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When Saatchi & Saatchi cast about for a site to gather its staff for its first "ideas convention" last spring, it purposely shunned the standard meeting venues. Instead, the big ad agency turned to Carolines on Broadway (formerly Carolines Comedy Club).
"What could be more appropriate than a venue that is known for creativity?" says Roy Elvove, communications director for Saatchi's North American office.
Whether the aim is to break out of the crowd to highlight a special announcement or simply to find affordable meeting space in an increasingly tight market, so-called alternative sites are blossoming all over the city.
Increasing demand
At the Intrepid, the aircraft carrier turned "sea/air/space museum," the meetings business has climbed by nearly a fifth in recent years, says Mark Albin, vice president of marketing and communications. There has been so much demand for the Intrepid, where functions take place after museum hours, that management recently contracted with Restaurant Associates Inc. to...