With the number of big corporate events dwindling for the time being, some vendors are finding new ways to boost their business. Perhaps taking a cue from telecommuters, who cut down on transportation costs by working from home, lighting companies, catering outfits, and design companies alike are turning their studios into event spaces.
"Obviously, with everything going on, it's a good way for us to offset costs," said Ira Levy, owner of Levy Lighting, who tomorrow night will host a party for the official launch of Light Space, his showroom-turned-event venue. And Levy's not the first to try this. Less than two weeks ago, caterer Sonnier & Castle announced that its new Midtown West headquarters, dubbed No. 554, is open to cocktail parties, press conferences, and other corporate and nonprofit functions.
The implication for planners is that, aside from more options to choose from, this recent venue trend can reduce event expenditure. Gone are the labor costs involved in transporting equipment—the heavy lighting gear Levy Lighting would need to haul off site or the racks of prepared foods Sonnier & Castle trucks from its kitchen to another facility. The trade-off? The vendors are exclusive to the space, so you can't bring your favorite caterer to a rival's space. Even so, the convenience means that prices are fairly reasonable.
"It's just very easy, everything's here," said Marc Wilson, an event designer who started offering Citylights Studio, his Long Island City office, two years ago. "If they want to rent some of my furniture, we rent it to them very inexpensively, because it's here."
Although the idea is certainly not a new one, it is something that's likely to continue to grow, especially given that many of these sites cater to small gatherings of 100 guests or less. Just ask chef Rossi, the one-named owner of the catering company Raging Skillet, who rents out the Artist's Room, a 250-square-foot art gallery adjacent to her company's kitchens.
"Hundreds of times over the last 20 years I've had clients call me looking for a place to have a party for 20. And they don't want to go to a restaurant," said Rossi. "In this economy, with planners scaling down their guest lists, I'm getting more and more of those kind of phone calls. To have something like [the Artist's Room] to offer, it's like I have candy."
