Just a few years ago, asking a Manhattanite to visit Brooklyn was like asking them to visit Siberia: some faraway, foreign, desolate place. But with trendy restaurants, bars, and (somewhat) more affordable apartments, visitors and locals alike are recognizing the world beyond Manhattan, venturing off the island in ever-growing numbers in search of a more "authentic" New York.
"Brooklyn is super hot right now," observes Mark Speranza, director of sales and marketing at The William Vale, a new luxury boutique hotel opening this spring in Brooklyn's trendy Williamsburg neighborhood. "There's so much buzz about it because it's new, it's exciting, and it's different. It's the new version of Manhattan."
Meetings Move East
The hipster set outgrew Manhattan more than a decade ago, but modern Brooklyn has now diversified beyond those trendsetters. Along with beards, man-buns, and microbreweries, Brooklyn is also starting to attract tourists, businesses, and -- with more and more frequency -- meetings.
"Brooklyn's stance in the meetings industry has grown tremendously," reports Jerry Cito, senior vice president of convention development at New York's convention and visitors bureau, NYC & Company. "With its endless array of culture, authentic cuisine, and endless entertainment, the borough has grown to become popular for both visitors and meetings delegates."
And, of course, with meeting planners. "Within recent years, Brooklyn has resonated more with meeting planners thanks to several new hotel developments, world-class event venues, and subway accessibility from Manhattan that continue to attract meetings and conventions business to the borough," continues Cito, who says meeting suppliers also are boarding the Brooklyn bandwagon. "Global hotel brands are recognizing the value in investing in Brooklyn."
In fact, NYC & Company says there are more than 20 hotels currently in development in Brooklyn for this year and beyond. Highlights include 1 Hotel Brooklyn Bridge in Brooklyn Heights and The William Vale. Opening later this year, 1 Hotel Brooklyn Bridge will have 194 guest rooms, a nature-inspired ballroom for up to 600 guests, a rooftop bar and lounge with event space, and a private screening room for up to 50 guests. Opening in May, The William Vale will have 183 guest rooms, a 4,000-square-foot rooftop, an elevated green park that will be open to the public but reserve-able for private events, and approximately 10,000 square feet of indoor meeting space, including two boardrooms, several meeting rooms and a 4,096-square-foot ballroom for up to 315 guests.
"It's the highest-level hotel Brooklyn has ever seen," Speranza says of The William Vale, which will be intimate enough to entertain group buyouts. "I'd like to see a 180-person classroom meeting take over the hotel. I think that would be exciting."
Brooklyn's largest hotel, the 667-room New York Marriott at the Brooklyn Bridge, in Downtown Brooklyn, is upping its game in the face of increased demand and competition. Last year, it completed the first two phases of a three-phase, $43 million renovation encompassing its bar, lounge, front desk, and meeting space, which totals over 40,000 square feet. Scheduled for completion this year, phase three will include a complete guest room refresh.
"When we first built this hotel 16 years ago, it was the first hotel built in all of Brooklyn in 64 years. Since then, Brooklyn's further evolution has been extraordinary and amazing. Our goal is to continue to grow: to immerse our guests into that unique and transformative 'Brooklyn experience,'" Joshua Muss, owner of Muss Development, the hotel's owner, said in a statement last summer.
Other venues also are clamoring for the influx of new group business, according to Cito, who cites as examples King's Theatre and the Coney Island Boardwalk. "In the borough's Flatbush neighborhood, the renowned King's Theatre reopened last year after an extensive refurbishment. The 20th-century theater features over 93,000 square feet of productive space and is available to rent for corporate events, business meetings, and cocktail receptions," Cito says. "The world-famous Coney Island Boardwalk will unveil its 5,000-seat outdoor amphitheater later this summer. The Amphitheater at Coney Island will host a full summer series of live music, comedy shows, and entertainment that will feature an indoor entertainment space in the winter."
Other highlights include the 18,200-seat Barclays Center, which opened in 2013 with several rentable meeting and event spaces, and the Duggal Greenhouse, which also opened in 2013 and offers 35,000 square feet of space in the Brooklyn Navy Yard.
Outer Borough Appeal
Brooklyn appeals most to "early adopters," according to Speranza, who says The William Vale so far is attracting groups in mostly creative fields. "If you're in a cutting-edge industry -- fashion, entertainment, technology, and, surprisingly, publishing -- Brooklyn is probably where you want to be," he says.
Groups in these industries are drawn to Brooklyn and other outer boroughs not only because of what it is -- trendy -- but also because of what it isn't: touristy. "It's real New York," Speranza continues. "It's real people and real businesses. It feels like an upscale, cosmopolitan version of Manhattan, but with a true neighborhood feel. It's very unusual."
Adds Cito, "Meeting in the boroughs beyond Manhattan has advantages to both meeting planners and delegates. Planning a meeting outside of Manhattan can prove to be both affordable to planners and a true local experience for delegates. Brooklyn is also very easy to get around, as it is served by ferries and several subway lines and bus routes that go through its most popular neighborhoods where there continues to be new product developments."
The Fine Print
Of course, Brooklyn isn't for everyone. Although it's only a few subway stops from Manhattan, some people still have an unshakeable "Siberia complex" when it comes to New York's outer boroughs. If your attendees are among them, no amount of "cool" will convince them to cross the water.
"Some people are just not open to leaving the island of Manhattan," Speranza says. "I've known people who won't even cross Broadway or 5th Avenue."
Some groups will never leave Manhattan. Others, however, may just need more time to get used to the idea. "There's some people for [whom] Brooklyn is a big question mark. They know it's hip and trendy, but they don't know why," Speranza concludes. "Those people just aren't ready for a new destination yet. It's not a safe bet. They want tried, true, safe, and comfortable."
At its current clip, Brooklyn will likely be recognized as all those things in no time. For some meetings, though, Brooklyn's "cool" is more than enough for now.