Skift Take
This members-only social club has built a thriving business catering to top-tier meetings and events.
A mansion in Tribeca, N.Y., may not come to mind as the setting for your next meeting or event, but it should. Maxwell is a Tribeca mansion, now a private club, featuring a chef’s kitchen, garden room, pub, and dance floor. It only opens to its members at 6 p.m., creating an opportunity to host meetings and events during the day. The website describes the venue as a “second home owned and operated by our members.”
A mansion like Maxwell is ideal for gatherings that crave creativity not found in a typical hotel conference room. From events like CAA’s Tony Awards party to dinners for the New York Times and offsites for many Fortune 500 companies, it is coming on strong as an events venue.
The Allure of Exclusivity
“Private clubs have an aura of exclusivity,” says David Litwak, founder and CEO of Maxwell. “Companies like Convene and etc. venues are standardizing and professionalizing a product for corporate offsites. We view ourselves as an extension of that trend.”
Reimagining a typical meeting venue beyond what attendees have experienced creates team-building, networking, and incentivizing possibilities. “The work-from-home trend makes off-site gatherings more important,” said Litwak.
The Rise of Non-Traditional Settings
According to Knowland, a data and hospitality technology company that tracks meetings and events, there is a rise in the number of meetings in non-traditional settings. “A lot of nontraditional venues such as cultural institutions and museums are getting really creative in how they go after events,” Patricia Shea, senior vice president of revenue for Knowland, said.
Maxwell is an 8,000-square-foot luxury home with two floors and three separate kitchens that is a private club. “We feature a kitchen you can cook in. Bars you pour your own drinks in. It’s all about interaction,” said Litwak.
It has dining table space for 120 and lounge space for even more. The three main rooms can accommodate up to 200 people at a time, and a full buyout can accommodate up to 400.
