Why Planners Are Choosing All-Inclusive Venues

Today, meeting attendees want to feel at home—even at dedicated conference and meeting venues. They don’t want to limit themselves to one room, either.

“When people are sitting all day long in one space, [they] can get restless,” says Sarah Vaynerman, Offsite’s director of communications. “Your mind doesn’t have a lot of room for creativity if you’re looking at the same thing all day long, if you’re sitting in the same seat all day long.”

Meeting and event venue developer Convene asked a focus group of planners, and their answers inspired the design of the new Convene at 237 Park Avenue space in New York.

Opened in July in Midtown East, the venue encompasses 12,000 square feet, including eight meeting rooms and space for as many as 275 participants. During the conception of 237 Park Avenue, Convene’s strategic planning process included a method known as “Human Centered Design,” which resulted in innovations such as a meeting planner station outside conference rooms so planners can greet guests but still see what’s happening inside via a live video and audio feed. Similarly, the decor of 237 Park Avenue almost seems residential, with unexpected details like a fireplace and beer taps.

“Nobody wants to be in a cube-like environment,” explains Convene’s vice president of design and innovation, Joyce Bromberg. “It’s a cross between the living room that you dream of, your favorite restaurant, and the newest hotel.”