N.Y. Conference Centers Cater To Specific Meeting Needs

Known internationally as a financial capital and corporate meeting center, New York naturally has to have a number of world-class conference centers in the city as well as its surroundings.

"Meeting planners are becoming more aware of what our conference centers generally have to offer in terms of being geared for meetings," said Andy MacLellan, vice chairman and chief operating officer of Dolce International. "With the increased awareness, groups are discovering a definable level of satisfaction, and with today's slowing economy more planners are booking conference centers for two reasons: First, the centers are seen as more palatable in terms of generating more focused meetings than a deluxe hotel or luxury resort because of the possibility of distractions at those places. Second, the centers offer more of a perceived value."

Prices at conference centers, MacLellan noted, are "geographic- and location-specific." It is one all-inclusive price versus hotels, which charge separately for all aspects of a meeting, he added.

While conference centers aren't perfect for every type of meeting, meeting planners are using them more, said Mairea Doyle-Balfe, a senior consultant with PKF Consulting in Philadelphia. PKF annually polls members of the International Association of Conference Centers and produces a study of trends in the conference center industry. "There is a good choice of centers in the Northeast. Still, with demand high and planners discovering the different kinds of distraction-free meeting environments they offer, there is room for more conference centers," she said.

In its 2001 study, PKF identified that operating profits have grown more for conference centers than for full-service hotels since 1985. During the period, growth in operating margins at executive conference centers rose 17 points from 22.2 percent in 1985, to 35.2 percent in 2000, while margins at full-service hotels increased 5.1 points from 22.4 percent to 27.5 percent during that same period. However, the study also showed that on average, total daily "revenue per occupied room" for conference centers and traditional hotels has doubled since 1985. Another sign of the rising use of conference centers is the finding that businesses now account for 54 percent of all bookings at all conference centers.

Among recent trends affecting meetings, MacLellan said, are planners booking more online without actually visiting the property and the fact that fewer people are expected to handle more meetings in a shorter period of time.

These wrinkles and twists present conference centers with the opportunity to showcase what they offer online, MacLellan said, as well as educate planners about how conference center staffs are focused on meetings and thus have the professional expertise to assist in very exact ways.

"Attendees are well taken care of at conference centers, with ample breaks and plenty of food. If the center is an IACC member, it has to follow established guidelines, which always make it easier for planners, especially new planners, to get the right set-up. It also makes it much easier for someone who isn't a planner but is simply handling the meeting," said Melissa Hollander, director of meetings and conferences for Executive Enterprises Institute in New Rochelle, N.Y.

Cost is an issue, but with hotels becoming more expensive and balancing what is budgeted for the meeting against its goals, the cost may not be so great in comparison, Hollander said.

"Conference centers offer meeting planners certain advantages that include package pricing, which makes it easier for planners to prepare their budgets ahead of time. Also, the centers are geared specifically for conferences, so there are no distractions and sometimes there is better equipment and seating, and attendees don't have to contend with transient travelers, since a true conference center accepts only conference business," said Jill Adler, certified meeting planner and president of Meeting Matters Inc., based in East Northport, N.Y.

Adler cited several disadvantages to conference centers, including the fact that main lunch is served buffet-style during a two-hour window, which means all groups in-house dine at the same time at assigned seating. "If you want to have private dining, there is a surcharge. This often hinders guest speakers at lunch or more private conversations among your group," she said. Other disadvantages include usually little or no recreation for non-meeting times, since the focus is totally on meetings when they are in-house. Also, centers have a set package of what is included, with usually no substitution in the package ,so there is not a lot of flexibility in pricing and packages. "Where this hurts mostly is with AV equipment since most times the package includes very antiquated AV equipment," Adler said.

Meanwhile, Dolce International's Dolce Tarrytown House, an award-winning conference destination and hotel in Tarrytown, N.Y., 30 minutes from Manhattan, in June completed a $15 million expansion and renovation. The project increased the number of guest rooms and suites to 209 and added a new lobby area that connects King House and all guest rooms. "The addition of 61 guest rooms enables us to accommodate significantly larger meetings, and the new lobby area offers a greatly enhanced checkin and checkout experience by providing an enclosed route to all guest rooms, vital in inclement weather," said Andrew Dolce, Dolce International chairman and CEO.

In addition to Tarrytown's new sleeping rooms, high-speed Internet access has been installed in all guest rooms and the conference center's 31 meeting rooms, MacLellan said.

Other Dolce conference centers in the New York area include the Dolce Hamilton Park, located in Florham Park, N.J., 30 minutes from Wall Street; and Dolce Heritage, located in Southbury, Conn., 90 minutes from midtown. Dolce centers are for groups ranging from 25 to 200 attendees, with 30 people comprising the average size group, Dolce's MacLellan said. Occupancies have been steadily high at each of the three centers in the New York area, he added.

Hamilton Park is adding 60 guest rooms and 20,000 square feet of meeting space, 5,000 square feet of banquet space and also installing high-speed Internet access in all meeting and guest rooms; and the Heritage recently completed a $3.5 million renovation that affected most of the property.

Such improvements and those underway at conference centers elsewhere denote good business sense and indicate the overall strength of the market, Dolce said. "This multimillion dollar business demands that conference centers be aggressive in terms of maximizing cash flow today. For centers with their own guest rooms, it's critical to reach the highest levels of day-meeting occupancy as a way to increase cash flow, once they've reached 100 percent occupancy in renting overnight space," Dolce explained. Rates for a meeting at a Dolce conference center depend on the region of the country, season of the year and which hotels offer prime competition, Dolce acknowledged. Based on these factors, he said, complete meeting packages can run from $195 to $375 per person, with weekends and holiday time periods 35 percent less.

At the Harrison Conference Center in Glen Cove, an IACC member 21 miles from New York's airports and minutes from New York City, planners will find 25,000 square feet of meeting space with 27 dedicated conference rooms accommodating groups from 10 to 280 attendees, said Scott Robinson, director of sales and marketing. The center also offers 197 well-appointed guest rooms, including four suites. All rooms feature a desk, two telephones with voicemail and dataports, he said.

"Since we are IACC approved, we must strive to satisfy a level of expectation that must be met, including the use of ergonomic chairs, variable lighting, dedicated meeting space and dedicated personnel," Robinson said. "In doing so, we attract a variety of meeting groups—legal, accounting, pharmaceutical, educational, the United Nations—from the New York, New Jersey and Connecticut tri-state area, and specialize in groups of from 25 to 100 attendees." More groups, in general, are booking conference centers nationally because they appreciate and want the precise options the centers provide, he said.

"Rates at Harrison are based on a complete meeting package and vary according to time of year and promotional periods. Our single occupancy CMP rates range from $299 to $379 per person, with double occupancy rates from $199 to $249 per person," Robinson said.

Another conference center of note in New York is Think Tank @ 100 William (Street), within walking distance of downtown's banks and corporate headquarters. The space, conceived, created and implemented by Eureka Broadband, a building-centric application service provider and broadband Internet access company, has two conference rooms, two computer training labs and one large seminar room for a total of 13,000 square feet. The center also has the latest high-tech equipment, including T-3 Internet access and state-of-the-art videoconferencing, said Gabrielle Guagliano, marketing and events manager.

Think Tank has its own staff, including experts in technology and event planning who will arrange meetings for 10 to 200 attendees. The site's clientele, most of whom have a national/international presence in New York, runs the gamut from ad agencies to software companies, with a heavy concentration of large financial institutions and Fortune 1000 companies, Guagliano said. Think Tank plans an average of about 25 meetings per month and has a client retention rate of 98 percent.

"Along with a dedicated focus, such conference centers as the Think Tank have responded to the meeting market's demand for technology," Guagliano said. "New York City rents are exorbitant and good space is hard to come by. Meeting space is at a premium, especially at centers that are in an easy to reach location, provide dedicated customer service and are aesthetically pleasing."

CMPs at Think Tank range from $650 to $3,500, based on number of delegates and meeting room selected.

Also located downtown, in the heart of the financial district, is the Bull Run Conference Center. It offers four private rooms, whose walls may be opened to expand the space to 4,500 square feet, and accommodates up to 225 attendees. "Each of our rooms is equipped with the latest audio and video technologies. Rates are $500 per person for a full-day session and $350 per person for a half-day session," a spokeswoman said.

The Executive Conference Center at the Sheraton New York Hotel & Towers, located in midtown Manhattan, covers one expansive level of the hotel. The center has 25,000 square feet of meeting space, "ideal for training seminars, board meetings, marketing presentations or any important meeting where the emphasis is on comfort and productivity," a spokeswoman said. Thirteen state-of-the-art meeting rooms, with flexible configurations for 10 to 140 attendees, feature modular tables, ergonomic chairs, a visual track system for presentations, the latest audiovisual equipment and electrical outlets placed every six feet on the floor. There is also a 22-seat executive boardroom.

Among the city's most unusual venues for small conferences is Walt Disney's Times Square Studios, home of such TV shows as Good Morning America, 20/20, Wide World of Sports, Special Reports with Peter Jennings, PrimeTime and other specials during the year. "Between tapings, private meetings may be held on the same set and stage, which groups find appealing and exciting," said Tim Hayes, manager of specials and events. Three spaces may be rented. "The second level studio is 4,400 square feet with breathtaking views of Times Square. It costs $10,000 for the day, plus $1,500 for a full support staff and use of all AV equipment, including wireless microphones and big screen TVs," Hayes said.

The other two spaces include a 2,200-sq.-ft. street level studio (110 attendees for a sit-down function and 225 standing), which rents for $6,000, plus $1,250 for support and AV; and the so-called Green Room, which is just off the main studio and holds up to 50 people and rents for $1,500 a day, but with no AV support.

"New York City has the unusual advantage of both high-tech meeting space in the midst of the media and financial centers of the world, and unique landmark venues," said Cristyne Nicholas, president and CEO of NYC & Co., the New York Convention & Visitors Bureau. "Where else could you meet overlooking Times Square, gliding by the Statue of Liberty or in a world-famous landmark?"