor: sex-starved Maggie in “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.”

Previews begin December 18 and the show officially opens January 17, 2013 at the Richard Rodgers Theatre.  The production, which will be directed by Rob Ashford, marks Johansson’s second turn on Broadway. In 2010, she won a Featured Actress Tony Arthur Miller’s “A View from the Bridge.”

Plan Your 2013 Golf Meeting or Incentive Now

With the New York area having just hosted the first leg of the FedEx Cup at Bethpage Black, you might be thinking, "Let's include championship golf as part of our next corporate incentive trip." 

It's a great thought, but you need to start planning for next year and beyond right now.

While Bethpage Black is one of the most exclusive courses in the world to book, Bethpage Red - also part of Bethpage State Park - has been called by the PGA Tour's official site "a strong number two pitcher" to its sister course.  It's so challenging that the USGA was close to using the 18th on the Red Course as the finishing hole of the 2009 US Open. 

But with so many options, why worry about going all or nothing for one course?  The New York City area boasts hundreds of tour-level golf courses, and visitors may not realize that most venues feature beautiful rolling hills or ocean-front links on multiple holes.  The spectacular views, including that of the Manhattan skyline from several of the area's top courses, speak for themselves.

It's not a surprise that Golf Digest has ranked 13 venues within a 2-hour drive of Manhattan in its 2011-2012 list of America's 100 Greatest Golf Courses.

Watching Major Champions

The Barclays is held is each year in late August at a New York-area golf venue and two upcoming major championships - the 2016 PGA Championship at Baltusrol and the 2018 US Open at Shinnecock - are great opportunities for groups to see the best players in the world compete up-close.


Fria's Head Golf Course on Long Island