Corporate entertainment in NYC venues

This one’s come up a lot lately. I’ll get an inquiry for corporate party entertainment in New York City, only there’s a catch: the budget is low, and I need to stretch it enough to pay for EVERYTHING. The venue is nearly always the single largest expense, and once that’s gobbled up there’s not much left to play with as far as entertainment, awards, favors, transportation etc. What to do?

Whether you’re planning employee team building in NYC or simply showing a group of clients a good time, here are 5 hacks which you can use to help minimize the expenses related to the venue:

• 1.     Book Early in the Week – My favorite trick. Most venues with private party rooms in Manhattan (and anywhere, really) are booked solid on the weekends and later in the week, however they are often dark on “off” days. If you call them up and tell them you’re interested in bringing 10, 20, 50 or more people to the space on a night that it’s typically empty (Monday-Wednesday), they will bend over backwards to make it work for you price-wise.

• 2.     Tell Them Your Budget – Here’s one I learned from Mario Batali, of all people (I used to work at the 92^nd Street Y, a cultural center in Manhattan which often hosted celebrity speakers). Rather than shop around looking for “the deal,” be upfront with your venue of choice by telling them exactly how much you have to spend. If it’s a reputable space which genuinely wants your business, they will jump through hoops to give you the greatest experience possible for your price point.

• 3.     Be Flexible with Your Venue Choice – I had an event recently, where the client wanted to entertain some VERY senior partners/staff – however, for this particular event there is also a limited budget. They wanted an upscale lounge, but with food, drinks etc. they found they couldn’t pull it off. So you know what they did? They held the event in an Irish pub instead – because it was a trivia event, the group loved the idea of an informal “pub quiz,” and it worked perfectly (and saved a bundle!)

• 4.     Ask them to Waive the Extra Fees – “Room usage” fee; “site” fee; “corking” fee, “cake cutting” fee. There’s ways some venues for NYC corporate parties will try to squeeze for extra money, and honestly I am not a fan – I think this should be built into the overall per-person rate. However, sometimes there’s just no way around it – unless you ask directly if they will waive it (if this doesn’t work, at least try negotiating these fees down).

• 5.     Make It a Cash Bar – Especially following the global economic crisis of 2008/2009, there is an understanding here in the Big Apple and elsewhere that the days of lavish corporate spending are not like they used to be. While there may be an expectation of free booze at a company-sponsored event, if budget truly is an issue, you may opt to skip out on the open bar in if it means being able to have your event in the first place

• 6.     Hold your Event Onsite at the Office – There’s absolutely nothing wrong with this, especially if money is tight and every dollar counts.