Broadway Sets The Stage For Unique Mtgs.
<B> Broadway Sets The Stage For Unique Mtgs.</B>
By Robert Selwitz
Whether it be a century-old theatre, a 70-year-old restaurant or a decidedly newer site, meeting planners looking for unique venues need not look far in New York as much-improved and inventive business venues continue to pop up.
The multi-lived, 96-year-old Hudson Theatre, for instance, is offering $5,000 discounts to meeting planners using the facility on certain days between now and Oct. 26. The Hudson has had a long and distinguished career--from being a major playhouse and the site of historic television productions to becoming a site for receptions, product launches, fashion shows, press conferences and a variety of corporate events.
While preserving its old-world elegance and beaux arts design, the Hudson features high-tech sound video and lighting capabilities. Removable seats in the orchestra section allow the theater to be reconfigured to accommodate parties of up to 700 people, or sit-down dinners for 300 attendees.
Another renowned site, the legendary Russian Tea room is alive and well and ready to accommodate after several years of rebuilding and renovation. Scheduled to redebut in October, the opulent eatery, which first opened in 1927, will offer two floors for public dining. The third floor will welcome 300-seated or 530 attendees for a standing reception. The fourth floor features three separate locations; two offer 60-seated/80-standing capacities, with the third able to handle 82 seated and 100 standing.
Long a showplace for Russian cuisine, and decorated in Czarist Modern, planners can arrange for carved ice palaces holding frozen vodkas and caviar, spicy tea poured from antique samovars, and culinary specialties ranging from dumplings and pasta to wild boar and coulibac of salmon.
Officials at the 57th Street restaurant said The Russian Tea Room superbly complements corporate parties, product launches, conferences and meetings.
On a smaller scale, those requiring a luxurious screening room might consider the 14-seat space at the The Envoy Club. Michael Rawson, director of operations, said the room is "ideal for premiering business videos, airing new ad campaigns or training programs, or even reviewing annual board meetings."
Another option meeting planners might consider is integrating a "mobster wedding" into their function by integrating some of the cast members of Off-Broadway's "Tony & Tina's Wedding" into the corporate function. Associate producer Scott O'Brien said the actors are quite comfortable building inside-corporate humor into their show. For a scaled-down version, planners can hire several of the cast members to do a few sketches to liven up the function.