Dear friends,

This was the first time I attended Meet NY as a member of the staff, watching from behind-the-scenes vs. attending as a qualified buyer. I so enjoyed looking at this wonderful program through a different lens. Thank you Meet NY co-chairs Betsy Totten and Matt Schechter, and their committee, for bringing all the exciting new additions and changes the attendees experienced this year. Typically the NE CVB reps hold its own luncheon outside of the Marriott Marquis. This year their members aligned with NYSAE for a welcome reception in advance of the general session. As attendees walked through the registration area to pick up badges they were greeted with the NE CVB reception. Huge thanks to Chris Brislin and his group for making it all happen this year. I recall the last few years the Meet NY educational sessions including inspirational keynote presentations generously contributed by speaker bureau partners. This year the committee went all out, kicking it up a huge notch with Michael Cerbelli and his Hot List, which spoke directly to our planner attendees. After Michael’s exciting presentation, Tony-nominated Broadway producer Jessica Genick took the stage and interviewed Janet Rothermel, musical director and associate choreographer for Tina Turner: The Tina Turner Musical. What fun that was and kudos to the committee for finding a wonderful way to tie in the Broadway show attendees were seeing later that evening. The Meet NY trade show, reception and silent auction were next up. There were many first time attendees to Meet NY because of the new qualified buyers portal opened this year. We saw lots of old and new association friends from such organizations as AIchE, ASME and IEEE but there were also corporate planners from such companies as American Express, Google, NFL and the NBA. One final treat that made Meet NY so incredibly memorable for attendees this year. When the Tina Turner musical ended and the theatre cleared out, NYSAE guests were invited down to the front orchestra to meet the cast for an interactive and exclusive “talk back” session. This year’s Meet NY was certainly a special day and evening I’ll remember for a long long time.

Warm Regards,

 
Holly Koenig
NYSAE CEO