Brookfield Properties and Convene, the leading partner to Class A landlords in providing premium places to work, meet, and host events, recently announced a partnership to create a 73,000-square-foot, multi-use, flagship venue at Brookfield Place in Lower Manhattan. The full-service events space will be managed by Convene’s staff of hospitality professionals, further enhancing Brookfield Place as a destination for high-end cultural experiences and an increasingly amenitized office complex catering to today’s leading talent-driven companies. The events space will occupy the former Saks Fifth Avenue women’s store location within the complex.
Responding to the limited large-format event spaces in Lower Manhattan coupled with the increasing need for on-demand event space by corporate tenants, Brookfield tapped Convene to build and operate a large-scale, best-in-class corporate and cultural events hub. The venue will contain two large spaces with seating for up to 500 people each – one of the largest event space offerings in the Convene portfolio – as well as several other rooms to accommodate smaller meetings and events. The space will also include a retail café to enhance the food and beverage options at Brookfield Place.
“Brookfield Place is a destination of choice for commercial tenants and visitors thanks to its high-end design, grand public spaces, unparalleled amenities and year-round arts programming,” said Ben Brown, Executive Vice President, Brookfield Property Group. “We recognized that sophisticated event and flex meeting space was a component that would enhance the Brookfield Place experience for office tenants and visitors alike. Convene’s unique plans for this space, coupled with its exceptional hospitality services, will be a game-changer for Brookfield Place on all fronts.”
“Brookfield Properties has been an incredible partner to Convene for many years,” said Ryan Simonetti, CEO and Co-Founder, Convene. “We are thrilled to be a part of the Brookfield Place community and work closely with their impressive roster of office and retail tenants. Brookfield’s track-record in placemaking and creating integrated office and retail destinations goes hand-in-hand with Convene’s unmatched event and hospitality-focused experience. This new location will allow us to host an array of large-format events that reflect the dynamism happening at Brookfield Place and across the entire city.”
In addition to offering its award-winning suite of on-demand meeting and event services to Brookfield tenants and the local community, Convene will also offer its signature in-building vertical catering program of locally-sourced food and beverages, similar to hotel room service. Convene will also partner with Arts Brookfield on Brookfield Place programming, fostering community and cross-pollination among Lower Manhattan workers, residents and business owners.
Catering to the needs of top talent and the world’s most dynamic companies, Convene provides modern work and meeting spaces, as well as state-of-the-art amenities and services, to enable organizations of all sizes to connect, create, and collaborate. The Convene space at Brookfield Place marks Convene’s sixth location within Brookfield’s portfolio, and 30th location nationally. Last July, Convene announced it secured $152 million in a Series D funding round to fuel its global expansion and launch new service offerings to redefine the workplace, meetings and events experience. The funding round included backing from a distinguished set of real estate companies, including Brookfield Properties. Convene’s total equity funding to-date is $260 million, making it one of the world’s most capitalized flexible office companies.
