NYC & COMPANY HIGHLIGHTS UNIQUE MEETINGS EXPERIENCES THROUGHOUT NEW YORK CITY
NYC & COMPANY HIGHLIGHTS UNIQUE MEETINGS EXPERIENCES THROUGHOUT NEW YORK CITY
—NYC’s Five Boroughs Offer Variety of Experiences for MICE Groups, Including Arts, Sports, Shopping and More—
—An Estimated 6.1 Million Meeting and Convention Delegates to Visit New York City This Year, Up from 5.9 Million in 2013 —
New York City (October 2, 2014) — NYC & Company, New York City’s official marketing, tourism and partnership organization, is highlighting unique meetings experiences throughout the five boroughs. From meetings held in exclusive locations to one-of-a-kind interactive group activities, New York City offers an all-encompassing special experience for MICE travelers, from arrival to departure.
“New York City’s meetings and conventions industry is thriving, with increases in MICE visitation year over year,” said Jerry Cito, senior vice president, Convention Development at NYC & Company. “Visiting delegates expect an ‘only-in-NYC’ experience, and the five boroughs do not disappoint. From museums to sports stadiums and everything in between, New York City caters to groups of all sizes, interests and needs with unique experiences.”
In 2014 New York City is expected to receive an estimated 6.1 million meeting and convention delegates, up from 5.9 million delegates who spent approximately $5 billion in the five boroughs in 2013. An important contributor to New York City’s tourism industry, MICE visitation from around the globe increases each year.
As a member of the U.S. Travel Association’s Meetings Mean Business Coalition, NYC & Company promotes MICE industry travel to New York City, emphasizing the importance of face-to-face meetings and events throughout the five boroughs.
New York City’s ever-changing and diverse product ensures that meetings and groups of all sizes can find something to enjoy, in accordance with a wide variety of preferences. Examples include:
Arts, Attractions & Entertainment:
Home to some of the world’s leading cultural institutions, New York City offers meeting planners the opportunity to create one-of-a-kind experiences at iconic museums such as The Metropolitan Museum of Art, which hosts events in several wings of the museum, including the Temple of Dendur and in the Great Hall, in the museum’s Roof Garden, and at The Cloisters Museum and Gardens in northern Manhattan; the Museum of Modern Art, whose event spaces include the Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Sculpture Garden; and the Guggenheim Museum, which allows groups to host events in its famous Ronald O. Perelman Rotunda. The American Museum of Natural History has several spaces in which groups can host meetings and events of varying sizes, including the Akeley Hall of African Mammals, the Rose Center for Earth and Space, and the Milstein Hall of Ocean Life, known for the 94-foot blue whale hanging from the ceiling.
Iconic attractions that offer event space include the Weather Room at Top of the Rock and the Empire State Building, offering 360-degree views and Art Deco architecture. One World Trade Center Observatory, set to open in spring 2015, will also have the capacity to host groups of 10 to 450 people.
New York City’s cultural institutions also appeal to history buffs, with museums such as the Museum of Jewish Heritage, Brooklyn Historical Society, the Lower East Side Tenement Museum and the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum all offering educational experiences for MICE travelers.
Other unique museums in New York City’s five boroughs include the Museum of the American Indian in Lower Manhattan which offers adult group tours; Bartow-Pell Mansion Museum offering meeting and special events space in the Bronx’s Pelham Bay Park; meeting space at BRIC Arts / Media House in Brooklyn; and the Museum of the Moving Image’s wide variety of event space in Astoria, Queens.
Theater experiences include taking a class at The Stand Restaurant and Comedy Club; a workshop at Camp Broadway; or a backstage tour at Lincoln Center. Groups can also host meetings and events at the Apollo Theater in Harlem and the Queens Theatre in Flushing Meadows Corona Park.
Sports & Gardens:
Meeting planners have a variety of sports-related options when hosting MICE groups in New York City. Meetings and events can be held at iconic stadiums such as Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, which offers game-day meetings and stadium tours; Barclays Center in Brooklyn, which has boardrooms, a theater seating from 4,000 to 7,700, restaurant and club space, and the arena itself; and Citi Field in Queens, which has more than 200,000 square feet of hospitality space. Additionally, Madison Square Garden can host meetings and events ranging from 200 to 20,000 people, as well as private dinners hosted in the newly renovated lobby.
For an interactive sports experience, groups can head to Chelsea Piers on the west side of Manhattan, where delegates can perfect their golf swing or go rock climbing, and host events at the 80,000-square-foot Field House. Groups can round out their trip to Manhattan’s west side with a walk on the High Line—the third phase of which recently opened, extending the park from 30th Street to 34th Street—and sample a wide variety of cuisines at Chelsea Market, located on Ninth Avenue between 15th and 16th Streets.
The Bronx’s New York Botanical Garden offers a range of event spaces in beautiful settings, both indoors and outdoors, including a historic Victorian glasshouse, a waterfall, and a 50-acre forest. Similarly, Brooklyn Botanic Garden has a variety of spaces for meetings and events, including the Japanese Hill-and-Pond Garden. Duggal Greenhouse in the Brooklyn Navy Yard is a premier venue with stunning views of Manhattan from indoor and outdoor event spaces. Event attendees can be transported to the sustainable venue via yacht service from Manhattan. Snug Harbor on Staten Island’s north shore has the capacity to host indoor and outdoor events, including space at the New York Chinese Scholar’s Garden.
Shopping & Dining:
Many delegates take advantage of New York City’s vast retail options when attending meetings and conventions in the five boroughs. Retailers such as Saks Fifth Avenue, Macy’s and Bloomingdale’s organize unique shopping experiences for groups, offering private tours, savings passes, meeting spaces, presentations, classes and more.
The Time Warner Center has a variety of indoor and open-air luxury spaces that can be used for events, exhibitions and receptions for as many as 350 guests. Several restaurants within the Time Warner Center have the ability to host events, including A Voce, Bouchon Bakery, Per Se and Porter House New York. Recent openings at The Shops at Columbus Circle include Aveda, TUMI, Michael Kors and L’Occitane, which opened this summer, and Coach, reopening next month.
Groups can also visit Brooklyn Winery, where they can learn to make wine, partake in tours, dine and host events. On Sundays groups can enjoy a Jazz Brunch at Tavern on the Green, the Central Park restaurant that reopened at the end of April following a two-year refurbishment. The restaurant is also available for private and corporate events for 10 to 1,000 guests. At Minton’s in Harlem, groups can host events at the Jazz Supper Club, complete with live jazz music. At Rockefeller Center, the iconic Rainbow Room will reopen to the public on October 5, 80 years after the original venue opened. The restaurant’s classic design elements include a revolving dance floor, which has been preserved. The venue can accommodate private events for up to 300 guests.
In 2016 the Empire Outlets, a new retail complex, will open in Staten Island’s St. George neighborhood. Offering 350,000 square feet of retail space, the Empire Outlets will include a mix of fashion, food and entertainment options. The opening will also see a 200-room hotel featuring 140,000 square feet of hospitality, 1,250 parking spaces and a new, free 20-minute ferry ride from Manhattan to Staten Island.
About NYC & Company:
NYC & Company is the official marketing, tourism and partnership organization for the City of New York, dedicated to maximizing travel and tourism opportunities throughout the five boroughs, building economic prosperity and spreading the positive image of New York City worldwide. For more information, visit nycgo.com.
For more information on planning a meeting or event in New York City, go to nycgo.com/meetingplanners.
About Meetings Mean Business:
The U.S. Travel Association’s Meetings Mean Business Coalition was created in 2009 to showcase the incredible value that business meetings, travel and events bring to the US economy. Its members span all facets of the face-to-face meeting and events industry, which have come together behind a common goal: providing the resources, tools and information to show the real impact the industry has on businesses, economies and communities. For more information, visit MeetingsMeanBusiness.com.
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Contact: NYC & Company / Chris Heywood 212-484-5404
NYC & Company / Britt Hijkoop 212-484-5404