Convene and Durst to Develop Premium Event Venue on Corporate Row

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

March 9, 2016

Convene and Durst to Develop Premium Event Venue on Corporate Row

New Home for Large Meetings and Events in Midtown

The Durst Organization today announced that Convene will be transforming 35,698 square feet on the ground, second and lower level floors of 114 West 47th Street into a premier event venue capable of hosting up to 500 guests. A private retail entrance on the south face of the building will create a new address, 117 West 46th Street between Avenue of the Americas and Broadway. The location features a broad range of room types and amenities that are perfect for hosting corporate events, mini expos, conferences, training programs, fundraisers, receptions and galas. Features include high-end designer furniture, built-in stage lighting, free high-speed WiFi, state-of-the-art audio & video technology, programmable digital signage, and on premise catering operations.

“We are thrilled to welcome Convene to the Durst portfolio,” said Jonathan (Jody) Durst, President of The Durst Organization. “Convene’s new space at 114 West 47th Street will offer a unique alternative to the standard meeting and conference spaces at hotels and convention centers. The venue will be a tremendous asset to our tenants as well as the surrounding neighborhood.”

“Anyone who has ever planned a large event in New York knows how difficult and unreasonably costly they can be,” said Ryan Simonetti, CEO at Convene. “We conducted focus groups, surveys and market studies to understand planner pain points and reverse engineered a venue that solves all of them and more. The end result is a flagship Convene venue perfectly designed to host large meetings and events that is conveniently located in the heart of midtown.”

Convene will also be opening a boutique café at the location with an eye toward serving the areas coffee connoisseurs and discerning executives. In addition, Convene will offer a “room service” catering menu for in-building tenants.

Convene was represented by First Vice President Jared Freede, Senior VP Rocco Laginestra and Senior VP Michael Wellen of CBRE. The Durst Organization was represented in-house by Senior Vice President Tom Bow and Vice President of Leasing Rocco Romeo.

Convene is the nation’s fastest growing network of meeting, event, and conference venues that combine technology, culinary, production, and human-centered design into a transformative user experience. In partnership with leading commercial landlords, the company leverages its workplace-as-a-service platform to provide on-demand solutions for building tenants and local neighborhoods. Headquartered in New York City, Convene was recently named by Forbes as one of America’s 100 Most Promising Companies and by Inc. as one of the America’s fastest growing companies.

The Durst Organization, founded in 1915 by Joseph Durst, is the owner, manager and builder of 13 million square feet of premiere Manhattan office towers and 1,950 residential rental units with 2,400 under construction. The Durst Organization is recognized as a world leader in the development of high-performance and environmentally advanced commercial and residential buildings. www.durst.org

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CONTACT: Jordan Barowitz
212-257-6605
jbarowitz@durst.org

Brittany Valente
888-730-7307
bvalente@convene.com