1. For those looking to cut travel costs for large corporate meetings, telecommunications manufacturer Polycom now offers its 26 business centers worldwide for daily rental, including its new 8,900-square-foot East Coast flagship in New York, which opened in June. From Santa Clara, California, to Sydney, Australia, each facility is linked, so groups can use them for meetings, presentations, and client calls.
2. Added to the Paley Center for Media in May, the Kissinger Global Conference Room seats 40 around an elliptical conference table and offers a 65-inch touch-screen plasma monitor, two high-definition projectors, built-in microphones, Wi-Fi, and a full audio system. Nonprofit organizations may use the site, but corporate hosts must have at least sponsor-level membership to do so.
3. Inside the MetLife Building next to Grand Central Terminal, Vanderbilt Suites is a conference and meeting property managed by the Patina Restaurant Group. The 2,200-square-foot site, which became available in April, is decorated with old photographs of tycoon Cornelius Vanderbilt and the railroads. Vanderbilt Suites can be divided into three sections; the entire facility seats 160 or holds 250 for receptions.
4. Originally only available to members, the meatpacking district’s Soho House opened to corporate hosts in June. Its white room, often used in conjunction with the 44-seat screening room, seats 18 or holds 60 for receptions. The fifth-floor library seats 80 or holds 120 for receptions
5. Previously used as a retail space for design firm the Apartment, Meet at the Apartment became an event location in November 2008. The 2,500-square-foot bilevel loft in SoHo has a main floor that seats 35 for presentations or holds 100 for receptions. The 1,000-square-foot white room on the lower level features an 18-seat table, whiteboard walls, and a 65-inch screen.