Meeting in the Bronx

NYC & Company, New York City’s destination marketing organization, reports that the Bronx, the city’s northernmost borough, is an accessible destination for one-of-a-kind meetings and events.

“The Bronx provides endless opportunities for planners looking to create standout meetings and events,” said Jerry Cito, senior vice-president of Convention Development. “From private suites at Yankee Stadium and outdoor reception space among the animals at the Bronx Zoo to authentic food and culture, the Bronx brings a new take on the typical New York City meetings and events experience.”

Attractions and Venues

According to NYC & CO, the Bronx is home to many well-known attractions and museums, all of which offer event spaces and team-building activities. These venues include:

• Yankee Stadium, home of the New York Yankees, has flexible conference and meeting spaces for up to 10,000 attendees. The stadium’s bi-level Legends Suite Club can host seated dinners and receptions from 400 to 500 guests on either of its levels overlooking the ballpark. The Ford Field MVP Club behind home plate is great for trade shows and conferences. It can accommodate up to 500 for a standing reception or 396 seated. NYY Steak, a classic steakhouse that overlooks the stadium’s Great Hall, is another option to consider.
• Built in 1843, the historic Wave Hill House along the Hudson River features beautiful gardens and serene landscape. It offers flexible meeting and conference room spaces that were renovated in 2013. The 28-acre center can accommodate up to 175 guests for conferences, corporate retreats, lectures and events.
• The Bronx Zoo has a number of indoor and outdoor spaces. These include the Schiff Family Great Hall, which can host up to 200 reception guests, and the indoor area of the Congo Gorilla Forest, which can accommodate up to 80 guests.
• The New York Botanical Garden offers a variety of spaces including the Victorian-style Enid A. Haupt Conservatory (capacity: up to 1,000 guests with outdoor tent); the Garden Terrace Room (330 guests); and Stone Mill, an outdoor terrace surrounded by evergreen trees with capacity for 120 guests.
• The Lehman Center for the Performing Arts at Lehman College is a performance venue near Van Cortlandt Park that can host up to 2,310 attendees seated.

Dining, Culture and Sightseeing

The Bronx offers a wide variety of experiential elements. Foodies can experience the “real Little Italy,” dining at restaurants like Mike’s Deli and Terranova Bakery in the Belmont neighbourhood.

At Trump Golf Link at Ferry Point, attendees can tee off at the longest public golf course in the City at 7,407 yards. The 18-hole, Jack Nicklaus Signature Design, state-of-the-art course features pristine tees, fairways and greens that overlook the East River, as well as the Whitestone and Throgs Neck Bridges. The course offers special golf outings that can be customized to any client’s needs, from personalized cart signs to made-to-order lunches on the course, dinner receptions and tournaments up to 144 players.

On the cultural side, meeting attendees can visit the  Edgar Allan Poe Cottage in Fordham, where the poet spent the last years of his life, from 1846 to 1849. Fast forward to the days of hip-hop music with Hush Hip Hop Tours, where groups can board a bus led by entertaining musicians who showcase important sites throughout the borough that played a role in the early days of hip-hop, including the Bronx Walk of Fame.

Located along the Grand Concourse, the Bronx Museum of the Arts features the borough’s emerging artists and its culturally diverse background. The museum can be rented out for receptions, seated dinners and conferences that can range from as few as 40 guests to up to 275 in its Lower Gallery space.

A restored Georgian-style mansion dating back to 1748, the Van Cortlandt House Museum at Van Cortlandt Park can be rented out for parties and events. Known as the borough’s oldest house, the New York City Landmark and National Historic Landmark was briefly used by George Washington as headquarters during the American Revolution.

Hotels

The 125-room Residence Inn New York The Bronx at Metro Center Atrium in the East Bronx is one of the borough’s newest hotels. It has 1,500 square feet of event space that can accommodate up to 134 people, and is located just minutes from the Bronx Zoo and New York Botanical Garden.

The 60-room Opera House Hotel in the South Bronx was once home to the storied Bronx Opera House. The hotel’s Houdini room can accommodate groups of up to 25, while the more intimate Burns room can accommodate eight. It is located close to the Arthur Avenue Retail Market, which offers authentic Italian fare, and the Columbia University Business School.