Campbell Apartment, Grand Central Station, NYC
This post is dedicated to “picking a venue.”
Research. Research. Research. Picking a venue can be the most difficult stage in event planning when you’re not from the area. You’re not there to check out the venue in person, you have no control of what goes on at the venue and you don’t get the opportunity for tastings before you select the space. I’m not from New York, so I have no idea what’s hot and what’s not. So, I relied on Yelp, ChowHound and NYMag.com to make my decision. My requirements are as follows:
- A room capacity of 50 people (any bigger, the space would look too big for the party)
- Availability to provide food and drinks for 2-3 hours
- Semi-private area
- A waived room rental fee
- An easily-accessible location for attendees coming in from other cities in the Tri-state area
After several days of research, I narrowed my results to the Campbell Apartment, Métrazur, Gramercy Park Hotel, Hotel On Rivington, Bar48 and The Modern. The estimated proposals, which includes hors d’oeuvres, a premium bar, service, tax and gratuity, for the venues mentioned ranged anywhere from $4,500 to $15,000. Needless to say, I nixed the $15,000 venue.
Right now, I’m leaning towards the Campbell Apartment for its upscale New York vibe and for its brand name. It’s also in prime location. Located right in Grand Central Station, out-of-towners will have no excuse to miss this party! I am current with my pop culture, and I happened to have realized immediately this location was in a scene from Gossip Girl. For fans of GG, this is the bar where Serena and Nate hooked up in the pilot episode.
Related Posts:
[How To] Plan Events From A Different City – Part 1