For a long time, the term “live event venue” was synonymous with “hotels and conference centers”. However, as the events industry has evolved and become increasingly more focused on providing unique experiences for attendees, so has the perception of what an event venue should be.
In New York City, we’ve seen a huge surge in the availability of and interest in a variety of meeting spaces. Keep reading to learn more about the trends we’re seeing and what types of venues are gaining popularity in NYC.
Hotels.
Meeting spaces in hotels are an event classic for a reason, and even with the push to more unique venues, hotels are still highly sought after. This is especially true for events where many attendees may be traveling into town for the event and onsite lodging will be an added convenience.
However, in NYC, many hotels are union venues, requiring the use of union labor or the hotel’s in-house AV team. While this isn’t necessarily a negative, it gives you much less control over which event partners you can contract with.
These limitations also grant less flexibility in pricing. Union and in-house labor pricing is often higher than independent AV teams. For unions, this is usually because of associated union fees. For in-house labor, this is often simply because they can. When you’re required to use an in-house team, you have no choice but to pay the prices they dictate, regardless of how they compare to competitors.
This isn’t to say hotels aren’t a good option – they often are! Just make sure you know if the hotel you’re planning to book is a union venue, and if it is, what limitations it places on event partners and labor, as well as how that may affect your budget.
Conference Centers.
These traditional event spaces are built with the sole purpose of hosting events. With at least one large event space for general sessions and galas, as well as several smaller rooms that can be used for breakout sessions and workshops, conference centers are able to accommodate most aspects of a live event.
Some conference centers are built to house a single event at a time, while others may host several simultaneously, depending on how much space is available.
Converted Spaces.
A former townhouse with an open floorplan. A space that was once used as a brand showroom. A loft with exposed beams. A warehouse with excellent natural light. An old, industrial factory.
Converted spaces take buildings or specific floors that were originally built and used for one purpose and reimagines them as a live event space. With a variety of sizes, aesthetics, locations, and capabilities, no two converted spaces are like, making for a unique experience that doesn’t feel like a traditional conference.
Depending on the space, there may be less amenities, separate meeting spaces, or event infrastructure than a traditional venue, but they certainly make for a memorable experience.
Raw Whitebox Spaces.
Raw whitebox spaces are incredible clean slates that offer maximum flexibility for event design.
These venues became popular when landlords for office buildings decided to turn empty floors into temporary event spaces as they await new tenants. As the entire space is painted white and very bare, they give event organizers a lot of flexibility and room to be creative on the event design.
As these spaces are typically former business offices, there often are pillars or columns throughout the event space. However, a great event designer will not just work around the pillars, but make them a cohesive part of the event and a good AV team will ensure that no structural elements of the space create visual or audio issues for attendees, regardless of where they are sitting.
Historic Venues.
Perhaps one of the most well-known annual NYC events is held at one of New York City’s iconic historic venues – the Met Gala at the Metropolitan Museum of Modern Art.
Historic venues, such as museums, libraries, and zoos, make for stunning backdrops that are unique and iconic. However, these venues typically come with a very hefty price tag and have significant limitations on when they can be booked.
Amenities Spaces.
Many office buildings have dedicated floors filled with amenities that any tenant has access to. These amenities typically include a gym, spa, basketball or pickleball courts, restaurants, cafes, and other common areas.
The purpose of these amenity floors is to provide any space or service tenants and their employees may need during the work day, without them having to leave the building.
Recently, we’ve seen many amenity floors expand to offer event spaces. In some buildings, it’s as simple as a conference room with a 12-seat table, but other buildings are offering large conference rooms with built in AV or the ability to bring in AV equipment and technicians. Many of these spaces offer in-house catering as well.
However, many of these spaces may only allow tenants to book the space, or may give first priority to the building’s tenants. Others may allow outside groups to use their event spaces, but will still allow tenants to access the rest of the amenity floor, including restaurants and common areas, making it a less attractive option if you have concerns about privacy or external noise during the meeting.
That being said, the convenience and availability of these spaces make them an incredibly attractive option, and it’s a trend we don’t expect to slow anytime soon.
Purpose Built Event Spaces.
Recently, we’ve seen new event spaces in New York City that are big, open spaces, void of any columns or visual barriers. Like raw whitebox spaces, they are blank slates, waiting for organizations to come in and make them their own. Unlike raw whitebox spaces, they were built with the intention of hosting events.
While all of these spaces have the infrastructure to support AV equipment, they usually have a limited amount of gear held in-house. This gives you the flexibility to choose your AV partners to make sure you’re getting both the set up and talent you really want supporting your event.
These spaces are great when you have unique setups in mind, want to projection map on the walls, and are excited about the idea of getting creative with your live events.
The days where hotels & conference centers were the only spaces hosting live events are long gone, and they aren’t coming back. As an AV team that is passionate about creating unique experiences, we love helping our clients selecting a space that best represents their brand and fits the goals and needs of their meetings.
Are you starting to look at venues for your next event? Our team is here to help you determine what NYC venue is right for you!