May is fast approaching! There is no city quite like New York City!

article by Andrew Hudders

In only two months, the Spring 2018 IPG Conference will open in New York City. With fewer than six weeks to go, if you have not registered yet, please let us know if you will be a part of the conference.

 
Our venue hotel is the Marriott Marquis Hotel at Times Square, in the heart of Manhattan. Rated highly among hotels in New York, the Marriott Marquis, at 1535 Broadway, New York, NY 10036, rates a 9.2 of 10 on www.booking.com. All rooms have air conditioning, flat-screen TV with cable channels, private bathrooms with bathtubs and luxury amenities.

Take a short walk to the Art Deco masterpiece Rockefeller Center and the luxury shopping district of Fifth Avenue, or enjoy an early morning run in the conveniently close Central Park. You will be near the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) and the Museum of Arts and Design as well as a large range of great restaurants. You will be in the heart of the Broadway theater district.
 
Conference sessions on Friday and Saturday morning will be held at the AMA Conference Center, located just two blocks from the Marriott Marquis, at 1601 Broadway, (cross street is 49th). The Conference Center offers such amenities as snacks, coffee/tea and other drinks all day, free WIFI and break-out business areas should you need to step out of the conference sessions to attend to your own business. An American-style business lunch will be served on Friday in the conference center.
 
Friday sessions will provide information on current and relevant topics; first, a panel will discuss cyber security issues for the smaller professional firm. Then, we have arranged a specialist to discuss business immigration issues in the current US political environment.
This will be followed by a session on how to manage effectively many of the day-to-day aspects of a small business in the US through a professional employer organization that can take care of tax filings, payroll management and health insurance, for example.
Our afternoon speaker will be Kate Gardiner, the founder of DSTL, a boutique audience engagement, digital strategy and public relations firm. Her clients range from start-ups to global organizations, including Golenbock Eiseman Assor Bell & Peskoe. Golenbock Eiseman uses Kate in our litigation strategies for public figure clients so that their story and case gets an equal hearing in social media and the more formal press.
 
Our kick-off event Thursday evening will be a bowling party at Bowlmor Lanes, located at 222 West 44^th Street, a short walk from the Marriott Marquis. You will experience the classic American art of bowling remade for the modern age in a newly renovated facility with more than 48 lanes spread among a number of themed spaces. A buffet dinner and drinks will be available. Each lane will host a group of four to six IPG attendees. Staff of Bowlmor will be available to help, and bowling shoes and bowling balls will be provided. Come in casual dress prepared to compete and win!
 
The Friday evening Gala will be held at Current, a recently created restaurant at Chelsea Piers, overlooking the marina and the Hudson River. Buses will be provided to take you to Current and return you to the Marriott Marquis. The evening will start with cocktails and drinks with hors d'oeuvres passed, followed by a three-course meal. Musical entertainment during the evening will give you a taste of the New York musical scene.
 
Saturday afternoon, after the formal IPG business meeting concludes at the AMA Conference Center, will be free time. Lunch and the afternoon will be your opportunity to explore some of the many different aspects of “only in New York:” museums such as the MoMA, the Guggenheim, the Frick Collection or the Neue Gallery; shop in SOHO, NOHO or along Fifth Avenue; do a walking tour; rent a bicycle and explore the City and Central Park. You will have the time, if you wish, to take in the Saturday matinee performance of a Broadway show.
 
Saturday evening will be our last event and farewell dinner. We are exploring a number of locations, all near to the Marriott Marquis, and will announce the venue at the conference. Our selected venue is currently still under construction and we are not sure if it will be ready in time. Welcome to New York City real estate issues.
 
For those accompanying delegates we have planned a Friday visit to the new Whitney Museum on the West side of Manhattan. The Whitney is more than a collection of modern art; it is a fascinating architectural space with stunning views of the city, the Hudson River and the New Jersey river bank. The visit flows into an opportunity to experience Spring on the Highline. The High Line is a public park built on a historic freight rail line elevated above the streets on Manhattan’s West Side running from the historic Meatpacking District north. After the stroll through the park, lunch will be provided in the up-and-coming far west side neighborhood of Manhattan.
Saturday morning, there will be a visit to The Morris-Jumel Mansion, built in 1765, located at 65 Jumel Terrace in Roger Morris Park in the Washington Heights neighborhood of Manhattan, New York. This is an opportunity to see a part of New York City that most tourists don’t – Harlem/Washington Heights, an historic and quickly gentrifying district.
 
Golenbock Eiseman Assor Bell & Peskoe LLP
and Weinberg Lieberman & Co., conference hosts,
look forward to welcoming you to the Spring 2018 IPG Conference.