NEW YORK
Convene has “arrived” in the Grand Central Terminal area with the official opening of its newest urban conference center at 101 Park Avenue, on the ground floor of the Kalikow building.
As its fourth New York City location, Convene’s 101 Park Avenue location is the company’s first facility that has been totally built-out “from the ground-up” using its 24 principles, human-centered design process. The new location can serve groups from two to 160 and includes seven specialized meeting rooms designed to meet the needs of varying meeting types. Convene signature elements include its Nourish café; built-in technology; and in-house catering.
Convene’s 101 Park Avenue conference center represents the first move in the company’s new direction toward establishing visible, ground floor retail locations where its signature branding can be recognized and easily accessed. Already, the Convene Park Avenue location is attracting increasing public attention as it faces a heavily trafficked Park Avenue block between East 40th and 41st Streets adjacent to Grand Central Terminal.
Convene will continue to become an integral part of the community fabric over its ten year, 20,000 square foot lease with HJ Kalikow & Co., the owner of 101 Park Avenue -- a dramatic 49-floor, 629-foot skyscraper built in 1982.
Founded in 2009 as Sentry Centers by two young entrepreneurs, Christopher Kelly and Ryan Simonetti, the company rebranded as Convene in February of 2013 and its four locations in Manhattan offer a combined 132,000 square feet of space making it the largest network of dedicated conference centers in New York City.
As part of a national expansion drive, the company will be opening its first center outside New York City in Tysons Corner, Va., in February, 2014. The 1800 Tysons Boulevard location will serve the Washington, D.C. metropolitan region when it opens next month.
