Boosting the Boardroom Energy
By Alex Palmer
While hotels offer some excellent accommodations for boardroom meetings, planners can also consider looking outside the hotel walls for their next board event. Patrick Sullivan, president and owner of PRA Destination Management New York, has sought out some truly unusual spaces around the Big Apple, such as the meeting space attached to caterers Valbella Ristorante in the Meatpacking District.
Surrounded by bottles of wine, the warm but professional atmosphere makes for a memorable location to brainstorm ideas. The venue also boasts a private kitchen, creating the opportunity for a top-notch dinner.
"You could do a board meeting in one of the private rooms, and then you could go in the evening to the chef's kitchen, where the chef can prepare your food for you, or get you to do your own dessert," says Sullivan. "Executives aren't going to really want to make their own dinner, but they might want to have a little fun."
Sullivan has also moved board meetings onboard, holding an event on a yacht traveling the Hudson River. Another time, the meeting was held in a historic church's boardroom.
While adding something unusual or memorable to a boardroom meeting can boost the energy of the proceedings, it should never overshadow the reason everyone is there: taking care of business. "Ninety percent of all board meetings are using the same things," says Sullivan. "Businesses want to be sure to keep the momentum and the ideas flowing."