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In addition to their permanent visitor's centers, NYC & Company can set up and staff portable welcome stations at events.
Photo: Tara Greenwald for BizBash
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Whether it’s a C.E.O. or hundreds of attendees coming to New York, a little local hospitality is always appreciated. Here are ways to thank people for coming, entertain them, or simply help them get oriented.
In April, Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages held its annual convention in New York, drawing 9,300 people from more than 120 countries. Lisa Dyson, the organization’s director of conference services, wanted a designated spot where attendees could get local information. She turned to NYC & Company, the city’s marketing and tourism organization, to set up and staff a welcome station at one of the event’s hotels. “This desk helped attendees with tours, restaurant recommendations, questions about the convention, and general directions on how to get from point A to point B,” she says. “It really helped our attendees out quite a bit to have a knowledgeable person to ask questions of in a very visible location.”
Debra Dohnert, senior manager of special events in the office of the president of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, plans outings for the organization’s board of directors, as well as board members from international accounting organizations. For non-New Yorkers, Dohnert often pairs sightseeing excursions with related culinary experiences. “I have arranged a walking tour in the Gramercy area that ended with Elsie DeWolfe’s house, then we had tea at Lady Mendl’s—A.K.A. Elsie DeWolfe—in the Inn at Irving Place right across the street.” She has also provided a few days of complementary access to Zagat’s online survey for out-of-towners wanting to dine on their own. “You can also get mini versions of the Zagat guide with your logo that highlight the area where your hotel and meeting are located,” she says.
Melissa Meyer, special events director for The New Yorker, often welcomes attendees before they even arrive at one of the magazine’s events. Before the New Yorker Festival, she sends pre-trip packets to high-level advertisers with the three-day event’s essential details. “Since most people will fly in, we include info on plane tickets, airport transportation, hotel accommodations, what to pack, what the weather will be like, dress codes, and any other questions people might have. We’ll also include a welcome note from the publisher and sometimes a personalized luggage tag,” she says. “It helps ease them into the whole weekend.” For a greener alternative, Meyer suggests creating a Web site, as she did for a recent internal sales conference in Miami. “It’s good to get that material in guests’ hands a week before the trip,” she says. “Any closer, and people start worrying about their arrangements.”
—Lisa Cericola
RELATED TOPICS
The New Yorker, American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages, NYC & Company
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