Why NYC Is a World Leader for Tech Meetings

New York City is a global leader in education, fashion, marketing, media and real estate, and home to a booming tech industry that includes companies like Google and LinkedIn. The City is home to thousands of start-ups, a thriving bioscience community and a growing cybersecurity sector.

New York City already has one of the world’s most dynamic high-tech economies—emerging and established tech firms now support some 360,000 jobs across the five boroughs. The City has the second largest start-up ecosystem in the world, with New York City-based companies holding the largest share of firms among Inc.’s 5,000 list fastest-growing private companies in 2017. Even more astounding is the fact that the City’s tech economy amounts to more than $70 billion in total start-up valuations and exits each year. NYC also employs between a third and half as many workers as the Bay Area, per a New York Times estimate.

The City’s fast-growing tech infrastructure makes it the perfect destination for meetings and events that deliver attendee value and satisfaction. Here are just some of the companies, initiatives, services and venues that make New York City a powerhouse for tech meetings of all sizes.

Cornell Tech Campus
The Cornell Tech campus, set on 12 acres on Manhattan’s Roosevelt Island, is a standard-bearer for innovation. The project, a joint academic venture between Cornell University and the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, arose from a Bloomberg-administration economic development initiative to attract engineers and tech entrepreneurs to the five boroughs. The project was imagined as a new type of urban campus: integrated with the City while including two acres of thoughtfully designed open space with spectacular views of Manhattan and Queens.

The new campus has several venues available for meetings and events. Skylight at the Bridge, a light-filled, minimalist structure, has 5,000 square feet of indoor space for meetings as well as a rooftop with breathtaking views of Four Freedoms Park and the Manhattan skyline. The 40,000-square-foot Verizon Executive Education Center will provide ample space for meetings and events. The venue was designed by international architecture firm Snøhetta and is slated for completion in 2019. A 224-room property from Graduate Hotels is set to open in summer 2020 and will offer 3,000 square feet of meeting-and-event space.

Cyber NYC
The Cyber NYC initiative, announced in October 2018, will see $30 million in city funds and around $70 million in private investments to develop the City’s cybersecurity sector. Plans include an hub for startups and the 15,000 square-foot Global Cyber Center, which will open in Chelsea in early 2019 and is expected to host some 150 events each year.

Google
The search giant purchased Manhattan’s Chelsea Market building—a historic landmark just a few blocks away from the company’s current NYC headquarters at 111 Eighth Avenue—earlier this year. According to The New York Times, the tech company plans a further $1 billion expansion of its New York City operations to accommodate as many as 7,000 additional workers.

Tech Training Center
Civic Hall, a high-tech consortium of more than 100 member organizations as diverse as Microsoft and the nonprofit Code for America will develop a 240,000-square-foot high-tech workforce development center near Manhattan’s Union Square. Civic Hall is working in concert with city officials, and a $2 million grant from Cognizant Technology’s U.S. Foundation will help the organization develop the next generation of NYC-based coders and developers. Tech Training Center will offer coworking and incubator spaces to the local community.

New York City’s prominence as a global business and financial capital and vibrant mix of arts and culture means it’s a can’t-miss destination for meetings and events. NYC & Company, the City’s official CVB, works with planners at every stage of the event cycle to create the best possible experience for attendees. Get in touch so that we can partner with you on your next event.