10 New Venues in New York for Winter Meetings and Events

Evolving from its start as a wildly successful pop-up, the Museum of Ice Cream now exists in permanent form in Soho. Opened in December, the new location is an Instagram playground with bold, mostly pink design and lightly interactive exhibits. After walking through a retail store and scoop shop, the self-guided experience begins with guests choosing an "ice cream name" and then exploring exhibits that riff on banana splits, sprinkles, honey, cones, and even a New York subway car. Private events are available, as are group rates. For buyouts, the venue holds more than 50 guests. Groups also can book a Morning Swim, which offers full private access to the Sprinkle Pool with as many as 40 guests.

Convene, the conference center specialists, opened its 30th location, a 73,000-square-foot venue in the downtown mall Brookfield Place in the former Saks Fifth Avenue. Convene 225 Liberty Street is spread over two levels: Hall 1 on the lower level, which seats 615 theater style or holds 700 for receptions, and Hall 2 on the upper level, which seats 479 theater style or holds about 500 for receptions. There are also four smaller Hub rooms as well as ample pre-function space. The halls are distinctively round spaces and are equipped with audiovisual and other technology. Overall, the venue can hold 1,000 people. In-house catering is available, as is a retail coffee shop and café. Other amenities include a green room and dedicated coat check area. The venue opened on December 11.

The Empire State Building's new Observatory Experience on the 80th floor, the culmination of a four-year, $165 million renovation, debuted in November. The 13,000-square-foot observatory has six multimedia exhibits that include virtual-reality powered viewfinders that show off points of interest such as Central Park, the Brooklyn Bridge, and Times Square; a commissioned piece by the architectural artist Stephen Wiltshire; a video feature on the building's light shows by lighting designer Marc Brickman; and touch-screen kiosks programmed by NYC & Co. to suggest tourist attractions and restaurants. Empire State Realty Trust also renovated the second-floor museum and 102nd-floor observatory so it now has full-length windows from which to gaze over the city.

Big Snow American Dream, North America’s first indoor real-snow ski and snowboard park, opened December 5 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The 180,000-square-foot snow center features an indoor, temperature-controlled "mountain" with a slope that measures 1,000 feet long and 200 feet wide with a 160-foot vertical drop. It has one four-seat chair lift as well as two moving carpet surface lifts and one surface platter lift. The facility is available for private groups and offers teambuilding options. It's located in the long-anticipated American Dream entertainment and shopping center, which eventually will include DreamWorks Water Park, a 300-foot-tall observation wheel, and a theater. The Nickelodeon Universe theme park and an ice-skating rink are already open.

Hilton's luxury Conrad brand has opened a second property in New York. Formerly the London hotel, Conrad New York Midtown has been renovated with design by Stonehill Taylor and now features 562 suites, including the 3,000-square-foot Penthouse on 54 with views of Central Park. One notable perk: In a luxe twist on room service, guests can order Petrossian caviar tastings to their suites. The hotel's restaurant, Dabble, has a private dining room that serves as event space. Called Plume, it seats 75 or holds 100 for receptions. The hotel opened in October.

Celebrating today's culinary diversity with the Lower East Side's rich history of immigrants, the Market Line food hall opened in November. The 150,000-square-foot venue spans three city blocks and, once finished in 2021, will be the largest in New York City. Among the 30 local vendors are seafood specialist Essex Pearl, an outpost of Nom Wah tea parlor, the pizza spot Slice Joint, and the beer mecca the Grand Delancey, which will offer some 1,200 different beers through a 50-tap draft system. In the second phase of the Market Line, plans call for adding a live music venue.

The London-based conference venue company Etc.venues is opening its first U.S. location at 360 Madison Ave. this month. The midtown spot, near Grand Central, will cover 45,000 square feet across two connected floors and 10 rooms. The venue offers in-house catering, large-screen media walls that can be used for branding, and other technology including high-speed Wi-Fi. The venue's maximum capacity is 700 people, and its largest room, the Venture Suite, holds 337 people theater style or 150 in a classroom setup. The venue is the first of three Etc.venues slated to open this year, with another at 601 Lexington Ave. and the third to come downtown.

Located in Herald Square, the Kixby Hotel opened in November. Formerly Hotel Metro, the rebranded property features redesigned public spaces from Rockwell Group and 195 guest rooms that boast 10-foot ceilings. The property is also home to the Lookup, a 2,200-square-foot rooftop bar; Lot 15 bar and lounge with seating for 70; and Black Tap Craft Burgers & Beer, home of the Instagram-beloved milkshake creations.

Lavan 541, a new event space from the event planning and production company Eventique, boasts polished concrete floors and white walls where event planners can bring their own vision to the space. The 5,000-square-foot venue is split into two main areas: the pre-function space, which has a built-in bar, holds about 150 people, while the skylight space—named for its mounted skylight, holds about 100. Used together, the venue holds 250 people overall for reception-style events; there's also a V.I.P. suite with a private restroom. Audiovisual amenities include an integrated sound and lighting systems that include 270-degree projection mapping in one of its rooms. Located among Chelsea's art galleries, the venue is within walking distance of the Javits Center, Hudson Yards, and the Highline. It opened this fall.

For a sweet event, Marble Dessert Bar opened in September in the West Village. The 14-seat dessert bar from chefs and owners Mauro Pompili and Maya Sittisuntorn offers treats like lemon blueberry tarts and pistachio croissants during the day, then shifts to a four-course, prix-fixe dessert menu during the evening. It includes an amuse bouche, a main dessert, a palate cleanser, and three petit-fours. There's an optional wine pairing. The sophisticated simplicity of desserts like chocolate with sea salt and soba cha foam is matched in the design, with a simple marble bar top and globular copper lighting fixtures.