Think Pink and French All Year for Wine at Corporate Galas

There was a time when wine snobs would thumb their noses at rosé. It was too unsophisticated unless it was an $850 bottle of Garrus.

"A summer-only drink," some would say. Well, not anymore, and it's a F&B  idea to consider serving at your next corporate gala or incentive dinner.

Rosés have exploded in popularity and most every wine-making country makes them. Rosé sales in the US grew by 25.4% last year and the wine has become more diverse, rich and sophisticated than ever. It is also more moderately priced, which makes it work as an option at galas, dinners or other major events.

Also, New York City chefs are coming up with more pairing ideas that make it even work with meat. That's something you might never thought could happen.

And then there are some chefs that are so obsessed with rosé that they are encouraging people to drink it all year with incredibly creative pairings like eggplant ribs and rabbit sausage. One venue, ideal for small corporate incentive programs, is doing just that. They even have "Winter Rosé" categories!

The New Craft Drink at Events is Wine

With every kind of beverage imaginable going "craft", it's about time for wine-makers to join the party.

We have found a venue in New York City that specializes in serving craft tap wine out of the barrel. There is a growing perception that this kind of wine is both fresher, and without the bottles, better for the environment.

It doesn't end there. Your destination corporate meeting group can take team-building classes on how to pair different kinds of craft wines with everything from spicy foods to sweeter ones. The craft beer venues down the street have taken notice and will be soon offering classes like that too!

Happy Spring! Take Your Meeting to the Water

Who cares if it is snowing on the first day of Spring! It's a great season for meetings in New York, and as the days get longer and warmer, we suggest taking your meeting to the beautiful Hudson River.

A few years ago, we ran a 10-boat flotilla for a major association convention that featured LED lighting themes on each boat and a fireworks show by the Statue of Liberty. Whether it is major event of that size, an after-hours cocktail party on floating restaurant, or something more intimate, your destination meeting has more choices than ever for a water event.

Your meeting can even run business components such as confidential presentations, conferences, and product launches on the water!

It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World on Broadway

The hit show "Mad Men" is ending soon, and Elizabeth Moss, its biggest star outside of "Don Draper" is headed to Broadway to star in the  revival of Wendy Wasserstein’s “The Heidi Chronicles.”

The production also features Jason Biggs (“Orange is the New Black,” “American Pie”) and Bryce Pinkham, the Tony-nominated co-star of “A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder,” and Off Broadway regular Tracee Chimo (“Bad Jews,” “Orange is the New Black”). Pam MacKinnon, who won a Tony for her direction of “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” is the director.

"Heidi Chronicles" is one of the best-known plays written by the late Wasserstein and follows the title character from her 1960s high school days through her career as an art historian. It hasn’t appeared on Broadway since the initial 1989 transfer of the Off-Broadway staging at Playwrights Horizons.

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

Corporate Team-Building: Laser Tag is Back!

Laser tag is back! The 2015 version of this thrilling concept is a game of  world domination that plays out throughout neighborhoods in the city.

While one army advances from Wall Street, another swoops in from the Brooklyn Bridge, guns drawn.
Your destination meeting attendees can fire their lasers into the skyline and retreat behind the Washington Square Arch while they plan your next move. This is not some post-apocalyptic version of New York, but as the only laser tag venue in Manhattan, it's an intense corporate team-building idea!

The new 3,000-square-foot, NYC-themed indoor complex opened in December with re-created city icons. Competitors are briefed in a room painted like Central Park and then move around the arena under city street signs, a Statue of Liberty mural, the Washington Square Arch and the Brooklyn Bridge.

Team-building: Become a Spy and Rescue Your Kidnapped CEO

Scavenger hunts are hitting a new level in New York City and the item to be found is your "kidnapped" CEO!

Even if it is someone besides an executive in your destination corporate meeting group, this person will be the star of up to 4 video clues delivered to your teams via their mobile devices. The clues outline a sinister plot against your company, and your group is on a race against time as spies to find secret information (which can be physical items hidden in public or beacons) that rescues your colleague and saves the company!

If you remember the wild goose chase around New York City in the movie "Die Hard with a Vengeance", then you will love this team-building challenge!

The Uber of Chopper Service Launches in NYC, Transforms Airport Travel

While it's common to hear about CEOs using helicopters to speed their commute to New York City's three area airports, it has not always been an option for meetings on a budget, especially when the price is $2,000 per ride.

Until now.

New chopper services are opening the window to travel for destination corporate meeting attendees. Flights with high frequency run anywhere from $99 to $199. UberX can be just as expensive. So doesn't it make sense to cut your travel time by as much as an hour, and maybe more during rush hour?

With multiple terminals in Manhattan, passengers are also treated to in-flight food and leather seats. That sounds more comfortable than amenities on many airlines!

Chill, Relax, Sip, Jet and Revitalize at Destination Corporate Meetings

Meeting planners, you know your destination meeting attendees work hard, so what if they did nothing on their trip? Well, not nothing, but instead, about 6 hours of sweating, steaming, and zoning out in a robe. We have found a venue 20 miles from Manhattan that provides exactly that.

Your attendees can work out for an hour, shower, get a great steam, relax in a 70-minute facial, decompress with jacuzzi jets on their backs, and then enjoy unlimited time in a "relaxation room."  This is the kind of place where attendees can sip organic teas on lounges, enjoy amazing views with floor-to-ceiling windows, and occasionally pick at a few vegetable spring rolls. In robes.

Destination meetings don't just have to be about work!

One-night Theater a Huge Entertainment Trend in Manhattan

While Broadway has increasingly added limited-run shows where ticket-demand is high, what would you do if a great show was running for only one night?

We recently caught a production in this category and it was amazing. It was directed by one of the actors from the HBO hit series "The Sopranos" and fellow cast-members were in attendance. Based on Marlon Brando, it's the kind of show that could make a serious run on Broadway, but it didn't, and that's ok.

Sometimes less is more valuable and rewarding.

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

Hugh Jackman Planning a One-Man Show for Broadway Return

When Hugh Jackman wraps up a Broadway run like he did last month with "The River", we are always left wanting more. And as usual, Jackson is already planning a return with a one-man show that is focused on dance. He is working again with Warren Carlysle, who staged "Hugh Jackman: Back on Broadway."

The idea around the production is also intriguing, even if it didn't include Jackman. But the actor's fingerprints are all over it, because his upcoming production is based on his 1998 role in "Oklahoma," a London revival where he and Carslyle worked together. There is one scene where a chorus boy did a solo that ended in a split. On the production's final night, Jackson did the split himself!

It should be noted that Jackman is also one of Broadway top philanthropy draws. The shirts worn by him  during performances have been auctioned off for as much as $5,000 each, which in-turn helped bring in $550,000 of the $5.2 million raised for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights Aids.

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

New York Sports Bars Grow Up for March Madness and Corporate Events

With March Madness only 2 weeks away, New York City's sports bars are getting ready for one of their biggest months of the year.

But if you think they are simply loading up on plastic cups, cheap beer and white ping-pong balls, think again. Sports bars are growing up, and the tipping point might have just happened at one of the city's flagship venues in this genre. It is leaving it's longtime home on Amsterdam Avenue to move to a larger, more upscale location around the corner.

With 4,500 square feet of space (and a lot more spare room between you and the next table to eat amazing spare ribs), it's not just an after-work option; it's an after-hours idea for your destination corporate meeting attendees.

Other bars are going even further with fusion concepts that include sophisticated event spaces, amenities for charity fundraisers, and private dining rooms. These venues are creating a vibe where the only Madness you will experience while watching March sports is in your attendees' brackets.

The Real "Oldest Bar in New York City" Might Have Been Found by "Goodfellas"

Have friends or colleagues told you to get a beer at McSorley's in the East Village when you visit Manhattan? Or maybe you have done it yourself on a previous trip.

That's because it's the oldest bar in New York City, right? It's looking like that's wrong.

The Queens Historical Society says it has found a drinking venue, still in operation, that first opened in 1829. That's 30 years earlier than McSorley's. First known as the Old Blue Pump House, it was once a watering hole for Mae West. It's current proprietor is a FDNY lieutenant. He has refinished the old mahogany bar and even fixed the original tap.

But that's not all. This venue was scene of the legendary post-Luftansa heist party in the movie "Goodfellas."

We have blogged about the popularity of craft beer and distillery tours as a unique off-site event for your destination corporate meeting attendees. We can now a little twist of history and cinematic greatness!

Event Menus and After-Hours Dining: Try a New Twist on Fusion

With the explosive growth in Asian Fusion, chefs in New York City are trying versions that have are including Chinese-Mexican tapas and Mexican dim-sum. Additionally, one of the most successful fusion venues in New York, Mama Sushi, is expanding into new locations throughout the city. We would equate it to a mix of Dominican cuisine and your favorite sushi roll!

Shhh! Book an Artistic Secret Room for Corporate Events

Some of the best event venues in New York are under-the-radar. Others have taken it to a new (or should we say quieter) level. That's because they are secret.

Our favorite in Manhattan is a secret room behind a rotating bookcase. Located in a very trendy hotel, this event venue provides meeting planners with plenty of space for live entertainment and increasingly fresh, original art throughout the space.

It's just another angle on a trend where experiential art is the kind of decor destination meeting attendees seek because it fits their personal senses of style.

Make Your Corporate Meeting a Lifesaver for Innocent Dogs

Your CSR program can do more than just give back. It can give new leases on life to rescue dogs.

That is exactly what is going on in New York City, and your destination corporate meeting attendees can be a part of one of the most rewarding experiences in their lives. We have developed relationships with some really incredible people and accredited non-profits who are rescuing dogs from kill shelters all over the US, fostering them here in NYC, and finding new homes for them locally and with one program, in France.

Your meeting doesn't necessarily have worry about physically fostering dogs because the process is so complex that it really takes an entire team of people to help with crates, food, doggie sweaters, walks, veterinary paperwork, and coordinating adoptions on Facebook. The process can last just a few days or can continue when your attendees return home.

One person in our office recently participated in a rescue that included short-notice coordination with international flight attendants at JFK. While transporting 3 chihuahuas to adoptive homes near Paris, it got wild when shrink-wrapped crates had to be assembled within 5 minutes to get the dogs on the plane. And it obviously takes more than one person to keep them calm when the TSA makes you take the all the crates apart minutes after you get the dogs settled in them.

Worth every second of chaos!

Put Down the NYC Rooftop Cocktail and Pick up a Spear Instead

Most business travelers and corporate meeting attendees tell us that they specifically look for hotels with gyms that fit their lifestyles. But what if your lifestyle is trending a little Spartan?

We found a workout and potential team-building venue that is training people of all shapes and sizes for Spartan races. The sport exploded in 2012, and is expected to attract one million competitors in 2015. The challenge, of course, is being able to practice any of the extreme race requirements in a major city.

Now you can. We bet that at least one of your millennial destination meeting attendees has either competed in an extreme race or is thinking about it.

The workout includes circuit training, squats, burpees, and amazingly, spear-throwing on the rooftop. Not something you can say someone can do everyday on a rooftop in NYC!

Corporate Galas and Events: Fall in Love With Falling Off the Bone

One of the hottest and tastiest menu items you can offer at corporate gala is short ribs. Chefs in New York City are finding new ways to serve it, and we would argue it has become the equivalent of hand-crated beer for foodies.

If you are a meeting planner with an international group coming to New York, experiencing the creativity behind some of the best short ribs is really an experience that is most unique in the United States.

Short ribs are made from large, lean meaty ribs, are braised, and then slow-cooked for hours so they fall off the bone when you eat them. Some of our favorite versions we are seeing are fettuccine short ribs, short ribs mixed with mushrooms and Holsin or Guinness, short-rib and potato pizza, and of course, the traditional southwestern-style version.

Short ribs are also incredibly versatile with wine and beerpairings, so your attendees will be able to customize the dinner's complete experience!

Sweeten Your Destination Corporate Meetings with Rugelach

They are not overly sweet, have centuries of urban legend surrounding them, and have mostly ended the recent insanity of people over cupcakes and macaroons in New York.

Try serving rugelach at your next destination corporate meeting. With a crackly exterior and a soft, sugary, buttery, and nutty interior, attendees will find them perfect in every way.  There is one NYC venue in particular that is considered the Rolls Royce of rugelach, and quite frankly, many locals think it is the best bakery in America.

Here's the best part. They will deliver directly to your meeting!

The history of rugelach, which is most notably served on Jewish holidays, is similar to the French croissant. Or is it? While many believe both treats emerged around the Battle of Vienna in 1683, there is an urban legend that both the rugelach and its supposed ancestor, the Kipferl, pre-date the Early Modern era, while the croissant in its modern form did not originate earlier than the 19th century.

So what's exactly inside rugelach? Your attendees can choose from fillings that include raisins, walnuts, cinnamon, chocolate, poppy seed and fruit preserves. .

A Corporate Teambuilding and Cocktail Party Idea to Get Stoked About!

Whether it is "sick", "rad", "gnar", or just really fun to do or watch, skateboarding is getter bigger than ever in New York, even after we first blogged about it last year.

If you are wondering how anyone could possibly skate anywhere when it is 21 degrees outside with occasional chance of snow, we have found the answer at a new event venue in Brooklyn that pushes the envelope with an indoor skating park.

If your destination meeting group is full of millennials, they now have an awesome team-building and after-hours idea where the season if irrelevant.  If your attendees simply want a cocktail party idea where they can be wowed, skaters from all over New York drop in every day and pull off some really amazing tricks.

You'll be stoked!

Alexander Hamilton Becomes a Hip-Hop Mogul on Broadway

With Presidents Day in the U.S. only 6 days away, the Founding Father that is the talk of New York is Alexander Hamilton. And he wasn't a President!

But Hamilton is a hot ticket for the Off-Broadway production named after him. Based on the biography by Ron Chernow, the production has one very unusual the twist. It's hip-hop! And if you think some of the most recognizable names on Broadway would thumb their noses at "Hamilton", think again. Andrew Lloyd Weber, who himself transformed Broadway's look and sound, tweeted: "Just seen #Hamilton, it raises & changes the bar for musical. Brilliant lyrics, staging, cast. Creator/les @Lin_Manuel is special. ALW."

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