Unique NYC Mtg. Venues Abound

To motivate minds and stir creativity, corporate meetings are being held in some of New York City's newest and most unusual places, including an archaic bank vault, on a submarine, in a greenhouse and in a food cooperative.

Before booking or calling an event planner to assist you in planning your next unique meeting, Jaclyn Bernstein of Empire Force Events said to "know your hot buttons—what you need and don't need —because at some venues you can build an event, while others you have to work with what's there. There are venues on different ends of the spectrum, so your hot buttons are important."

"When looking for a creative venue, look for holes, people who need your business and have interesting space," said Ina Selden, owner of Manhattan Passport.

The newest Bobby Van's Steakhouse & Grill at 25 Broad St. is an interesting meeting location, Selden said, as "it's in a bank vault. The view is beautiful and the room still has the old safety deposit boxes."

The restaurant is located across the street from the New York Stock Exchange and can host a private party for 10 to 500. It offers full-service, on-premise catering, event management, audiovisual capability, and entertainment vendors. On the main level, boardrooms A & B can be combined to accommodate up to 50 guests. The lower level is J.P. Morgan's original bank vault, installed by Remington & Sherman Co. in 1902, with its own private entrance on Broad St. The Vault Bar's elongated room, with room for a 200-guest reception, is lined with vault doors, two of which showcase Bobby Van's Wine Vault. In the center of the room is a six-foot circular main vault door, which opens into The Vault, which accommodates 145 seated and 245 for a reception. The rooms may be used together or separately.

Speaking of J.P. Morgan, meetings are held in his former penthouse residence at 14 Wall St. The eatery, called 14 Wall Street, is divided into five open dining rooms, all with skyscraper views. The Street Room, named for a black and white photographic reproduction of Wall St., seats up to 94. The Trinity & Trading room seats 30.

Jim McNabb of McNabb Roick Events recommended Hotel Gansevoort at 18 9th Ave., located in the Meatpacking District. "This modern hotel stands out in a neighborhood full of change," said McNabb. "The lounge on the top of the hotel not only has amazing views, but has a fully retractable glass roof, next to a 45-foot pool."

The hotel has a loft with an adjoining terrace, which can hold 130 guests for receptions and a garden that holds 75. The hotel provides a 15-seat boardroom and a 1,216-sq.-ft. meeting room that holds 130. The Japanese house restaurant Ono may also be used in accordance with any event.

He also likes the newly renovated Webster Hall at 125 East 11th St. "This landmark venue located in the East Village was once an RCA recording studio," McNabb said. The space includes seven rooms, including a 10,000-sq.-ft. grand ballroom, which has a 50-foot wide stage along with 40-foot ceilings. The space holds 800 for receptions and 600 for seated events.

For a change of pace, and a change of view, Bernstein suggested bringing your meeting to the top of the city—to the Top of the Rock, that is, located 67 stories above Midtown Manhattan at 30 Rockefeller Center. Two adjacent outdoor Garden Terraces are available in the warmer months, providing open-air views.

Selden recommended Colors, a cooperative restaurant located at 417 Lafayette St. in Greenwich Village, and run by former employees of Windows on the World in conjunction with the nonprofit Restaurant Opportunities Center of New York. Colors is committed to sustainable agriculture, purchasing locally grown foods and sourcing free trade vendors whenever possible. Assistant manager Sean Meade said that the restaurant can accommodate corporate meetings for 25 people in a private party room—the partition does not totally seclude you from other patrons. The restaurant can close to cater to a meeting of 40 or more.

Many corporations have moved meetings out to sea: The Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum, one of the most successful ships in U.S. history and known as a unique tourist attraction in New York City, also can be a distinctive meeting site offering multiple options. Located on the Hudson River, the Intrepid's Allison & Howard Lutnick Theater is a 245-seat state-of-the-art multimedia venue with full surround sound and high-definition digital projection capability. The Navy and Intrepid Hall is ideal for press conferences. The state-of-the-art Great Hall, located above the Fantail Reception Hall, offers a breathtaking view and built-in drop-down digital projection screens. The newest event space, the Michael Tyler Fisher Center, is a 4,000-sq.-ft. space that also offers a view of the Hudson River. Stern Hall can accommodate up to 300 guests.