Crains New York - October 8, 2012 - (Page 20)

SMALL BUSINESS Team-building crowd tries Brooklyn As corporations seek hipper locations for meetings, the borough’s businesses profit The profitable firm had more than $400,000 in revenue last year. F BY CARA S. TRAGER ive years ago, Tony Muia was lucky if he snagged six corporate groups a year for his Brooklyn tour company. Today, A Slice of Brooklyn Bus Tours navigates local neighborhoods, landmarks and pizza places with as many as 58 passengers— from four to six times a month. As Mr. Muia tells it, corporate groups account for 25% of his business, and this year’s revenue from the corporate sector has so far jumped 50% over the same period in 2011. ‘Hot’ area “I have watched Brooklyn go from special to hot,” said Mr. Muia, a proud native of Bensonhurst. The bus-tour company is one of many small businesses in the borough that are profiting from more meetings and events, courtesy of Brooklyn’s cachet as a hipster locale with legendary sites and diverse recreational activities. Local firms are capitalizing on the borough’s luster through energetic marketing. Their efforts are paying off. Although many groups continue to opt for Manhattan lodgings, more are journeying into Brooklyn for downtime excursions and meetings and team-building exercises. Karen Shackman, president of Shackman Associates New York, a Manhattan destination management and events firm, has noticed a ON A ROLL: Tony Muia’s Slice of Brooklyn Bus Tours logged $400,000 in revenues last year. “definite uptick” in corporate requests for outings to Brooklyn. “Many clients are quite savvy about what’s going on in New York and welcome the opportunity to see another aspect of the city,” said Ms. Shackman, who has arranged such corporate activities as biking trips over the Brooklyn Bridge and lunches at Peter Luger Steak House in Williamsburg. But beating a path into Brooklyn has its downside.“The main thing is the traffic,” said Ms. Shackman. “With ferries going to certain points in Brooklyn, it gives another option of getting there,” she added. Enjoying the rides This past summer, Central Amusement International, which owns Luna Park and Scream Zone and operates the city-owned Cyclone roller coaster in Coney Island, made a big splash with corporate events in Luna Park. The small firm made a major “push” for big-name clients by doing everything from cold-calling prospective customers to adding corporate outings to its website, said Brian Williams, sales and business development manager. Williamsburg’s Brooklyn Brewery has garnered a stream of corporate business. Both its small-batch brewery and beer-hall-style space are on tap for events. The company is on track to generate overall revenue of $43 million this year. “I did quite a lot of reach-out last year,so [corporate events] have been up quite a bit,” said Erin Matson, tasting-room events manager. Word-of-mouth recommendations and organic search-engine results have helped the 2-year-old Brooklyn Winery score a dizzying 75% increase in corporate events since last year. The Williamsburg firm, which is approaching profitability after generating more than $1 million in revenue last year, hosted about 30 corporate gatherings this past year, according to Julie Oehme, director of marketing. The winery offers a teambuilding exercise, followed by dinner, that involves dividing attendees into groups to create a blend of wines. Recent gatherings included corporate guests from Asia who “specifically requested a true Brooklyn experience,” Ms. Oehme said. To sign up for Crain’s SMALL BUSINESS newsletter, go to www.crainsnewyork.com/smallbiz. 20 | Crain’s New York Business | October 8, 2012 buck ennis http://www.crainsnewyork.com/vcfundingalert http://www.crainsnewyork.com/vcfundingalert http://www.crainsnewyork.com/smallbiz

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Crains New York - October 8, 2012

IN THE BOROUGHS
IN THE MARKETS
THE INSIDER
BUSINESS PEOPLE
CORPORATE LADDER
FROM AROUND THE CITY
OPINION
GREG DAVID
THE LIST
REAL ESTATE DEALS
CLASSIFIEDS
SMALL BUSINESS
NEW YORK, NEW YORK
SOURCE LUNCH
OUT AND ABOUT
SNAPS

Crains New York - October 8, 2012