Prevue March-April 2018 - 14

bureaubuzz

New York's "New" Midtown
New attractions lend a theme park feel to Midtown Manhattan

A

ttendees can't get enough of
Midtown Manhattan. Now, a variety
of new attractions-many of them
feeling more like a theme park than big
city-are opening in the area within 10
blocks of Times Square.

Picture caption

Building Intrigue into
Meetings
Lovers of intrigue now have the Skyscape,
the largest interactive spy museum in the
world, where they can try their hands at
hacking, code breaking and espionage.
Skyscape features 60,000 sf of meeting
space and a "situation room" ideal for board
meetings. The new National Geographic
Encounter: Ocean Odyssey Experience
immerses attendees in an underwater
journey (without getting wet, of course), and
hands-on technology lets them play with sea
lions or get up close to humpback whales.
Nearby is Gulliver's Gate, an exhibit
featuring miniature 3-D replicas of iconic
global landmarks from all over the world. The
diverse collection includes the Hoover Dam,
the Colosseum in Rome, the Pyramids of
Egypt and the Great Wall of China.
The new NFL Experience in the heart
of legendary Times Square has a 4-D theater
accommodating up to 250 attendees, three
meeting spaces totaling 6,000 sf of space
and a meeting room that can seat up to 150.
The newly opened 27,000-sf Opry City
Stage, a few blocks away, is the first-ever
satellite location of country music's Grand
Ole Opry, with four floors of music and food.
The main space, where free performances
by local country musicians and special
concerts by big-name stars regularly take
place, is modeled after the Ryman Auditorium
in Nashville. The Opry City Stage can
accommodate 500 attendees for events.

National Geographic Encounter, "Night Coral Reef"
(photo credit: National Geographic Encounter Ocean Odyssey)

The most talked-about new special
event venue is the Ziegfield Ballroom, one
of the largest ballrooms in the city capable
of accommodating 1,200 attendees. This
art deco space draws its inspiration from the
1930s luxury cruise liner, the SS Normandie.
Also in Midtown, one of the city's most
popular museums, The Museum of Modern
Art (known as MOMA), is undergoing a
three-year renovation with the first phase
now complete. Designed by Diller Scofidio
+ Renfro (known for the High Line and the
Lincoln Center renovation), in collaboration
with Gensler, the project will increase the
gallery space by 30 percent. The fully
renovated space will be completed next year.

Hotels Inject Some Fun
Also new and quickly becoming one of
Manhattan's hottest hotels is the 612-room
Moxy NYC Times Square. A highlight here

"The most talked-about new special event venue is
the Ziegfield Ballroom, one of the largest ballrooms in
the city capable of accommodating 1,200 attendees."
14 | prevuemeetings.com

is a year-round carnival-themed rooftop
that millennials will love. The rooftop can be
sectioned off and is also equipped with a
miniature putting green and real-life carousel.
Moxy NYC has 22,000 sf of meeting space.
In Midtown West, the new 310-room
Embassy Suites by Hilton New York
Midtown Manhattan opened this past
December with a seasonal outdoor 3,500sf Skylawn that can be used for private
events for up to 235 attendees, along with
a boardroom and the Empire Room, which
accommodates 50.
For a fresh approach, the 395-room
Freehand New York in the Flatiron District
has art as its mission and is decorated with
commissioned artwork from students at Bard
College in upstate New York. It is located
in a landmark building that was once the
George Washington Hotel. In addition to a
950-sf meeting room on the rooftop, there is
a rooftop lounge, a second floor game room
that can be used for private events, and
other event space options for up to 220.
-Barbara Scofidio
nycandcompany.org
http://www.nycandcompany.org http://www.prevuemeetings.com
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Prevue March-April 2018
