6 Reasons Why Meeting Planners Love New York City

If you follow our Meetings and Events Forecast from year to year, you'll notice how it spotlights the top cities worldwide for corporate gatherings. City rankings are based on our clients' meeting data and survey results from over 170 meeting professionals who weigh factors like accessibility, affordability, and local attractions.

What city ranked first place for 2025? New York City (NYC). It's predicted to be the number one meeting destination in North America, outranking Las Vegas - last year's first choice. Why the shift to NYC? Meeting planners are focused on creating the ultimate experience and NYC has a wealth of options to meet that desire. Find out more about the city's sparkling appeal.

1. Options balance cost

NYC offers some of the finest upscale hotels and an abundance of corporate office space. Though luxury hotels come with a high price tag, meeting planners can temper the cost of overnight stays by hosting their event at the corporate office while including more attendees. With so many people working remotely nowadays, the office event is a win for everyone, providing attendees with face-to-face time and helping meeting planners balance the costs of high-priced overnight stays.

2. Employee gatherings are going strong

Our 2025 Meetings and Events Forecast reports employee gatherings are expected to be the most frequent type of meeting and 43% of those surveyed plan to hold team meetings in 2025. Many companies are headquartered in NYC and clients are requesting hotel bookings near their corporate office or their client's office. They're favoring in-person meetings and taking advantage of group hotel rates and concessions with room blocks between ten and 30 rooms.

3. Smaller meetings are trending now

Small gatherings with fewer attendees help connect people in meaningful discussions, conducive to learning, collaboration, and creativity. To support those discussions, we're seeing an increased demand for intimate, upscale settings. NYC has a good share of options for small, luxury hotels.

According to Liz Anderson, global account executive on our global venue sourcing team, "I've been booking smaller, intimate hotels in NYC with a high-end boutique vibe recently. My clients are fine paying for that experience. I haven't seen anything like that before. For example, we just booked a group that paid a very high room rate and paid a substantial amount on room rentals at a niche, boutique hotel in the heart of New York's SoHo neighborhood. The hotel was awarded Three Keys, a top honor in Michelin's hotel rating system."

4. Industries thrive in NYC

As the largest regional urban economy in the US, NYC is a metropolitan hub for many industries, ranging from finance and IT to manufacturing and communication. How does that translate into numbers? The city has a gross annual city product of $678 billion and more Fortune 500 companies than anywhere else in the world.

From our end, we find meetings are vital in keeping businesses moving, supporting innovation, building team unity, and showcasing brands. Given the abundance of companies and industries in NYC, we can see why the city is a choice destination for everything from meetings to special events to trade shows. And the city's vast amount of meeting options means meeting planners have an opportunity to secure terms and conditions that meet their needs and budget.

Anne Tippin, global account executive on our global venue sourcing team, says: "I have a client that books NYC a lot because their corporate headquarters and flagship stores are located there. Their business is fashion-focused and since NYC is a fashion hub, they often need hotel room blocks and event spaces."

5. Getting around town is easy

Talk about accessible. Domestic and international flights fly in and out of three nearby airports: John F. Kennedy International Airport, LaGuardia, and Newark Liberty. Manhattan has two major rail terminals: Grand Central Station and Penn Station as well as bus lines that travel around the US and Canada.

Once you arrive in the city, you can get around town by subway (underground train), bus, taxi, or ride-hailing service. Prefer to walk? Go right ahead. The city's grid-like structure and pedestrian-friendly sidewalks place it on Forbes' list of "The 30 Most Walkable Cities in the World." Whether you're planning a blockbuster event or a team lunch at the office, you're likely to have several ways to get there and back.

6. NYC is buzzing with energy

From the flashing billboards in Times Square to the dazzling skyline bordering the Hudson River, NYC isn't just a place to visit, it's a memory. For those attending a meeting, it's easy to be captivated by the city's diversity in cuisine, Broadway theatres, and iconic landmarks, not to mention its leafy parks and local museums. Many are just steps away from corporate offices and meeting venues. Tempting as it all sounds, those attractions merely touch on the vast amount of things to do and see in NYC. If you're looking for a place with great public amenities and cultural attractions, NYC will check off your boxes.

To learn more about shaping a memorable experience for meeting attendees, click through our 2025 Global Meetings and Events Forecast, filled with strategies and insights from key leaders in the meetings industry.