NYC & Company, New York City’s destination marketing organisation, is promoting Brooklyn as a destination for meetings and events among meeting planners and attendees. With new hotel developments, expansive meeting spaces, event venues and multiple transportation options, Brooklyn is growing as an option for meeting planners.
“Brooklyn’s popularity has resonated more in recent years with meeting planners; thanks to global hotel brands investing in the borough’s meetings industry, the borough’s lively culture and its appeal to a new generation of attendees. With these new developments, along with unique venues and easy transportation access to Manhattan by subway and ferry, we are inviting planners to see why more people are choosing to Make It NYC in Brooklyn,” said Jerry Cito, SVP of convention development.
Hotels and meeting spaces
Located just minutes away from Manhattan, Brooklyn has seen growth in its hotel and meeting space offerings, with more than 28 hotels in the pipeline. By 2019, the borough is expected to be home to more than 3,500 hotel rooms. Some of the latest hotels that have opened in the borough include the wellness-oriented Even Hotel and boutique brand Hotel Indigo Brooklyn in Downtown Brooklyn, as well as the Dazzler Brooklyn in Brooklyn Heights, the Wythe Hotel in Williamsburg and the Hilton Brooklyn New York in Boerum Hill, which is Hilton’s first name-brand property in the area.
Among the newest hotels with expansive meeting space set to open in February 2017 is 1 Hotel Brooklyn Bridge in Brooklyn Heights, the 1 Hotels brand’s second property in NYC. Located along the Brooklyn Bridge Park waterfront, the new hotel will feature 194 guest rooms and suites, a 3,475-sq-ft rooftop venue, over 20,000-sq-ft of meeting space and a 50-person screening room.
Last summer, the New York Marriott at the Brooklyn Bridge in Downtown Brooklyn completed a US$ 45 million transformation. The renovation included the hotel’s 667 guest rooms and suites, the debut of a new contemporary lobby featuring the M Club Lounge and The Bar with its locally made specialties, and the modernisation of the hotel’s more than 40,000 sq ft of banquet and meeting spaces.
Also this past summer, the new William Vale debuted in Williamsburg, overlooking the Manhattan skyline with 183 rooms, a 15,000-sq-ft public green space called Vale Park and a 4,1000-sq-ft ballroom.
Event venues
Recognised as a premiere destination for large-scale events, such as the upcoming Formula E Championship New York City ePrix this July, Brooklyn offers planners options that combine the borough’s local flavour along with unique event venues.
Home to the Brooklyn Nets and the New York Islanders, Barclays Center is a sports and entertainment venue in the heart of Brooklyn that hosts a variety of events, including concerts, professional boxing cards, college basketball and family shows. Featuring 101 luxury suites, four clubs, and the 40/40 Club & Restaurant by American Express, the venue is accessible by 11 subway lines, the Long Island Rail Road and 11 bus lines.
The Brooklyn Expo Center in Greenpoint is another option for planners looking for large spaces, with 60,000-sq-ft of event space.
Along the Brooklyn Navy Yard waterfront overlooking the East River, the Duggal Greenhouse is an historic event venue that was once used to build ships. It features 70-ft ceilings, 35,000-sq-ft of space and can hold up to 3,000 attendees; it was also home to one of last year’s Democratic presidential primary debates. Also in the Brooklyn Navy Yard, BLDG92 honours this site, complete with a naturally-lit event space, an expansive terrace and an open-air atrium.
The newly opened 5,000 seat Ford Amphitheater at Coney Island is Brooklyn’s latest entertainment venue, featuring outdoor concerts in the summer and indoor entertainment space in the winter, as well as VIP areas for groups. Also in Coney Island, MCU Park is a multipurpose event venue that is home to the Brooklyn Cyclones minor league baseball team, featuring their Party Deck that can hold 150 people, as well as several luxury suites.
Brooklyn’s cultural and historical institutions offer event venue spaces of various sizes. The recently renovated Kings Theatre in Flatbush, the historical bank-turned-venue Weylin in Williamsburg, the Brooklyn Academy of Music in Fort Greene, and the Brooklyn Museum and the Brooklyn Botanic Garden in Prospect Heights are some of the options that are easily accessible by the city’s subway system.
