Help me rent out my NYC-based events space for workshops, seminars, presentations, parties, mixers, etc.

October 2, 2012 8:36 AM

Help me rent out my NYC-based events space for workshops, seminars, presentations, parties, mixers, etc.

I run a literary arts nonprofit located in Chelsea, NY and we generate earned income by renting out our main events space for private events. Our space is about 1,000 square feet and has a very warm, modern feel, with bookshelves on all the walls, a bamboo floor, and furniture and lighting from Design Within Reach. We have a small stage, DWR chairs, a projector, and PA/speakers. We use the space for literary readings and workshops by novelists, poets, journalists, board meetings, and academics, and we've rented the space out in the past for seminars, mixers, book parties, trainings--even a Filipino church and a wedding reception.

We'd like to increase this and I wanted to see if anyone had any advice on doing this. While many of the people renting our space have been literary organizations, we're interested in expanding to a more corporate client base and renting it out for people doing corporate trainings, such as CLE trainings or skills acquisition workshops. We can rent during the day and night, weekdays and weekend, though we have people working in the space at the back in an open setup during the weekdays. Especially ideal is an organization that would buy an ongoing rental (i.e., renting the space every Tuesday night for two months).

Are there any listings or groups we should reach out to for this? Can you think of industries that might be ideal to involve? What are the best ways we can promote the space and reach potential renters? Any advice would be appreciated.

posted by johnasdf to work & money (4 answers total)

The people you want to reach are meeting planners. There's a think called Event Planners Consortium, that's as good a place to start as any.

Offer to hold a meeting in your space, this will get lots of people in to look around and check the joint out.
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 9:47 AM on October 2, 2012

I would definitely suggest reaching out to local wedding planners and the more popular wedding blogs, which often have vendor sections. Perhaps A Practical Wedding? Your space sounds a little more cozy and low-key than some of the larger, more traditional spaces.
posted by jetlagaddict at 1:07 PM on October 2, 2012

Wow! Had no idea you guys had a space like this. I'd reach out to a few key event planning folks (Ruthless Bunny's link is obviously a good start) and just let them know you're available; Good venues in Manhattan are so rare and it's so unusual to find one that's not constantly been used for other events that I have to imagine there'll be tons of demand. The tech industry is *always* looking for spaces like this; Maybe come by one of our NY Tech Meetups and let people know what you've got going on. There'll be plenty of companies there which are looking for exactly this kind of space.
posted by anildash at 9:32 PM on October 2, 2012

Anil! Sorry for getting here late, but I wanted to thank you for your interview with Ashok--I was looking forward to it and of course it turned out to be awesome. Do you have any advice for specific tech companies or ways to advertise?

Ruthless Bunny - Thanks so much for Event Planners Consortium. I'll definitely look that up.

Thanks everyone!
Ken
posted by johnasdf at 6:28 AM on October 8, 2012 [1 favorite]