CSR at Meetings: Event venues become the give-back

We were recently inspired to learn that the founder of one corporate event venue in Manhattan is redefining CSR.  George Faison, the first African-American Tony Award winner for his choreography of the Wiz, has founded a fantastic venue in Harlem that is ideal for a major destination meeting event or a simple cocktail hour.  Working with Tad Schnugg of the American Performing Arts Collaborative, Inc., Faison's vision for a community based arts organization has brought together the artistic and business communities and takes an active role in mentoring the youth of Harlem. 

 

This is truly a win-win for everyone, and most importantly, Harlem's vibrant youth community.

 

Shackman Associates New York helps destination corporate meeting clients develop exciting and unique CSR programs.  Some of these team-building activities have included sustainable meeting components and bike-builds for youth in economically challenged neighborhoods.

 

 

Opening Receptions at Corporate and Association Meetings: Try a Sunday Rooftop

Shackman Associates New York is seeing a new trend in rooftop venues that provides an opening for meeting planners to book Sunday opening receptions without reinventing the wheel.

One rooftop venue is taking a very unique approach: it is booking weddings during on weeknights and opening up its schedule for other "private events" on weekends.  Weeknight weddings are exploding in popularity because of the exponentially increased cost of getting married.  This is putting less financial pressure on venues to book weddings on Saturday and Sunday.

We have previously blogged that opening a corporate, association or incentive meeting on a Sunday in Manhattan is a great way to save costs.  It's becoming easier than ever in New York City.

Corporate Event Venues: Art showrooms offer flexibility, style and space

Art studios in Manhattan were once primarily used for, well, art shows.  The are now becoming exciting venues for corporate meetings, cocktail receptions, and even galas because of their unique design elements. 

The key is choosing a studio that offers the right size, look and feel for your company's sense of style.  Some studios are offered 100% bare and provide AV components such as hanging projectors that create powerful videos on the walls.  Other studios include fashionable wall designs, unique lighting and hip furniture that provide a lounge feel for your event without having to rent out one in a club.  If you like SoHo or Tribeca, the neighborhood has event studios that are converted industrial sites and have exciting entry options such as modern, glass-centric garage doors.  They can remain open as late as November and provide fresh air if your event is packed.  And finally, Manhattan has art studios that are over 5,000 square feet, which is large enough to accommodate over 300 meeting attendees. 

Flotillas on the Hudson River Go All-Glass

The days of the Circle Line tours for New York City meeting groups have been replaced with sleek all-glass options that provide spectacular views of the Manhattan skyline and items like the Statue of Liberty.

More importantly, these views can provided in all weather elements and during dinner, which is a huge advantage over requiring people sitting inside to bundle up and crowd on freezing decks to briefly catch a glimpse of their favorite building or neighborhoods.

Shackman Associates New York recently ran a 10-boat flotilla on the Hudson River for a meeting group that ended with a fireworks show by the Statue of Liberty. 

New York Corporate Meetings and Citi Bike

There is lots of talk about Mayor Bloomberg's Citi Bike program.  If your corporate meeting is thinking about using them for your attendees, we can help.

Citi Bike is really for residents who pay $95 per year to use them, and we have seen mixed results.  In some cases, people who use Citi Bike drop them off in one location and can't use them in another.  More importantly, your attendees need to understand where the bike lanes are in Manhattan.

Shackman Associates regularly coordinates bike tours for corporate meetings and destination incentives.  If you want the best experience, we can help you find bike professionals who know the ideal routes around Manhattan, create customized tours and teambuilding activities, and can recommend the best options for a uniquely peaceful ride.

Broadway Update: "First Date" to open on August 8

Whether sparks fly on stage almost not important because there is plenty of buzz about Broadway’s new musical comedy "First Date: which begins preview performances at the Longacre Theatre on July 9. The show opens officially on August 8 starring Zachary Levi and Krysta Rodriguez.

Chuck’s Levi (in his Broadway debut) and Smash alum Rodriguez star as two strangers who go on a blind date. Their quick drink turns into an eventful dinner served with hilarious sides of Google background checks, fake emergency phone calls and a slew of bad boy and uptown girl exes.

Shackman Associates New York regularly provides corporate meeting and destination incentive groups with unique Broadway experiences that have includes backstage tours and interaction with key performers.

Brooklyn Tech Triangle Will Geographically Alter Corporate Meetings

New York City is already the #2 tech hub in America.  The Brooklyn Tech Triangle will make it #1.  A new plan for downtown Brooklyn was released this week and calls for changes meant to attract high-tech businesses, startups and thousands of employees.  The Tech Triangle will include new transportation corridors, bike paths and footbridges, re-energized and pedestrian-friendly streets, and a host of new green spaces.

It will also geographically alter corporate meetings in the tech industry. 

Shackman Associates New York has frequently blogged about the growth of trendy boutique hotels in Brooklyn.  With 800 rooms and many more coming soon, their innovative, sustainable culture and sense of style are a perfect fit for the Brooklyn Tech Triangle.  And improvements to public transportation that are already underway will open up more tech meeting attendee hospitality options throughout Manhattan. 

 

Photo courtesy of NY1

Corporate Events: The Silent Disco

The speeches are over and it's time for your attendees to get their groove on. You can now pack the dance floor of a ballroom or venue without any music. 

 

Well, no music out loud because it's a Silent Disco! 

 

Here is how it works.  Attendees grab a pair of hipster headphones. pick their own beats and genres of music, and then dance with their colleagues. In some cases, the headphones include LED lights that create a club-like atmosphere.

Some of the most influential companies in Manhattan are all over this trend as an an event idea, including Bloomberg LP at its 2012 corporate party.

 

 

Corporate Meeting Adventures: 3 Laps as a Race Car Driver

If you are an adrenaline-junkie, then you'll love an opportunity to get behind the wheel of a Ferrari F430 or Lamborghini Gallardo and feel the powerful acceleration, grip and brakes.  Just 30 minutes from your New York City corporate meeting or destination incentive, you can drive three laps and hit the last straightaway at high speeds  in one of these two spectacular vehicles and get your photo behind the wheel. 

Shackman Associates provides unique experiences for corporate meeting and destination incentive groups.  With more dynamic venues opening every year in the New York area, your meeting's choices of exciting activities are only limited by your imagination.

Meetings on a Budget: Larger screening rooms, bigger savings

Shackman Associates New York recently gave you the scoop on hotels with screening rooms for corporate meeting groups.  Because some meeting planners need more capacity than 100 seats, Manhattan has three distinctive venues that can seat 140, 187 and 262.  All in unique locations with costs close to or less than hotel screening rooms.

One screening venue is located in the heart of Chelsea and has hosted corporations that include Conde Nast.  It also features an event venue next door that can accommodate a cocktail party or gala for several hundred attendees,

Another potential venue will take your attendees into the heart of New Film history.  Located in the East Village and close to many trendy hotels in SoHo, this screening room is located in an historic brick theater house and features an “old-school” décor you would find during the 1970’s.  But the history moves aside when your group enters the high-tech main theater that is ideal for major association meetings or events.

The third option is located within blocks of Lincoln Center and features a 263-seat theater.  It maintains an intimate vibe and can accommodate any kind of corporate presentation, from Blu-Ray to film.

Summer screening at colleges

New York’s many colleges and universities have auditoriums that mostly go unused during June and July.  It’s an ideal time to schedule a major presentation. 

Recovery from Super-storm Sandy: Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island to Reopen

With many beaches officially open in the New York area but some still seen with uncertainty among the public, we are happy to report that corporate meeting attendees will soon be able to schedule opportunities to see the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island.

The Statue of Liberty will reopen on July 4 and Ellis Island is expected reopen around the same time.  Ellis Island in particular has been a favorite of corporate meeting and destination incentive groups and Shackman Associates New York has run major galas that incorporate elements of Ellis Island and its neighboring component, Liberty State Park. 

Overall, the business travel industry quickly recovered from the storm.  While it was disappointing that two of the area's iconic venues were temporarily damaged, more New York City entertainment venues than ever have opened or evolved in 2013 to rave reviews by destination meeting attendees.  

Broadway Update: Evil has never been so "Glee"-ful

In her role as psychotic coach Sue Sylvester on the Fox hit "Glee", actress Jane Lynch was kind of the "Miss Hannigan" of McKinley High School. 

She now gets to play the evil orphan task-master for real in Broadway's production of "Annie".  With appearances running through July 14, Lynch made her first New York stage debut in Off-Broadway's "Love, Loss and What I Wore".  Although her part didn't require the singing she'll be doing with "Annie", loyal fans of "Glee" might remember Lynch singing Miss Hannigan's flagship number on a recent episode.

Shackman Associates New York provides corporate meeting and destination incentive groups with unique Broadway experiences and have included backstage tours and interactions with key performers.  Don't worry, we promise any potential encounter with Lynch will not lead to your  attendees dropping and giving her 30!

Corporate Meeting Food Trends: Lobsters "Rolling" Southward with a Twist

New York City is proving that you don't have to schedule a corporate meeting in Maine to enjoy one of its most famous dishes - the lobster roll. 

As is typical in New York, chefs are not content serving lobster rolls in their most basic version, which is with fresh lobster, mayo, and butter on hot dog bun.  Here are a few new twists that can be catered for your meeting group: a) bacon and avocado with a Bloody Mary; b) Japanese-style, which features dashi, star anise and ginger; c) sweet-potato fries on the side instead of "chips"; and d) as a food truck, which is already a popular meeting component in Manhattan. 

Karen Shackman in USA Today: Data shows face-to-face corporate meetings are profitable

Shackman Associates New York was recently quoted in USA Today as an expert on a new study that found businesses that continued to send employees on the road during the recession were more profitable than those that cut back on business travel.

The study, conducted by Oxford Economics and commissioned by the U.S. Travel Association, shows how travel can affect a company's bottom line just as businesses are starting to once again spend money on trips to meetings and conferences.

U.S. companies generated $9.50 in revenue and $2.90 in profit for every dollar invested in business travel, which is based on an analysis of government data on 14 industries over an 18-year period.

An accompanying survey of 298 business travelers conducted in November found that 57% believed cutting their travel budgets during the economic downturn hurt their company's performance. Only 4% said it helped.

USA Today noted the importance of face-to-face meetings:

Business travelers believe that they would lose 42% of their customers without in-person meetings, the study found. They said they were twice as likely to get new customers with face-to-face meetings than without them.

Karen Shackman, founder of New York event management company Shackman Associates, which specializes in managing corporate meetings, said she is seeing meetings pick up in New York.

"The trend we are seeing in New York is more business travelers who opt to stay and meet in boutique hotels," she said. "New York is in the middle of explosive growth regarding boutique hotels and many offer amenities that reflect the individual style of business travelers."

Corporate Teambuilding: Be a New York City Chef

Corporate Meetings and Destination Incentives have been choosing New York City because attendees can enjoy cuisine from top chefs who are opening new venues in hot neighborhoods and in some cases, in hotels where are meetings are held.

Dining experiences are now becoming more interactive than ever with launch of “Chef for an Hour” experiences. Examples of these classes include:

 

1. Do-it-yourself Pasta. This experience is taught by one of America’s leading Italian chefs. Your meal is paired with wine and includes a recipe booklet, wheel cutters, and apron and rolling pin.

2. Be a Farm-to-Table guru. Attendees learn how to eliminate processed ingredients from gourmet food and make world-class dishes that are served at Manhattan’s trendiest restaurants.

3. Teppanyaki Table Theatrics. Meeting attendees learn how to wow their friends and co-workers by learning the ins and outs of Japanese cooking. This includes seasoning, dicing, spatula spinning, shrimp-tail flipping and other theatrics that are fan favorites at Japanese steak houses.

4. From Rooftop-to-Plate. With more corporate meetings choosing Brooklyn as a destination, attendees are right around the corner from multiple restaurants where chefs grow ingredients in rooftop gardens above their venues. Planting your own garden and cooking a meal to remember from some of these chefs’ top recipes is a great idea for planners who seek to schedule reoccurring meetings in New York.

Off-Broadway Update: "The Last Five Years" Gets an Extension

"The Last Five Years" is one of those Off-Broadway musicals that struck gold and maintains a huge, almost cult following.

The current production has been repeatedly extended and a movie version is in production.

"The Last Five Years" is unique as it follows a very complex courtship from chronologically opposite ends.  The audience sees Jamie's half of the relationship from the beginning going forward and Cathy's half of the relationship from the end going backwards.  Obviously, the key moment of the production is when their journeys intersect at "the proposal."

People have traveled all over the world to see "The Last Five Years" and it is estimated that thousands of marriage proposals have included the show's lyrics.

Shackman Associates provides unique experiences to corporate meeting and destination incentive groups that include insight into the best Off-Broadway shows, backstage tours and interaction with key performers.

Corporate Meetings at the Ballet

Spring is in the air throughout New York City, and so are many pairs of ballet slippers.

The American Ballet Theatre's Spring Season of performances is a great after-hours option for your corporate meeting.  In 2013, three fan favorites - Sleeping Beauty, Swan Lake and Romeo and Juliet - return to the stage.  However, it is the three new productions - Ratmansky, Le Coursaire and Onegin - that are creating lots of buzz. 

Onegin, with production designs by Tony Award-winner Santo Loquasto, is a fantastic love drama set in Imperial Russia and inspired by Alexander Pushkin's novel. 

Shackman Associates regularly provides unique entertainment experiences for corporate meeting and destination incentive groups that include backstage passes and interactions with key performers.  

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.