Attending an event on a boat makes some people nervous—once the ship leaves shore, there's no way to make a quick escape if the party gets boring. So the folks who put together NYC & Company's Anchors of the Hospitality Industry awards dinner wisely kept everything going at a brisk pace, and Spirit Cruises' Spirit of New York had everyone back at Pier 61 at Chelsea Piers by 9 PM—not bad for an event with a cocktail hour, dinner and awards presentation.
The awards were presented by NYC & Company's Convention, Exhibition, Meeting and Event (CEME) Committee, which was created after the September 11 attacks to help attract group tourism business to New York. The event was created last year to thank organizations, companies and individuals who pump money into New York's tourism industry.
This year, NYC & Company gave awards to the Government Financial Officers Association (GFOA) for bringing its 2003 meeting (with more than 8,000 attendees) to New York this month; the League of American Theatres and Producers, for doing public events like Broadway on Broadway and providing entertainment that defines New York as a destination; Macy's, for putting on definitive New York events like the Thanksgiving Day Parade and the annual Fourth of July fireworks celebration; the National Football League, for holding its 2003 kickoff in Times Square; the American International Toy Fair, for being one of the city's largest trade shows for more than 100 years; Reed Exhibitions, for producing major trade shows and exhibits in New York, including the International Restaurant & Food Service Show of New York; and Maritz Travel Company, for using New York as an incentive destination for its numerous clients.
Co-chaired by Briggs Red Carpet Associates' Tony Napoli and Spirit Cruises' David Sinclair, the event began with a performance on the pier by the Mother Cabrini High School band before the ship left for a trip around New York Harbor. ("I wanted it to be more than awards on a boat," Napoli explained.)
ABC's Good Morning America weatherman Tony Perkins served as the M.C., drawing on his stand-up comedy experience to keep the awards presentations brisk and upbeat. (After a quartet of Spirit singers sang the Disney warhorse "Be Our Guest," Perkins said that he would be sure that Disney, ABC's parent company, would be charging royalties.) An unusually giddy NYC & Company chief Cristyne Nicholas also kept the mood light and positive (she joked that she had to hold on to the clear plastic podium to stay up as the boat rocked from the windy weather). Everyone who came up to accept their awards followed suit, with quick and jokey remarks and plenty of rah-rah spirit for New York.
The most serious moment came when Nicholas presented a humanitarian award to chief Allan Hoehl, a retired commander of Patrol Borough Manhattan South, for his work keeping the crime rate down and making the city more attractive to outside visitors. NYPD tenor Daniel Rodriguez sang "This Is the Moment" before Hoehl picked up his award.
—Chad Kaydo
Read our coverage of last year's event...
The awards were presented by NYC & Company's Convention, Exhibition, Meeting and Event (CEME) Committee, which was created after the September 11 attacks to help attract group tourism business to New York. The event was created last year to thank organizations, companies and individuals who pump money into New York's tourism industry.
This year, NYC & Company gave awards to the Government Financial Officers Association (GFOA) for bringing its 2003 meeting (with more than 8,000 attendees) to New York this month; the League of American Theatres and Producers, for doing public events like Broadway on Broadway and providing entertainment that defines New York as a destination; Macy's, for putting on definitive New York events like the Thanksgiving Day Parade and the annual Fourth of July fireworks celebration; the National Football League, for holding its 2003 kickoff in Times Square; the American International Toy Fair, for being one of the city's largest trade shows for more than 100 years; Reed Exhibitions, for producing major trade shows and exhibits in New York, including the International Restaurant & Food Service Show of New York; and Maritz Travel Company, for using New York as an incentive destination for its numerous clients.
Co-chaired by Briggs Red Carpet Associates' Tony Napoli and Spirit Cruises' David Sinclair, the event began with a performance on the pier by the Mother Cabrini High School band before the ship left for a trip around New York Harbor. ("I wanted it to be more than awards on a boat," Napoli explained.)
ABC's Good Morning America weatherman Tony Perkins served as the M.C., drawing on his stand-up comedy experience to keep the awards presentations brisk and upbeat. (After a quartet of Spirit singers sang the Disney warhorse "Be Our Guest," Perkins said that he would be sure that Disney, ABC's parent company, would be charging royalties.) An unusually giddy NYC & Company chief Cristyne Nicholas also kept the mood light and positive (she joked that she had to hold on to the clear plastic podium to stay up as the boat rocked from the windy weather). Everyone who came up to accept their awards followed suit, with quick and jokey remarks and plenty of rah-rah spirit for New York.
The most serious moment came when Nicholas presented a humanitarian award to chief Allan Hoehl, a retired commander of Patrol Borough Manhattan South, for his work keeping the crime rate down and making the city more attractive to outside visitors. NYPD tenor Daniel Rodriguez sang "This Is the Moment" before Hoehl picked up his award.
—Chad Kaydo
Read our coverage of last year's event...
Good Morning America weatherman Tony Perkins served as M.C. at NYC & Company's Anchors of the Hospitality Industry awards dinner.
Before Spirit Cruises' Spirit of New York left for a trip around the harbor, the Mother Cabrini High School band played from Pier 61.
Maritz Travel Company president and CEO Jeff Reinberg accepted an award for promoting New York as an incentive destination to his clients.
NYPD tenor Daniel Rodriguez performed before his friend chief Allan Hoehl, a retired commander of Patrol Borough Manhattan South, accepted a humanitarian award.
